Cyber Moon Part 2: Chronicles
by Razor Knight
Summary: Just as the Youma find a way to return to the Earth, the reborn Senshi are summoned once again to fight them. But the Dark Kingdom isn't the only enemy the Senshi, old and new, will face in this new era...
1. Rebirth

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 1: Gathering.**

**Episode 1: Rebirth.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2006_

* * *

The cat walked out of the abandoned building and looked around in awe. It was obvious he wasn't in the same place he'd been when he was put to sleep. From what the capsule had marked, he'd been asleep for over fifty thousand years. Which would explain why his memory was blurry. He remembered what his mission was, but not much more. 

There was only one reason for him to awaken: The enemy was back. He could sense the energy of Venus nearm and he knew the Senshi of Venus was close to where he was now. He looked back at the capsule and nodded; only ashes were left of it, at least it's self-destruction mechanism had worked well.

But now, he needed to find the Senshi of Venus and tell her about her mission, before the enemy got to her...

* * *

"Hey Minako!" 

The blonde girl turned around at the voice. She saw a thin, black-haired girl walking her way. "Hi Hikaru."

"What's up?" Hikaru asked as she noticed Minako looked upset.

"Nothing," Minako said and looked back. "Damn, that cat.."

Hikaru turned to see a small white cat walking on a nearby wall, eyes fixed on Minako. "Aww, what a cute cat."

"It's been following me around. It followed me to school, and on my way back home, and now..." She realized something. "So, you going to cram school again?

"Yeah. I was heading that way right now. I guess I'll leave you and your stalker alone." Minako glared at her as she walked off, laughing.

However... Turning back, she saw the cat was still there. Since she'd stopped, the cat had stopped too. It leapt off the wall as he saw she wasn't moving, and walked up to her. "Okay cat, what do you want?" The blonde asked, her voice almost a growl.

She really didn't expect the cat to answer, but it did. "I'm here to tell you about your mission, Minako. And don't call me 'cat,' my name is Artemis.

"A... A talking cat?" Minako asked surprised as she kneeled to stare at him. His fur was as white as snow, not counting the yellow crescent moon-shaped patch of fur in his forehead, right over his eyes.

"A Mooncat, actually," Artemis corrected.

"Oh, right. That makes a whole lot of sense, a talking cat from the Moon," Minako muttered.

"Minako, if you just listen..."

"Of course, I'll listen to you. And to the blue dancing flowers too, whenever they decide to show up," Minako ranted on.

_'Blue dancing flowers?'_ Artemis thought with a frown. He didn't quite remember Sailor Venus' past self, but he was quite sure she wasn't as weird as Minako.

* * *

Several miles away from there, a green-haired woman in a grey business dress watched a thirteen years old boy walk past her. Indeed, he was one of them. She was aware of one of the Mooncats' capsules opening, but she wasn't worried about that. The Mooncats knew their mission, and so did she. If there was any hopes of stopping the youma, they had to find the Senshi. 

The boy, Kage for what she'd been researching, looked normal enough. Short, black, spiky hair, brown eyes, wearing a blue shirt and jeans, he hadn't noticed the woman following him. In fact, nobody ever noticed her unless she wanted them to.

"It is time for you to awaken, Kage" the woman said before vanishing.

* * *

She wasn't sure how much time had passed since the last time she saw the Earth. A planet that had once been hers, now was overcrowded with humans. She had always, from that day so long ago, cursed Serenity's power. A power that had trapped her and her army in a place that was both unknown and dangerous. 

Beryl frowned as she remembered the past. The first few hours had been hectic, first realizing Metallia was in a deep comatose state thanks to Serenity's power, which left Beryl herself almost powerless compared to the power she'd possessed only a few minutes before. Then, realizing their 'prison' was inhabited by creatures that made even youma look normal. Some were massive insects that seemed to have escaped from a fantasy tale, there were also plants that walked on their roots, and even some airborne plants.

The youma, however, had soon shown the wildlife not to mess with them. In the space of two hours, the few surviving youma had literally destroyed a few square miles worth of jungle. Upon realizing there was no way to go back to the Moon or the Earth, since Beryl herself couldn't sense either, and wasn't even sure they were even in the same Universe they were before, they started building a city.

It took them weeks to build a good enough defense wall so the ground predators wouldn't be able to enter the city. Took them months to build a city big enough to shadow even Beryl's birthplace, Arcana. They called it Dark Arcana, the Dark Kingdom.

But without Metallia's power, the few hundreds that survived the Silver Millenium attack were stuck in this new world. There were no stars in this new planet, a thick layer of black clouds was always there to stop the light from whatever star they were orbiting from touching the surface.

Some scientists had even theorized they were in a sub-dimmension of their Universe, where their 'planet' was the only thing that existed, but that had been discarded. Until they tried to send a makeshift probe, five hundred years ago, to take a look at the area over the black clouds. It had found... Nothing. Outside their planet, which was actually far smaller than they'd first thought, there was simply nothing, not even radiation or heat readings. And a few miles over the clouds, the probe had vanished.

Wether or not there was something outside their planet, was now a moot point. After a few months of trial and error, Dark Kingdom's best mages and scientists had built a portal, a gateway to Earth. The portal opened into an island the humans called Japan, which was exactly where the Kingdom of Camelot was in the past.

According to the records the single probe they'd sent out had, time passed differently on Earth and in her world. The dark Queen was sure no more than three thousand years had passed since their arrival here, but on Earth, the records went back for over ten thousand years. Again, scientists had speculated, thanks to the probe's finding of what humans called a "museum," a place where pieces of their past were archived, that a good fifty thousand years had passed on Earth since the battle against Serenity.

Strangely, there were no records of Silver Millenium or any other city, the probe had only found lore mentioning places like Mu or Tir Na Nog, but they were considered only legends. Legends she'd once conquered, and now she had a whole new world to take over.

* * *

Jadeite bowed slightly as the Queen walked towards him. "Queen Beryl, the scout is ready. We gave him a magic spell to look human to anyone around him." 

"Good. Send him to Tokyo immediately," Beryl ordered. "And what about our other portals?"

"We could only locate two other points on Earth where magic is strong enough to sustain portals. One's in an island country known as England, and the other is in what humans call the United States. "

"Stupid names," Beryl mused. "When are those portals going to be completed?"

"In a few weeks."

"Good. However, I don't think we'll need to use them."

"And why is that?"

"Because I can feel the Ginzuishou in Japan. But I feel it in several areas... Maybe Serenity broke it in pieces to stop anyone from using it. If we gather all the pieces, we could reform it and use it's power to awaken Metallia."

Jadeite nodded. "And with Metallia and the Ginzuishou in our hands, humans will be unable to stop us."

* * *

Kage frowned as he walked through the corridor leading to Takamura's office. On one hand, he had a chance to get out of the orphanage for good, but on the other hand... He wondered who would it be this time around. 

The first two times he'd been adopted, he hadn't quite fit in. He'd ended up being returned to the orphanage, like a broken toy adults didn't want to play with anymore. He was really starting to wonder if he'd fit anywhere, but he didn't know his question was about to be answered.

As he walked into the office, he blinked. He'd expected to see a couple, but instead there was only a woman there, besides Kari Takamura, the orphanage's director. "Kage, this is Setsuna Meiou." He looked at the woman as Takamura introduced her. Green hair, purplish-red eyes. Her skin was tanned, and she was taller than most adults he'd met.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Meiou," Kage said politely.

"Hello, Kage," Setsuna said with a smile. "Takamura has told me a lot about you, but there's still a few things I want to ask you before I make my decision."

Kage smiled. "Go ahead."

* * *

"Okay, so let me see if I understood... I'm the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, and I'm supposed to help you find a princess before the evil youma start attacking," Minako said. 

Artemis nodded. "Yes, that pretty much sums up what I told you." They were now in Minako's bedroom, as Artemis had said talking about her mission in public could be risky.

"The whole tale sounds insane. Then again, it's coming from a talking cat--"

"Mooncat," Artemis corrected.

"... Mooncat, so I think I'll bite."

"Does that mean you'll help me?"

"I suppose, it could be fun."

"Minako, this is serious."

"And why can't it be serious and fun at the same time?" Minako asked with a wink.

Artemis sighed. "Okay, this isn't quite what I expected, but I guess you--" He then stopped and looked around, as if he'd seen a ghost. "Oh no..."

"What?"

"The youma," Artemis said. "They're here already."

"You can feel them?"

Artemis nodded. "I can feel magic energy in a short range, which means the monster isn't too far from--" Right then, an explosion rocked the house. "-- Here."

Minako frowned. "Okay then... How do I use my powers?"

"You need to activate them first... Say the words 'Venus Planet Power' and see what happens."

"Venus Planet Power!" The blonde girl shouted. A blinding light surrounded her as her clothes were replaced by a Senshi outfit. A white leotard with a short orange skirt and blue bow, white elbow-long gloves and orange stiletto heeled shoes. "Wow... Cool outfit," she said as she looked at her new suit in the mirror.

"That's the Sailor Senshi's standard suit. Venus' color was always orange. Anyways, no time for chatter right now, Mina. Let's go."

"Mina?" Minako muttered. Then again, she liked that nickname. "Wait..." She searched into her closet for something and smiled as she put a blue eye mask over her eyes. "Here, now nobody'll recognize me."

"... Nobody would anyways," Artemis muttered. "That's why you transformed."

"Oh..." Minako said. "I'll keep the mask anyways. It looks mysterious."

"Whatever, let's just go," Artemis muttered.

* * *

Kron released his grip on the human and looked around. This was too easy, there was nothing these humans could do to stop him, and he was having quite a banquet with their life energy. He had been sent there to learn the human's language, and had sent all he learnt to Jadeite a few minutes ago. 

Right now he was feeding before returning to the Kingdom. Youma, unlike humans, fed on life energy, so human food places were useless to him. Kron had been forced to hunt down his meal, so to speak. He located his next target and growled at the human, then chased after him. He stopped, however, when she saw a figure standing over a nearby rooftop "What the...?"

"Stop it right there, monster." Minako said as she leapt down to the ground.

"Who are you?" The youma asked.

"I'm Sailor V, and I'll punish you for hurting innocent people," Venus snapped at the monster.

"Sailor V?" Both Artemis and the youma exclaimed surprisedly.

"I'll explain it later," Venus whispered to Artemis.

Kron shrugged "I just wanted to know so I can tell my master the name of my first Senshi kill." Saying that, she shot two small energy blasts at 'Sailor V.'

Venus dodged the blasts, which created two small holes on the wall behind her, and gasped. "Uhh... Artemis, how am I supposed to fight back?" She asked turning to the mooncat nervously.

Artemis realized he hadn't told her how to use her powers and sighed. "Your weaker attack is the 'Crescent Beam,'" Artemis said. "Just aim your finger at the creature and say those words out loud. "

Venus nodded "All right, here goes nothing." She put her hand in front of her, index finger aiming at the youma. "Crescent Beam!" Energy gathered on it, and a small laser beam shot forwards, blasting through the youma's chest. Kron gasped in shock then turned into dust.

"Well done, V," Artemis said.

"I did it!" Venus shouted, then looked around. The crowd was looking at her in awe, as ambulances arrived together with some patrol cars. "I guess it's better to leave before they start asking questions."

Artemis nodded "Right."

'Sailor V' picked the small cat up and leapt up to a nearby rooftop in a single jump. "Wow... I didn't know I could do that," she noticed.

"Your strenght and agility are greatly improved when you transform," Artemis explained.

"Cool, maybe I could use this for Phys Ed," Venus commented.

Unfortunately, Artemis thought, her intelligence wasn't upgraded along with her other attributes.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Those who read the "beta" version of this (formerly known as Cyber Moon: Dark Kingdom saga) will notice things started different now. As for what Setsuna's up to, you'll have to wait to find out. 

About Camelot's location, nope, Silver Millenium's era Camelot was located in Japan, the one in England's lore is just a ripoff ;P.

Also, If you haven't yet, you should read Cyber Moon: Genesis, as that is the true starting point of this fic.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	2. Orion

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 2: Orion.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2006_

* * *

"So, what do you think?" 

Kage looked at the house in front of him... Well, the 'house' was twice the size of the orphanage he lived in, painted in a dull grey color. They'd have to drive quite a bit to get there, and Setsuna had been silent until now.

"I think I'm already liking it," Kage said.

Setsuna smiled. "Good. Let's go to the backyard first, I think you need to meet your new sisters."

Sisters? This woman had kids? That was strange, often it were couples that couldn't have kids that went to the orphanage. So far for what he'd seen, Setsuna had a dark green sports car, a large house, and children. What was next?

As they walked around the house, Kage realized it wasn't as big as it'd first seemed to be, but it was still quite large. And as they finally reached the backyard, he gasped.

A blonde-haired, tall boy and a girl with green hair were there, both had short hair and were wearing what looked like gym clothing. The boy had blue shorts and a loose blue t-shirt, and the girl was wearing a green leotard with green knee-long shorts over it.

As Kage watched, the two teens sparred. The boy swung his fist at the girl, who ducked under him and elbowed his stomach, then kicked his legs from under him, making him fall to the ground in a heap.

"Wow, if that's one of my sisters, I'm not messing with her," Kage commented, "but who's the boy, a neighbour?"

Setsuna chuckled. "No, that's your other sister."

Kage turned back to see his new sisters walking towards him, focusing on the blonde-haired girl. With her short hair and boylike clothing, it was easy to mistake her for a boy. "I see..."

"Girls, this is Kage. Kage, meet Haruka and Michiru."

Michiru, the green-haired girl, smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Kage."

"A new punching bag, huh?" Haruka said snidely.

"From what I saw, you were the punching bag a moment ago," Kage commented. That caused Michiru to burst out laughing.

"Okay, girls, I'll give him a tour of our house while you change."

Kage couldn't help but staring as the two girls walked away. But was it just his imagination, or was Michiru leaning on Haruka as they walked into the house?

"Tell me when you're done staring," Setsuna said, causing the boy to blush.

"I wasn't..."

"Nevermind," Setsuna said dismissively.

* * *

Minako's idea was, Artemis forced himself to admit, brilliant. The youma would be misguided by her 'disguise' and would be led to believe Sailor V was a new Senshi. Maybe he'd underestimated her intelligence. 

"Maybe you're right," Artemis admitted as Minako finished her explanation. "Better yet, if you use a mask, not even the Generals would be able to recognize you."

Minako nodded "If they don't know I'm Venus, they'll probably underestimate my power."

"Just remember, until you can activate your stronger attacks, you must be careful."

"Come on, Art, I blasted that youma in one shot." Minako said.

"Art...?" Artemis muttered. "It was only luck. Next time they will be ready for your attack. And that youma wasn't as strong as it looked. Your Crescent Beam won't be enough to defeat the Generals, or other strong youma."

"Okay, I'll be careful." Minako said. Art was probably right, he was the one that knew about that kinda stuff, she'd just worry about pointing and blasting critters out. "But... Who are the Generals you speak of?"

"The strongest, most dangerous youma. They were the ones who killed most of the Senshi in the past, not counting the princess."

"So that princess must be pretty strong, right?"

"Yeah. If we're able to find her, we'll have this war half won."

* * *

"As you already know, our first scout's mission was a success, but he got killed on his way back," Jadeite explained Queen Beryl, who was sitting on her throne. Anyone looking at her would realize she wasn't quite sane. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to sit on a throne that looked like a dragon's head about to eat the person sitting on it. 

"No clues on who did it?" Beryl asked.

"The recording crystal we sent with Kron gave us a clue on that. He was attacked by someone called Sailor V."

"Sailor V?" Beryl asked. "I don't remember any Senshi called that in the past."

"That's why I'm going to send another scout now. He's been ordered to stir up problems and let Sailor V find him. Even if V kills him, we're sending an optical crystal with him this time, so we will be able to see how she looks like."

"Well thought, Jadeite. Send him to Tokyo immediately," Bery ordered. Jadeite bowed to her and walked out of the throne room.

* * *

Kage had his doubts when he first walked into the house, but now they were mostly gone. There was something that still didn't fit the whole scene, why would a lone, rich woman like Setsuna want to adopt three teenagers? It was strange, too, both Michiru and Haruka were thirteen, just like him. And why had they been sparring in the backyard? 

After dinner, Setsuna told him to stay around, that they needed to talk about something. So there he was, with his 'sisters' sitting besides him on the large grey couch of the living room. "So... I have a question," Kage said. "Do you girls do that sparring often?"

"That is somehow related to what I wanted to talk about," Setsuna said.

"Okay then, go ahead."

"Have you been having... Strange dreams lately?"

Strange dreams? How did she know? "My dreams are always strange," he admitted.

"Right. Any dreams involving a palace, monsters and women in strange outfits?"

Kage blinked in surprise. This was beyond strange. "Yes. I've been having that dream almost every night for the past month. What are you, some sort of psychic?"

"Yeah, you could say she can see the future," Haruka joked. Michiru gave her a soft punch in the ribs and she winced.

"Please describe your dream to me," Setsuna said.

"Why...?"

"You'll see, soon, but I need to know exactly what your dream's about," Setsuna explained. She needed to know what he remembered, to know just how much she'd have to tell him to remove Serenity's memory block.

"First thing I can remember is sitting on top of a building, watching a black wave come to me. Next I find myself in the middle of a battlefield, holding a sword, and I can see monsters and humans fighting everywhere. The monsters are strange, and don't seem to have a pattern to their looks. And then..."

Setsuna frowned as Kage stopped. "Then what?"

"Well, next thing I see is a battle between a giant monster and a few women in strange outfits... They look like cheerleaders, I think. "

"Cheerleaders, huh?" Setsuna mused.

"Yeah... They keep on shooting energy blasts at the creature, and it kills a few of them before they can take it down. Then I see a woman in a black gown kill the rest of them. That's as far as I went, but each time I have that dream it gets more and more detailed."

"I see," Setsuna said and fell silent. Haruka and Michiru were looking at Kage, careful to not show any emotion.

"So... Why did you want to know about it?"

"Does the name Orion mean anything to you?"

"... Not really, it's just a constellation."

"I see... So you're not remembering enough yet."

"Remembering?"

Setsuna nodded. "What would you say if I told you what you're dreaming of actually happened?"

"I'd say you'd have to prove it," Kage said skeptically.

"Okay then..." Setsuna stood up and smiled. "Pluto Planet Power!"

Kage almost jumped behind the couch as a blinding light surrounded Setsuna. He turned to his 'sisters' and noticed they weren't surprised at all, then turned back as the light dimmed and died out. Setsuna was still standing there, only now she was wearing one of those cheerleader suits, with dark green skirt and violet bow. She was holding a long, silvery, key-shaped staff with her right hand. The staff's upper tip was heart-shaped, and had a crimson, fist-sized orb inside the heart.

"So, you believe me now?" Setsuna asked.

"I believe... I believe I've finally cracked. Yes. I must be lying inside a white comfy cell right now, with men in white prodding me. "

Michiru laughed. "You sound almost like Haruka when Pluto showed us her transformation."

"Pluto?" Kage asked confusedly.

"That's me," Setsuna said. "Sailor Pluto, one of the Sailor Senshi. "

"Sailor Senshi..." Kage muttered then winced. "I... I remember them, the Senshi. They were a group of warriors... The group I saw in my dream... And the woman in the black dress, that's Queen Beryl, their enemy."

Pluto nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

"And me... My name is... Was... Orion."

Pluto smiled. "I see you're remembering it all."

"Not really... I can only remember that night when Beryl attacked. But I wasn't one of the Senshi. Why are you telling all this to me?"

"If you were reborn along with us, then you're one of the new Senshi, Kage," Pluto explained.

"New Senshi... What's that mean?"

The green-haired Senshi sighed. "I'm not sure yet. I can't know for sure which Senshi you are."

"I can't be a Senshi. I don't look good wearing a skirt," Kage joked.

"It'd be worth a try," Haruka said teasingly.

"Ruka..." Michiru muttered.

"Girls, behave," Setsuna said sternly. "Kage, there were also male Senshi in the past, even though there were none amongst the ones that fought Beryl. But I knew some of the warriors that fought along with the Senshi that night would be revived, and would be chosen by the Dragon Swords to become Senshi as well."

"When do the hobbits and the One Ring come in?" Kage asked.

Michiru frowned. "What, don't you believe her?"

"I do. I'm just trying to step out of the edge of insanity."

Pluto sighed. "If they'd told me I'd have to deal with these kids, I'd just gone and died that night..." Kage blinked at Pluto, his face pale. "What's wrong?"

"Wait, you mean... How old are you?"

"Tsk, tsk, it's not nice to ask a lady her age," Haruka teased.

"By today's calendar, it's been fifty thousand years since the lunar city of Silver Millenium was destroyed, give or take a few thousand years."

Kage shook his head, then smiled. "For a fifty thousand years woman, you really look good."

Pluto sighed again. "Kids... Anyways, if you haven't figured it out yet, the whole adoption thing was a facade. I needed to be your legal tutor to keep in touch with you. I've got more than enough money to support us all, and you should focus in fighting the youma for the time being."

"Does that mean I don't have to go to school?" Kage asked.

"That means you have no excuse for missing school," Michiru said.

"Aww damn," Kage muttered.

Michiru frowned. "And speaking of the youma... I can feel one of them near."

Kage was, for the zillionth time that night, confused. "One of them?"

Pluto nodded. "Michiru has weak psichic skills. She can sense evil beings, but only in short range."

"Oh... So you girls gonna go welcome it or what?"

"You'll come with us," Haruka said.

"Why? Zordon here didn't give me my watch and my Zord yet," Kage joked.

Pluto shook her head. "I swear, training rookies was WAY easier in Silver Millenium."

* * *

"This looks bad," Kage commented as he looked over the truck they were hiding behind, and saw the creature toss a mailbox at an incoming car. 

The creature was at least two meters tall, humanoid, with blue scaly skin and vine-like black hair. His face was human enough, not counting his glowing yellow eyes. "Uglier than I'd imagined," Haruka commented.

"Well girls, this will be your first fight. If you have any problem, I'll be there to help," Setsuna said.

Michiru nodded. "Neptune Planet Power!"

"Uranus Planet Power!" Haruka shouted together with her.

Kage blinked as both transformed. Instead of light, water and air surrounded them. Maybe it was connected to the element they controlled? Just as he remembered from the past, Neptune wore a light green skirt with dark blue bow, while Uranus had blue skirt and yellow bow.

Both jumped at the monster as one. Neptune charged from the side, going for a flying kick, which the monster dodged by ducking. It was a mistake, since Uranus was also charging at him, and delivered a quite powerful jab to his skull, sending him staggering back.

"Who are you?" the youma asked in a growl-like voice.

"I'm the Lady of the Sea, Sailor Neptune," Neptune said.

"And I'm the Lady of Wind, Sailor Uranus," Uranus added.

"Funny, I came here looking for a Senshi and found two. Guess today's my lucky day."

"Lucky? I don't think so," Neptune snapped as she reached her hands out to the monster. "Neptune Aqua Blast!"

A spray of water shot from Neptune's outstretched hands, knocking the creature further back. Uranus took her chance to charge again, gathering energy in her right hand. "Uranus Gale Fist!"

This time, the monster was knocked to the ground. Neptune wasn't about to let it recover, so she leapt at it while summoning her attack again. "Aqua Blast!"

The youma, however, wasn't down yet. It moved aside, dodging the water blast, and leapt up grabbing the Senshi of Water by the neck. "Hahaha... Weaklings, you can't defeat me."

"Neptune!" Uranus said worriedly.

"Don't dare moving, or I'll break her neck," the creature said as he put more pressure on his hold, causing Neptune to yell in pain.

Kage had been watching the scene from his hiding spot, and turned to Setsuna worriedly. "Aren't you going to help them?"

"They can handle it," Setsuna said bluntly.

"Like hell they can, Michiru's about to get killed," Kage snapped. _'If only I had a way to help them...'_ He thought, then frowned... He could see it, the Sun... The cities floating around it, in the past, one of which had been his birthplace. The Sun... His former home. He felt a rush of power and blinked to clear his vision, then he saw it: A gold-hilted sword floating in front of him. The Sun Dragon sword?

"Use it," Setsuna said. "It's yours."

Kage turned to look at her and saw she was smiling. He then turned back to the sword and grabbed it...

* * *

**A/N:** If you hadn't noticed until now, yep, I killed the "make-up!" in the Senshi's transformation, as well as the wands. Transformation items are overrated anyways. :P 

Oh, and why I had Kage team up with Haruka and Michiru? I blame it on my real life muse, and girlfriend, Erika. And I thank her for putting up with my rantings about the fic. She's actually given me a few ideas I wouldn't have thought of on my own.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	3. General Mayhem

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 3: General Mayhem.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2006_

* * *

Neptune tried once again to free her neck from the monster's claws, but failed. It was simply impossible, the creature was stronger than she'd first thought, and she was running out of energy fast since she was unable to breath. She kicked the monster's side, trying to get him to let her go, but nothing happened. She blinked trying to focus her eyes, and saw a blur passing by, then she fell down. 

When she recovered, she noticed the monster's hand was still around her neck, but it wasn't attached to him anymore. Looking to the side, she coud see the creature clutching it's handless arm, and a figure standing a few meters away from it, wielding a sword that was right now dripping bluish blood. "Kage?"

The figure smiled at her. "Dragon Sun, I guess. Thank me later, we have to defeat this thing. The monster growled then screamed, the soundwave generated by his scream knocked his foes to the ground. "Talk about loudmouth."

Uranus stood up first, and rushed at the youma, who dodged aside as she swung her fist at him, then elbowed her back, sending her crashing into a car.

Dragon Sun had already recovered, and saw an opening to attack. "Solar Bolt!" The youma howled in pain as a thin light beam punched through his shoulder, then kneeled on the ground. "Gotcha!"

"Gotta work on your aim," Neptune teased, then kicked the creature to the ground. She put a hand on his forehead and smiled. "This is for trying to choke me, ugly. Aqua Blast!"

Uranus stood up just in time to see the monster's head exploding thanks to the water jet. "That was disgusting."

"But effective," Pluto added coming out from around the truck as the youma vanished. "That was good enough for a first battle, team."

"Yeah, thanks for the help," Dragon Sun muttered.

"Believe me, if I wanted to, I could destroy a few hundred of those monsters in one blast."

"... If that's true, why didn't you help Neptune?"

"Because you were the one that had to help her," Pluto said. As the Dragon looked at her confused, she shrugged. "What Neptune said back home is true, I can see the future. Or at least, I see flashes and images of it, sometimes I can see several different choices and their consequences."

"Can you see the winning lottery ticket?" the Dragon joked.

"Senshi powers are not to be used for personal gain," Pluto lectured.

"Then how did you get all that money?"

"That's a secret," Pluto said with a wink.

* * *

Once again, Jadeite was giving his Queen a briefing of the latest scouting mission. 

"While Sailor V didn't show up yesterday, we were able to identify three more Senshi in Tokyo," Jadeite said.

"Three more?" Beryl asked surprised.

"They go by the names of Neptune, Uranus and Dragon Sun."

Beryl frowned. She remembered the first two, but the third? There was no Sailor Sun in Serenity's court, let alone a Dragon. "How did the scout fare?"

"The Senshi are seemingly weak, but I fear our youma, without Metallia's power, are weaker than them."

"That's bad. We need to find the Ginzuishou or find a way to awaken Metallia."

Kunzite walked out of the shadows and bowed to the Queen. "We could use Tokyo to feed Metallia."

Beryl frowned "How?"

"Humans are good energy sources, and Tokyo is full of them. With so much energy available, we could speed up Metallia's healing in a way we could've never dreamt of when we had no way to reach the Earth. "

"How many of our soldiers can pass through the portal?" Beryl asked.

"Two at most, right now, and it needs a day or two to recharge. If we gather more energy, we could also upgrade the portals and send more soldiers through," Jadeite explained.

"I see... Dexite!"

The pale, corpse-like General walked out of the shadows and bowed to the Queen. "Yes, my Queen?"

"You will go along with Kunzite to the Earth, and try to gather as much energy as you can. If the Senshi show up, destroy them."

The two Generals bowed at her again then walked back into the shadows that surrounded the throne.

* * *

Minako had decided to go to the shopping mall near her house after school, as she'd thought it'd be fun. Just when she was heading for the entrance, she saw a strange man walking by her. He had white hair and black eyes, and his suit was like a formal army uniform, as white as his hair. "Weird..." Moments later, she saw the man rising his hands as he entered the building, and thin white energy beams shoot all around him. Every person being hit by those beams fell to the ground, unconscious. 

The blonde dove into an antique shop and frowned as she hid behind the counter. _'Too bad Art is not around, I could use some help. '_ Then again, Artemis had just bossed her around in her first battle, she had been the one dealing with the monster. Even though this guy didn't look like a youma, she guessed some of them could disguise themselves as humans. _'Time for the mighty Sailor V to show up and save the day!'_

Kunzite produced a black crystal and smiled coldly as black energy tendrils shot from it, absorbing the life energy of all the humans around him. The energy was being sent straight to a massive crystal in Metallia's chamber, back in the Dark Kingdom. A few moments more, and he'd drained all the energy these pitiful humans...

"Crescent Beam!"

The General blinked as the crystal was knocked off his hand by a light beam. It crashed into the far wall and smashed into thousands of small crystal shards. "Damn it, who..." He turned to see a girl in a Sailor Senshi outfit glaring at him from behind her blue mask. "Sailor V, I suppose."

"You're right, youma. I'm the one and only Sailor V, and I'm here to stop you from hurting the innocent!" V said as she put her hands to the sides of her waist.

Kunzite laughed. "Fool. I'm Kunzite, the strongest man in Beryl's army, and no weak Senshi will stop me."

"Crescent Beam!" Sailor V used her attack once more, but this time it bounced off an invisible forcefield around Kunzite. "What the... "

"You call that an attack?" Kunzite gloated. Actually, the attack had been pretty close to hitting him, and it was lucky he'd been able to summon a shield spell so quickly. In any case, it was time to deal with this pest. "Here, let me show you!" He rose his hand, and a white energy blast shot from it, hitting V in her chest and sending her crashing through the wall and back into the antique shop.

V tried to stand up, but fell back to the ground, wincing in pain. The energy blast had hurt quite a bit, and she'd also hit her leg hard when she landed after her unscheduled flight. "Damn..." Kunzite walked over to her and grinned evily "Really, I can't believe Kron would lose to you."

V tried to figure a way out of her predicament, and as she looked up she saw a chandelier hanging on the roof, just over Kunzite's head. A mischievous smile formed in her face despite the pain she was feeling. "I'm not beaten yet. Crescent Beam!"

Kunzite gasped as the attack hissed by just missing his face, then chuckled. "Missed me."

"Not really." V said and backed away just as the chandelier came crashing down on Kunzite. Kunzite staggered up dizzily and tossed the chandelier aside, then saw Sailor V was right in front of him, aiming her finger at his chest. "I'll give you one last chance to leave before I shoot you," she warned.

Kunzite glared at her. "Sailor V, this is not over. I'll be back, and next time I'll defeat you for sure."

V sighed as Kunzite teleported out. That had been lucky, that Kunzite chickened out in the last second. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to defeat him next time. Her mind reminded her of the pain that was running up and down her leg, and she sat on the ground, panting.

Artemis walked in right then and looked around at the wreckage and humans lying on the ground all around the building. "What happened?" He asked.

"A guy named Kunzite knocked everyone in the mall out. I tried to fight him but I'm lucky to be alive." Minako said after transforming back to normal. It was then that she discovered her injuries didn't vanish when she turned normal, and they hurt a lot more, too. "I managed to scare him off but I don't know if I'll be able to do it next time."

Artemis sighed "That's not any guy... Kunzite was the strongest Dark Kingdom General. He's too dangerous for you to fight on your own."

"He said that when we were fighting, but I thought he was just bluffing." Minako noted.

"This could be bad for us... I just hope we find the other Senshi soon..." Artemis said. And they would also need the other Mooncats as well... If any of them was still alive.

* * *

Kage was walking home from school when he saw it: A man wearing a black military outfit, his skin a pale grey, and his hair dark grey and dirty-looking. It walked pass him without even noticing him, and for some reason, Kage felt he was dangerous. 

And thus, he decided to follow the man, up to the office building a few blocks away from his house. The building had been bought by a foreign company weeks ago, from what Kage knew, so maybe this guy was a terrorist?

Then again, terrorists don't shoot energy tendrils that knock down everyone around them, the boy thought with a frown as he watched the man laugh evily amidst the dozens of bodies (corpses?) that laid all around the building.

Kage frowned. He had no time to go back home and warn the others about this. He had to face this guy alone. And untrained. And really, really hungry since he'd forgotten his lunchbox. Oh well, nobody said a hero's life was easy. Kage looked around to make sure there were no witnesses, then produced his sword from thin air.

That was one nice plus to being a Senshi, they all had what Setsuna called "pocket spaces" where they could keep their suits and weapons, and where they could, Kage had correctly guessed, keep other things they would find useful.

"Sun Dragon Power!"

Even though he'd transformed the day before, it was still amazing to see. Flames surrounded him, along with a bubble of something he could not identify, and they slowly closed in to him. However, he didn't feel any heat from the fire as the magic elements solidified, apparently forming his suit over his normal clothes.

Dragon Sun nodded to himself and run into the building, stepping behind a column. Fortunately, the corpse-like man hadn't noticed him, despite the fireworks. That gave him the element of surprise, or so he thought.

"Smells like Senshi," the man said. Dragon Sun stood behind the column, sword ready. He knew even though the man had somehow sensed him, he couldn't actually see him.

He produced a small, round stone, something he'd picked from the backyard back home and kept in his pocket space. Risking looking around the column, he saw the man was facing away from him, apparently trying to figure out where he was. Perfect.

The man turned to the sound of breaking glass, and walked away to investigate. Kage almost chuckled insanely at how easy the man had been to fool, but instead he charged out, ready to attack the man... And then he saw a fist-sized black crystal on the ground, something he hadn't noticed before. The crystal had black energy tendrils coming out of it, and they were seemingly absorbing the energy of everyone inside the building.

Whatever it was, it was bad. The Dragon swung his sword at the crystal, causing it to explode in a myriad of shards. That stopped the draining, but also gave out his exact location to the walking corpse.

"Well, well, young men these days have no respect for their elders. "

"I need not respect an evil lich like you," Dragon Sun snapped.

"Too bad, kid. You broke my crystal, now I'll break you."

"Stop using cliche lines or I'll have to _really_ hurt you."

The man laughed. "Hurt me? Let's see you try."

Dragon Sun frowned and glared at his foe, then smirked. "You talk about respect, but you haven't introduced yourself yet."

"Why, silly me," the man said sarcastically. "My name's Dexite, one of Beryl's Generals."

A General? He remembered the Generals from his past life, yet he had never seen this one. Still, if he was one of Beryl's top minions, it could be a bit harder than he'd first thought to defeat him.

The worst was, he hadn't thought about actually defeating him at all.

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, I've said it before, and it's still true: I love cliffhangers. 

Minor edit to the first two episodes, and you'll notice the change in this one: Added one more word to the transformation shout, so now everyone'll have "Planet Power" instead of just "Power." Well, except for Moon because, you know, she's supposed to be the main character and all. . .

And because the Moon isn't a proper planet, so it wouldn't make sense.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	4. Nova

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 4: Nova.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2006_

* * *

Dragon Sun crashed through a glass window and grunted. Nope, he had no way to beat this goon on his own. He backed away slowly as Dexite slowly, victoriously walked up to him. He was pretty sure he'd be dead before long, unless someone helped him. 

But that didn't mean he'd go down without a fight. "Solar Bolt!"

Dexite wasn't expecting him to have enough energy left to summon an attack, so this time around, the heat blast got him, knocking him back. "Oh dear, the dog can bite after all."

Dragon Sun smirked despite the pain. "I'd be careful not to leave my back open for attack if I were you."

Dexite laughed. "Please, that's the oldest trick ever..."

"Chrono Blast!"

The General was knocked to the ground by the unseen attack. He turned around and saw three more Senshi standing there. "Wait, there were supposed to be only three..." he muttered as he stood up.

"I'm not quite a social person," Pluto said. "I'm Sailor Pluto, Guardian of Time, and you better leave before I use a real attack on you."

"Hah!" Dexite said as he shot an energy blast at Pluto, but she used her staff to reflect it back at him, knocking him to the ground again. "What the Darkness?"

"Last warning," Pluto said, her voice cold and commanding.

"Hah! All right, time wench, I'm leaving your lap dragon alone for now, but I'll be back."

"So you will. I'll be waiting," Pluto said. Dexite said nothing more and simply vanished.

"That didn't go as I expected," Dragon Sun muttered as he stood up, slowly. Good, he thought, there's no broken bones.

Pluto tossed something at him and lowered her head. "Sorry."

"What's this?" Kage asked as he examined the item. A small cellphone-like device, with the Sun's astrological sign on it's front right over a small screen.

"That's a communicator, and I was going to give it to you today. Had I known Dexite would show up..."

"Nevermind," Kage said. "At least you were in time to save me from that creep."

"Yeah, but you'll all have to improve if you want to survive next time we face them," Pluto said.

"Won't you beat him around like you just did?"

"I scared him off. I can't kill them."

"Why?"

"Because you're the ones meant to defeat the youma. I'm just here to lead you in the right direction."

"So you're like those annoying sages that tell the hero where to go next in videogames?" Dragon Sun joked.

"You could say that," Pluto mused. "Then again, I just saved your life, so you should respect me if you want me to do it again in the future."

Dragon Sun frowned, but then saw Pluto was smirking at him and shook his head. "Great, I'm stuck in a D&D real life game, and the Dungeon Master's a sarcastic, cranky cheerleader," he muttered.

"What was that?" Pluto asked.

"Nothing," Dragon Sun said with a sigh.

* * *

The blonde-haired, tall teenager watched the buildings around him, waiting. The silence around him unsetted him. It was, to him, almost unnatural for his city to be this calm. 

It was then his cellphone started ringing, and he pulled it out his jeans' side pocket. "Yes? Oh, hello hun... Yes, I'm just growing roots here at the library's roof. What? You serious? Don't start without me, hun, I'm on my way."

He looked around and soon found what he was looking for. He walked into the emergency exit to the library, and a few seconds later, he walked out again, this time wearing a black ninja suit. "Let's get this party started," he said as he leapt on a black surfboard and slid down the roof... Floating away instead of falling down to the ground.

* * *

The thief was pleased. His gang had just performed an almost flawless crime. The bank was almost unguarded at that time of the day, as their scout had told them. It was easy to disarm the two guards inside, and the crowd had been smart enough not to try anything. Yes, the perfect crime, indeed... Not counting the fact the van they were going to use to escape was somehow on top of a tree, and their driver was nowhere to be seen. 

"What the fuck?"

"Tsk, tsk, such manners in front of a lady." The girl standing over the van said calmly. The gang could see she was wearing a blue body suit and a blue mask over her eyes, her only visible feature was her long, black hair tied up in a high ponytail.

"I don't know how the fuck you put my van up there, but you better put it down again 'fore I shoot you."

"Oh dear, now I'm scared," she said as she floated down to the ground. The man glared at her and pulled the trigger, then gasped in shock as the bullet stopped a few inches away from her face. "Now, you shouldn't have done that, you know?"

"Why not?" the man asked, then heard his men grunt and yelp behind him. He turned to find them all lying on the ground, knocked out, and saw a black surfboard floating in mid-air, almost mocking him. "The fuck?"

He looked up and saw a figure standing on top of the bank's roof. A man wearing a black ninja suit with a black hood that covered everything but his mouth and chin, and holding a couple swords in his hands. "Could you please stop using the 'F' word? It's just not polite to do that in front of a lady."

"I'll say whatever the fuck I want. Get lost or die," he warned as he pointed his gun up at the ninja. That did it. He felt as if he was being held by the neck, then an unseen force sent him flying into a wall.

The girl frowned as she looked at the knocked out thieves. "And the cops have problems with them?" she asked as she floated up to where the ninja stood.

"Yeah well, you've got your powers, they have nothing but toy guns. "

"One shot from one of them and you'd be gone," the girl noted sternly.

"I know that, but I have the mighty and beautiful Nova to keep that from happening."

The girl blushed. "Yeah, but..." Whatever she was going to say next was silenced as the guy kissed her. "Okay, I give up," she joked as they broke the kiss.

"Let's get out of here before the forces of law and order arrive, late as usual," the guy commented and leapt into his flying board.

"What's wrong, Zero, afraid of the cops?" Nova asked as she followed him. Unlike him, she was actually flying on her own.

Zero smiled as he looked back. "No, I'm afraid of what you could do to them if they piss you off."

They soon reached a large mansion in the outskirts of the city. "Okay, here we are," Zero said, then took off his hood.

"How do you manage to get all that into your hood?" Nova noticed as she saw the guy's long, blonde hair fall down his back, tied in the usual low ponytail she'd always seen him with.

The guy smiled at her as she took off her mask, looking into her blue eyes. "It's a natural talent, Hana, just like your powers."

"Mr. Zephyr, you're back."

The two teenagers turned to look at a tall, slim man wearing a grey formal suit. His hair was grey, and his eyes showed his age more than any other feature in him. "Hi Sam. Is dad home?"

"Unfortunately, sir, he left on a business trip to Los Angeles this morning. He won't be back for a couple days."

"I see... Anyway, I guess we should change back to our civilian clothes."

"That'd be smart, sir. I just shot down a couple paparazzi that were lurking around the backyard," the man joked.

Terry followed his game. "Shot to kill?"

"Indeed. I never miss."

"Good. Anyway..." Terry turned to Hana. "Let's find a room to change in, hun."

"Two rooms, you mean."

"I don't think you mind me watching," Terry teased. Hana just rolled her eyes and walked into the mansion.

* * *

_Terry was the son of Jack and Rose Zephyr, and had been, since birth, one of the richest kids in the planet. He'd never been too comfortable around other rich kids, though. The only true friend he had was Hana, a girl he'd met three years ago._

_At first, he had dismissed her as another rich snob going to the private school he attended, but a few days after she'd moved into the city, he'd found her in quite a dire situation._

_Unlike him, she lived near the center of New York. The fact all kids in her neighbourhood thought she was a snob was bad enough. It didn't help her house was the largest in the area. So, that day, a small mob of bullies had chosen to pick on her once again._

_Luck had played in her favor, as a certain blonde kid was passing by, on his way to his father's company's headquarters, and he had his butler, Samuel, stop the limo as he recognized the girl._

_"Hey, leave her alone!"_

_The tallest bully turned around, ready to snap back at him despite Terry was a good head taller than him. That's one thing he'd gotten from his mother, she was the tallest woman he knew. The whole group turned to him, but soon enough decided to ignore 'yet another rich kid.'_

_"I said leave her alone," Terry repeated as the 'boss' of the mob pushed Hana back again. The girl didn't look scared or threatened at all, she was holding her ground and glaring back at the other kids. _

_"Oh look, Richie Rich came to rescue his girlfriend," one of the kids commented. That caused a wave of laughter from the other kids. _

_Before the others could figure out how he'd done it, Terry had rushed in, grabbed the joker's arm and twisted it behind his back in a painful way. "You know, I don't know this girl, and I don't mind you making fun of me. But I hate bullies because they can't put a fight to go with their talk."_

_"Get him!" the 'boss' ordered._

_Terry frowned as he released his catch, sending him staggering right into his first attacker's stomach. The secon kid that rushed him was greeted by a kick to the chest, and the three next got knocked down to the ground by a spin kick. He stood in a defensive pose as the others stopped in awe._

_"Wow, Richie Rich knows Kung-Fu."_

_"Actually, that was Aikido," Terry corrected._

_The girl had been left alone by now, since all the bullies had found a more interesting target. She didn't mind being out of the line of fire, but she was actually worried about her rescuer. Not that she needed to be rescued anyway._

_"Did I tell you guys to stop? Punch this idiot down NOW!"_

_The kids all moved forwards to attack Terry as one. And they all hit an invisible wall as one, too. "What the hell?" one of them asked out loud._

_Terry risked a glance to his side, and saw the girl's blue eyes were glowing. "What is...?"_

_Suddenly, he heard several exclamations of surprise and panic as the whole mob was tossed back several meters by an unseen force. The girl took a step forwards towards the crowd, and they all backed away. "Listen, idiots. I don't like you picking on me, but I'd played along because I didn't want to hurt you. You better walk away before I stop being nice."_

_The 'boss' still had some brawn left in him. "Does a small, weak girl like you really think there's a chance to beat us all?"_

_"I may be physically weak, but I don't need to use my muscles to give you a beating." To demonstrate her point, she used whatever power she had used before to send the tall kid crashing into a wall. _

_The formerly brave crowd finally got the message, and the girl chuckled as she saw them run off scared, their 'boss' trailing behind the others._

_"That was amazing," Terry said._

_The girl looked at him amused. "You're not freaked out like them?"_

_Terry shrugged. "No."_

_"Strange. You're the first person not counting my parents that doesn't just freak out and run away when they see me using my skills. "_

_"I've never met a person with telekinetic powers, but I'm not freaked out, I'm impressed."_

_The girl smiled at him. "My name's Hana."_

_"Terry."_

_"Is that a nickname?"_

_"No, that's my name," Terry said. "See, I'm weird in my own way."_

_Hana laughed at that, then looked at the limousine. "I think your butler is waiting."_

_"Oh, yeah," Terry said looking back at his vehicle. "I'd almost forgotten about that. Well, Hana, I guess I'll see you at school."_

_Hana smiled and kissed him in the cheek. "Thanks."_

_"What for?"_

_"For helping me."_

_"You didn't need any help," Terry said matter-of-factly._

_"It was still nice of you, Terry." Hana said with a smile. Terry blushed slightly at that and she chuckled again._

* * *

Terry's mind returned to the present. Since that day, Hana had been his best friend, and eventually she'd become his girlfriend. They liked to 'play superhero,' and a part of his mind kept on telling him something could go wrong in one of their superhero stunts, but Terry always dismissed that thought. He'd already lost his mother to a seastorm, and his father was always out because of business. Losing Hana was something he dreaded, something he'd never want to see happen. 

But she was the strongest person he'd met. She had powers that let her fight armed men and shrug off their bullets, as she'd done earlier that day. She had real powers, unlike Terry. All he had was a flying board, a couple swords, and his training in martial arts.

"Thanks for helping me today," Hana said as she finished putting on a red t-shirt.

"You're welcome... But I didn't do much."

"You were there, that's more than enough for me," Hana said and hugged him. Terry smiled as she kissed him. He'd been there for her, just like she'd always been there for him. She was the best thing in his life right now, and he'd do anything to keep things the way they were.

* * *

**A/N:** Ack, fluffy moment. Yuck. I need to rinse my brain now. 

In a more serious note, stay tuned for next episode, to meet the evil plot device I thought of _after_ I'd finished the Dark Kingdom arc in the 'beta' Cyber Moon.

What does that mean? Well, wait and see.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	5. Luminite

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 5: Luminite.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2006_

* * *

The small black cat stood on top of a house in the Juuban district. It was staring straight to another house, in a way that made it look almost like a feline spy. "It's her, I'm sure of that," the cat said in a female voice, then leapt off the roof.

* * *

"Sailor Pluto is a force to be reckoned with," Beryl said, "and that girl Sailor V is strong too. We need to proceed with our energy draining operation, but with those Senshi around, we'll have a hard time getting any energy at all." 

"I have an idea," Kunzite said. "The London portal is ready, as well as the New York one. I'm going to lead Sailor V to England, to get her out of the way. And while I'm there, I can also try and gather more energy."

Dexite walked out of the shadows and bowed to Beryl. "That is a brilliant plan. With your permission, I'd like to mimic Kunzite's idea, and herd Pluto's group to New York. If we're lucky, we'll get both groups out of the way. However..."

"However?"

"I want Luminite as a backup. Should Pluto show up again, we need to be ready."

"Agreed," Beryl admitted. "Very well, put your plans in motion. Jadeite!"

The blonde general walked out of the shadows and bowed at her. "Yes?"

"You will be in charge of the energy draining operations."

"As you wish, I'll start immediatley."

"No," Beryl said. "Wait until the Senshi are out of the way."

Jadeite nodded. "I won't disappoint you."

Beryl frowned as Jadeite walked back into the shadows. "You better not, Jadeite."

* * *

Luminite crossed her arms and frowned. "I'm not a low-class scout youma." 

"I know that, Luminite, but we don't know if there's Senshi in New York. Sending a normal youma on a scouting mission would indeed result in a failure."

"I see.. Yes, you're right. If I find any Senshi there, I could surely kill them before they become a major issue."

"Be careful, though. They seem to be quite well-trained." Either that, or extremely lucky. Dexite wasn't quite sure which was the real reason for their victories against the youma.

Luminite nodded. "Don't worry, this will be no trouble for me."

* * *

"So, are you going to ask him about it?" 

Terry sighed as Hana hugged him from behind. "All right, you win."

"You know I'm right. We could use that if we're going to keep on fighting crime."

Yes, she was right, Terry thought. After returning from his last trip, his father had shown him a new material his company was developing. Zephyr Corporation was one of the biggest AI and robotics companies in the world, and their products were bought for both civilian and military uses. This last invention, however, was classified. Nobody outside the scientists involved in the project and the few persons his father trusted with the secret, knew about it's existance.

When Terry had first seen it, it was nothing out of the ordinary for him. A black cube of a semi-solid substance, not too different from rubber. But then, his father showed him the records of several tests they'd already tried on the _Element Zero_, as the substance was called. Ironic, he thought, he had an element named after his alter ego.

From the temperature tests, it was obvious the Zero had problems with cold, but to compensate, it could resist high temperatures without letting the heat get through. But that wasn't it's most interesting trait.

There was one test that had really piqued his interest. They'd covered a glass panel with a thin layer of Zero, then shot a handgun at it. Not only was the Zero unscratched, but the glass itself had no signs of the impact.

It wasn't the first time Terry asked his father to "field test" one of his company's products. Terry's airboard, as he called it, was a project Zephyr Corp. had been working on for years, looking for a way to apply anti-gravity to planes and helicopters. So far, the biggest item that had been succesfully turned into an anti-gravity device, was Terry's board.

But the Zero... He wasn't sure his father would let him have samples of it. It was worth a try, though, as what Hana said was true: Such a sustance turned into body armors would render bullets useless.

He picked up the phone and dialed a number, then sighed. "Hello Laura... Yes, I would like to speak with my father. Is he busy? ... Okay, I'll wait."

* * *

"Not a lot of activity today," Nova commented. 

They were both now sitting on a relatively tall building, checking for any criminals they could find. Some would think they were playing heroes, but truth was, they both couldn't just slack around while crime rate in their city escalated daily. "Think Spiderman already took care of every criminal in the city?" Zero joked.

Nova chuckled. "That'd be possible if he existed."

"Think I should go find some radioactive spider to get some real powers?"

"Other than your natural talent at being a joker?" Nova teased.

Zero chuckled. "Point." He then frowned. "Look at that..."

Nova looked in the direction Zero pointed and blinked. A woman with white hair and pale skin, dressed in a white military uniform, walked into a fast food restaurant. Seconds after she'd walked in, the two heroes could see tendrils of some sort of black energy lashing out of the building. "What the hell?"

"Should we go get her?" Zero asked.

"I don't know... She looks dangerous."

"So I can tell from her light show," Zero said. "Whatever she's doing in there, it can't be good."

"Still, we should wait."

"But..."

"Terry, trust me on this one."

"... Okay."

And so, they sat to wait. It didn't take long. The woman walked out of the building and into a nearby alley, carrying a black crystal. "What's that thing?"

"Let's go ask her," Zero said. Both heroes fled down from the building and stood in front of the woman. "Well, hello there, snow white. What's that thing?"

"Who the heck are you?" the woman asked bluntly.

"I'm Zero and this is Nova, and we saw what you did in that building."

"What are you going to do about it?" the woman asked amusedly. She wasn't too amused, however, when an unseen force grabbed her by the arm, causing her to drop the crystal, then rammed her facefirst into a wall.

"Check that crystal," Nova said.

"I'll do better than that," Zero said and swung one of his swords at the crystal, splitting it in half.

"Damn you!" The woman shouted and shot an energy blast at Zero. The ninja got hit on his left arm, crashing sideways into the alley's brick wall and grunting as he fell to his knees. "I'll kill you for that, human!"

"No you won't," Nova said in a low growl, her eyes turning a bright blue. The woman tried to breath but felt as if a massive, strong hand was choking her.

"No human... Will... Defeat me," the woman said and rose her hand, gathering energy for another blast.

"No!" Zero shouted as he dove in the way of the attack, taking the blast on his chest. "That... Hurt..."

Nova's eyes turned a blinding blue as she glared at the woman. "Get out of here, or die."

The woman couldn't believe it. She, Luminite, was being choked to death by some sort of magician girl. And this time, she found her arms were pinned to her sides, too, so attacking her to break free was impossible. "This... Isn't over," she said then vanished.

Nova fell to her knees, the exhaustion of having to use so much of her power catching up with her. "That was... Close..."

Zero rose to a sitting position and sighed. "I knew you'd scare her off."

"Good, because I wouldn't be able to kill her if she'd decided to stay."

Zero flinched as he stood up, a jolt of pain running up and down his leg. "I... See."

"Let's get out of here before something else happens. Can you walk?"

"Barely," Zero said.

"Want me to carry you back home?" Nova joked.

"No, thanks," Zero muttered. "Besides, I don't need to walk," He added as he leapt on his flying board, flinching as his leg reminded him of the pain he was in.

"Let's go," Nova said and fled off. Zero smiled as he followed her.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a warehouse somewhere in Tokyo, a battle was about to begin. Artemis had seen Kunzite walking into that warehouse while scouting the city, and had told Minako about it. Minako had agreed to check the place after a bit of tugging by him. Okay, a _lot_ of tugging. The Mooncat still wondered how the graceful, charming Pricess Aphrodite had been reincarnated into this lazy, naive, air-headed girl. True, she had some redeeming qualities, like... Like... Nevermind. 

"Stop it right there, Kunzite!"

Kunzite smirked to himself as he heard those words. Hook, line and sinker. "Sailor V, I knew you'd come to try and stop me... I'm sorry but you won't survive this battle. Bullior!"

A youma that looked like a humanoid bull with a mohawk appeared behind Kunzite. It's skin and eyes were red, and it looked strong enough to ram through a metal wall. "Yes, Lord Kunzite?"

"Bullior, destroy Sailor V."

The bull nodded and charged at V. The Senshi screeched and leapt aside, barely dodging the charge. The creature tried again, but this time V leapt up and over the youma's head, and summoned her attack while airborne. "Crescent Beam!"

So much for it being strong, V thought as Bullior turned to dust. Kunzite, however, just laughed evily as a white portal appeared behind him. "Well done, Sailor V. Unfortunately you're too late to stop me now. I'm going to try my luck elsewhere... A pity you'll never figure it out in time to stop me," as he said that, the white haired man walked through the portal, which vanished almost instantly.

"Damn... He escaped," V muttered. And that portal thing was a new trick, too...

"But what did he mean by 'try my luck elsewhere?" Artemis pondered as he walked out of his hiding place.

V looked around and spotted something. "Maybe there's your answer." Sitting on a table were a lot of books and magazines, all about England and London.

"Hmmm... So he's going to London..." Artemis said. "But, this could also be a trap."

"What do you mean?" V asked.

"He could be just trying to get you out of Tokyo." Artemis said "Remember I told you there are other Generals."

"But what if he's really planning to invade England?"

"..." Artemis looked around as he sensed something in his mind. "Wait here, I'll go check something out."

Minako watched him leave and frowned "What's up with him?" She then shrugged and walked out of the warehouse as well.

* * *

Artemis looked at the capsule remains and smiled "Well, seems like at least one of the other mooncats is still alive... Wonder who it is?" He then shrugged "Nevermind who it is, it'll find the other Senshi, and Minako can go to England to stop Kunzite."

* * *

"This is boring," Kage muttered. 

"What, you love risking your neck fighting youma?" Haruka asked.

"No, I love kicking their rears. And ever since we scared that zombi General out, there's been no action."

"It's only been two days," Setsuna commented as she walked in. "Besides... I have something for you to see," she tossed a few foreign newspapers into the table and frowned.

"Hmmm..." Kage's english wasn't too fluent, but it was good enough to understand what Setsuna was talking about. "Monsters being spotted in New York. Weird."

"Not weird, youma," Setsuna corrected. "I've been exploring Tokyo lately, and I know there's at least one Senshi around other than us."

"Good, we could ask them to join us," Michiru said.

"No... We must trust they will be strong enough to take care of things around here. Because if Beryl's attacking New York and there's no Senshi there, then that city will be unprotected."

"Shouldn't the army or whatever take care of that?" Kage asked.

Setsuna shook her head. "Remember, what we're fighting isn't human. Bullets would do little against a normal youma, and most likely wouldn't even phase the Generals. Whoever tried to fight them without magic would be in for a rough battle, and one they most likely wouldn't win."

"Then we need to go there as soon as possible," Michiru said.

"I agree," Setsuna admitted. "However, I need to check on something before we cross the ocean..."

Kage blinked as Setsuna vanished. "Why does she always do that?"

"No idea," Haruka and Michiru muttered in unison.

* * *

"You mean you were defeated by two humans?" Beryl asked. Her upset was quite visible, and the crowd of youma standing in the darkness around her throne backed away cautiously. To misquote an old human saying, 'Hell hath no fury like a Dark Queen pissed off.' 

Luminite shook her head. "They weren't normal humans. The female used... Some kind of strange magic. It was an invisible force, and she almost managed to choke me to death. And the guy... No normal human would take a full-power blast from me and survive, but he took two of them and was still alive, though he was injured."

"If they bleed, they can die," Dexite commented walking out of the shadows. "May I suggest something?"

"Go ahead," Beryl said.

"I've been studying the portals, and I've found out we could send three soldiers through using only a small ammount of extra energy. "

Luminite nodded. "I think the only way to defeat those two would be having the advantage in numbers. If both were distracted by a youma each, I would have my hands free to kill them both."

Beryl fell silent as she considered the risks. She didn't want to use any more energy than needed, since their energy reserves were already low and the first few draining missions hadn't been quite successful. But, if Luminite eliminated those two, then there would be no distractions for them, and once the Senshi had been lured out of Tokyo, they could deal with them. "Okay," she finally said, "Take two youma and kill those two humans. Do not fail this time, Luminite. "

"I won't," Luminite said. She couldn't afford to fail. She couldn't afford to let those two live after they'd humilliated her.

* * *

**A/N:** For those who asked me about it, nope, Sailor Moon isn't around yet. That's what that bit with the black Mooncat was about.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	6. Exodus

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering. **

**Episode 6: Exodus.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2006_

* * *

Ever since he was kid, Terry had been trained in several forms of combat. He liked all kinds of meelee, and was quite good in fencing. His father's money had gotten him the best teachers he could ask for, and he liked studying martial arts as much as he liked studying science. However, all that hadn't been any help in his last battle. 

"Still thinking about that girl?" Hana asked as she leaned on his shoulder. "I'm feeling a bit jealous, you know..."

Terry chuckled. "Don't worry, I don't like Snow White types. Specially those that can shoot energy blasts off their hands."

"You think she's like me?" Hana asked.

"She has some kind of super power, that much is clear. But she isn't like you. She's evil."

"I'm worried about what she could do next time... I mean, you heard the news, the crowd at that restaurant was tired, sleepy, almost as if she'd drained their energy."

"Maybe she's some sort of vampire," Terry said. "I don't know. I think this requires some research!" He tried to stand up, but Hana grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "Uhhh..."

"I can think of a lot of things funnier than researching on a sunday morning," Hana said with smile.

"Damn tease," Terry muttered and kissed her.

* * *

Samuel Krauss, also known as 'Sam,' opened the door and gave the man outside a smile. "Mr. Zephyr, it's good to see you." 

The brown-haired man walked in. "Good morning, Sam. Is Terry home?"

"He is. His girlfriend's here too."

"Good, I wanted to show them something."

"I see... I will go see if they're not... Ahem... Busy right now, sir."

Jack chuckled at that, then sat on a couch and opened the small briefcase he was carrying with him. "I think he'll like this."

"Hello... Dad," Terry panted as he walked into the room, with Hana trailing behind him. Jack took his time to look at them. Hair messed up, trying to catch their breath, face heating up as they noticed his raised eyebrow. "Sparring..." Terry finally muttered. "We were sparring."

"That's what I guessed," Jack lied, shrugging. "Anyway, here's your new toy."

Terry frowned as his father tossed a small black cube at him. "It's ready?"

"Ready and tested for bugs. You'll be the first ones to field-test it."

"First ones?" Hana asked. Jack nodded and tossed her another cube.

"Well then, how are they activated?"

"With these," Jack said and stood up, giving them a pair of black wristwatches. "I think you can figure them out."

"Input code?" Hana muttered as she finished adjusting the watch around her wrist.

"They're set to activate with a certain chain of words, one you can set up yourselves."

"I see," Terry said. "Let's see... Something like... Zero Armor, Activate!"

Hana gasped as Terry's cube was seemingly absorbed by the watch, then a black liquid poured out of it, crawling over his body. His whole body was covered by it before it solidified, except for his mouth and chin. "Your suit doesn't look different."

Jack produced a handgun and shot a few times at Zero, causing Hana to jump in shock. The bullets fell harmlessly to the ground and he grinned. "The suit looks the same. The material, however, isn't quite the same."

"Hmmm..." Hana frowned then nodded and pressed a few buttons on her watch's small keyboard. "I got it. Nova Gear On!"

Zero smiled as the other cube mimicked what his suit had done, melting into Hana's watch then pouring out of it, forming a suit much like the one she had always used, only black. "So now you're 'Black Nova'?" he joked.

"Not funny," Nova muttered and looked at her watch. "Hmmm... Here." She pressed a few more buttons, and her suit turned blue.

"Congratulations, dad, you've just invented the Power Rangers' watches. Now where are our Zords?"

"They'll be out next month," Jack said sarcastically. "Anyways, you should go out and test them."

"Test them... Think there'll be some bafoons robbing a bank or something?" Zero pondered.

"Or maybe that white-haired witch will be back for another beating," Nova said.

"Dad, it's the temperature problem fixed?"

Jack sighed. "We tried. Low temperatures aren't a problem for the suit now, but... Direct contact with ice or electricity will affect the suit. If the exposure is longer than a second or two, your suits could even fade out. and be unusable for a few minutes."

"No ice-skating with them, then," Zero joked.

* * *

Minako had to admit, she was quite lucky despite her situation. True, she was in a strange country, chasing a man that could probably kick her around the city, and she still had to go to school. 

On the other hand...

Artemis was a genius. He'd hacked the school's computers and, with a bit of work, had managed to get Minako included into a student interchange program. Minako had never been one to study, and even though she liked foreign languages, she didn't know a lot of English. She took a crash course the week before her trip to England, but all in all, she didn't really know more than the basics.

On the plane trip, however, she met a highschool student named Brad Diamond, who was going back home after two year of studying in Tokyo. His japanese was quite good, and he'd told her he knew what it was like to be in a new country. He'd been surprised, however, when she'd told him the address of her new house.

Coincidence or fate, one of Brad's sisters was selected for the interchange program, and Minako had been the one chosen to go to her house. So, she was staying in the Diamond house right now, a quite large house in the outskirts of London.

"I'm starting to wonder if Kunzite will ever show up," Minako muttered.

Artemis shrugged. "He will, sooner or later."

"Good, tell me when he does," Minako said as she walked to the door.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Brad's going to give me a tour around the city."

Artemis shook his head. This wasn't, definitely, what he'd thought the Senshi Venus would be like.

* * *

"I don't get it. How is it that the forces of law and order are always late?" Zero muttered. 

"Maybe they don't have flying boards or superpowers?" Nova mused.

"Bah. Let's get this over with."

The scene wasn't any different than the dozen other times they'd been there. A group of thugs, a jewelry, some innocent bystanders, and loot. However, this time they had even less of a chance to defeat the couple of heroes that were slowly floating down to them.

"Look boss, it's those superhero kids from the newspaper," one of the men said.

"Get them before they get close!" the one that looked like the mastermind of the group ordered. The gang opened fire on the two heroes, who shrugged the bullets off. "What the heck...?"

"They're invincible!" one of the thugs shouted. The group tried to run, but soon figured they were running in the same place, as if their shoes were greased.

"Drop the loot and we'll let you go," Nova said. The thieves complied. "Good," she said as she moved the bags of jewels and money back into the jewelry. "Now be good thieves and wait for the police to arrive."

"You said you would let us go," the boss said. "Aren't you good guys supposed to keep your word?"

"Who said I'm a good girl?" Nova said with a shrug. Sirens could be heard in the background, and soon the area was surrounded by patrols and helicopters. "Okay, this is wrapped up, let's go."

"Freeze!" one of the officers said. From his looks, he was a high-rank officer, too.

Nova and Zero ignored that, and they fled off, with Zero shaking his head. "I didn't even get to show my ninja skills this time around. "

"You mean you have any?" Nova teased.

"Should we chase after them, captain?" The leader of the helicopter squad asked.

The captain sighed as he shook his head. "Let them go, it's not like we can arrest them for stopping a robbery."

* * *

"Well, that was fun. It's nice not fearing bullets anymore," Nova commented as the two fled over the city. 

"Yeah, and let's see them try aiming for our heads," Zero joked. Despite what anyone would think at first glance, the Zero was covering all of their bodies. Thanks to Terry's toying around with his own watch, they'd discovered they could change parts of their suits to a different color, even transparent. Hana had laughed out loud as Terry's suit had taken on a rainbow-like color pattern, but he soon returned it to black.

"Hmmm... Guess who's back," Nova said pointing down. Black energy tendrils could be seen pouring out of a subway entrance, as people backed away from it.

"Let's drop by and say hi to her," Zero suggested.

"Okay," Nova agreed.

They both fled down and into the subway, dodging the tendrils that tried to attack them. Soon enough, they found 'snow white' standing in the center of a large number of unconscious civilians. "Well, well... What do you know, ninja boy and his girlfriend are back for another beating," she gloated.

"The way I remember it, we gave you a beating last time," Zero snapped.

"'We'? It was all your girlfriend, Mr. Black Ranger. You should let her fight alone, all you do is get in her way."

"I'm going to enjoy closing that pretty mouth of yours with my sword, " Zero growled.

"Hah! That's funny. You kids think you will defeat me, Luminite, one of Beryl's Generals? I wasn't ready to fight you two last time, but this time around..."

"Blah blah blah. Shut up and fight, wench," Zero snapped.

"I don't need to. Icius, Thundius, come forth!"

As the snow-skinned woman said that, a couple creatures walked out of the shadows. One looked like a humanoid snowman, complete with a top hat and long nose. The other was a humanoid, female hawk, her wings had electric arcs running up and down through them.

"Ice and electricity," Zero muttered.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Nova mused.

"You call that irony, I'll call it dead monsters," Zero said.

"Don't worry, I won't try to get you while you fight my critters," Luminite said. "I want to see how you fare against youma. If you survive, you'll have to fight me."

Zero didn't say a word, just leapt at the snowman. He swung both swords at the creature, but it formed an ice shield, blocking him, then punched him out. Zero grunted as the point where the creature had hit him froze. "Damn it..."

Nova was, on the other hand, having little problem with her target. The hawkgirl tried to shoot electricity at her, but Nova had deflected it with a psychic blast, then started slamming the creature into every column and wall she could see.

Luminite frowned _'Just as I thought, the girl's the real fighter, the other kid's just a goon. He may be able to resist a youma's attack, but he can't fight back.'_ Her theory, however, wasn't a hundred percent true. She frowned as Zero managed to slice the youma's chest with his left sword, then rushed at the hawkgirl. "Two against one? I guess that's the way they like to fight," Luminite muttered. She then saw Zero turn and look past her, and heard a crash. Turning around, she saw the black board the ninja used to fly around, floating over the remains of her energy draining crystal. "Damn it, not again!"

"Touche!"

Luminite gasped as she felt the metal hitting through her. The ninja smiled at her coldly, then frowned as she smiled back. "Stupid kid. We youma aren't as weak as your species. You'll need more than stabbing me through my stomach to kill me." In fact, youma didn't even have a stomach, they just absorbed energy to live. "And I think that'll be your last mistake," she added as she put her hand on his chest.

The blast was strong enough to send the ninja crashing into the opposite wall, his body cracking the material, but Luminite was momentarily confused... A blast like that should've pierced through him and splattered the wall with his organs, not just knocked him back. That distraction, however, was bad for her.

"DIE!" Forgetting about the two youma she had been tossing around like rag dolls while Zero was busy, Nova focused all her power into Luminite. Her mind searched as she froze the evil woman in place, and finally found it, the woman's 'heart.' She saw the woman's fearful face as she focused in that point of her body, stopping it's activity. But she'd forgotten about the two other creatures in the subway.

She was swiftly reminded of them as a combined wave of ice and electricity hit her, and she yelled in pain. Her suit crackled with energy for a few seconds, parts of it blinking in and out. Her focus on Luminite was lost, and the youma General used this to tackle her, forming an energy blade in her right hand...

Zero woke up just in time to see it. The moment a part of Nova's suit vanished, Luminite run a white energy blade through her. "HANA!" the ninja shouted furiously as he stood up.

Luminite chuckled humorlessly as Nova fell to the ground, barely conscious. "See? You taught me that move, I'm a good student."

The two youma turned to face Zero, but they barely had time to see him coming at them. The ninja stopped near Luminite, the two creatures' heads rolling to her feet before they vanished. "You bitch... I won't let you live after this!"

The General smirked as the ninja rushed her. She sidestepped, barely missing the twin swords, then shot an energy blast at his back, sending him rolling on the ground and stopping near the human girl. "Sorry, kid, but you both needed to die today," she said. She looked at the girl, who was glaring at her, a thin line of blood running down her lips. The ninja, Zero, wasn't moving. Satisfied with her work, Luminite smiled coldly at the girl, then vanished.

"Terry... Terry, wake up," Nova whispered. "Please..."

Zero coughed and rose to a sitting position, then looked at her. "Hana... Hang in there, I'll take you to a hospital."

"Don't..." Nova said and smiled at him as he kneeled next to her. "It's too late."

"No..." Zero shook his head, fighting back the tears. He knew she was right, Nova was lying on a small pool of blood by now. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help you."

Nova sighed as her mask vanished. "We both knew this could happen. Terry..."

Zero pushed a button on his watch, and the hood covering his face was gone. "Yes?"

Hana leaned up, wincing at the pain in her chest, then kissed him. Terry noted the taste of blood in her lips, and a few tears run down his face. As they broke the kiss, Hana smiled at him. "I'm glad... I met you."

Terry froze as Hana stopped breathing. He then closed her eyes and stood up, wiping the tears that now rolled freely down his face. "Hana..." Luminite's mocking face crossed his mind for a second, and his sadness turned into anger. "I'll get her. No matter how long it takes me. I swear she'll die for what she did."

* * *

"The States are clear now, Dexite," Luminite said. 

"Good. Now I can go have fun there," the corpse-like man commented.

"I already had mine," Luminite mused. She couldn't believe how easy it'd been to kill those two. And she couldn't wait to deal with the Senshi.

"One thing, though... Beryl thinks it's better that you stay as a backup, like the other Generals."

"I see... I have no problem with that."

* * *

"You coming, son?" 

Terry looked at his father and shook his head. "I want to stay a while longer."

"Right. I'll be waiting in the car," Jack said and walked away.

_'Hana Thompson - 1978 - 1992 - Beloved daughter.'_ Terry looked at the white, fancy marble tombstone, and sighed. "Hana... I can't believe it's been a week since you..." His eyes watered, and he shook his head. "Anyway... I'm going to Japan. I've been researching, and I know there's where those attacks started. There's a woman there, called Sailor V, who's been fighting those creatures. At least that's what the rumors over the internet say." He looked up for a second, then back to the grave. "Next time I come here, I hope it's after I find and kill that Luminite bitch."

He started walking away, then turned back. "I'll never forget you, Hana... Nova."

For a second, the breeze picked up around the grave, almost as if she was trying to say goodbye to him. As Terry walked away, the breeze died, and his sadness faded as well. For a second, he wondered if he would be able to find that Sailor V woman. Then he frowned. He would find her. He _had_ to find someone who could help him fight against Luminite.

He needed to see her dead, both for Hana and for his own peace of mind.

* * *

**A/N:** ;; 

I mean, yeah, I love to torture my characters. . .

It was easier to kill all the Senshi in Genesis than this one single death... Maybe because Hana is a character I've always liked, though this is the first time I have her show up (unlike in the 'beta' Cyber Moon.)

What happened with the old "she got shot by a thief" plot? It got stomped by the bigger and badded "she got killed by a General" plot which also gives Terry a reason to go to Tokyo.

Still, I really didn't want to kill Nova. Maybe she'll be back someday.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	7. Mad Ninja Skills

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 1: Gathering. **

**Episode 7: Mad Ninja Skills.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2006_

* * *

Usagi walked into the classroom, getting confused stares from most of her classmates. "The way they're looking at me, one'd think it's the first time I make it here in time," she commented as she took her seat besides her childhood friends, Naru and Umino. 

"Well," the nerdy-looking Umino said as he adjusted his inch-thick glasses, "it _is_ the first time you make it in time."

The blonde frowned. Not her fault, at least not the last few weeks. If only the youma learnt to attack by daylight... "Hmph!"

"Have you heard the rumors?" One of the male classmates said walking by.

"Rumors?"

"About Sailor V," the boy said.

"What about her, Kai?" Umino asked the brown-haired boy.

"She... Was seen in London two days ago, fighting some monkey-like monster," Kai said.

"What? Why is she in London? She should be here, protecting her home, " Umino said.

"Maybe because she knows the brave Sailor Moon is here to take care of things," Usagi commented.

"... Maybe," Kai said as he walked off. "But from what witnesses say, Moon acts quite unbravely in battle."

Usagi glared daggers at the guy's back, then sighed. Not her fault, either, those youma _were_ scary.

Fortunately for her, now she had Ami and Rei to help. True, she didn't get along with Rei, but when she needed her in the battlefield, Sailor Mars had always been a good sidekick. Tho if Rei heard her calling her that, she'd throw a fit, and possibly a shoe or two, at her.

"Another, more relevant rumor," Umino said, "is about the son of a very important foreign millionaire being in Juuban."

"I know who you're talking about," Naru said. "Terry Zephyr, Jack Zephyr's son. He's handsome."

"Bah. Anyway, he's chosen a public school here, much to everyone's surprise."

"Here in Juuban? But the only public school in Juuban is..." Usagi started, then she heard shouts outside. _'Is a youma attacking the school?'_ she thought as she looked out the window, as did the rest of her class.

"Wow, look at that thing," Naru commented.

In fact, a long, black limousine had parked right outside the school, and a blonde-haired guy was making his way from it to the building, ignoring the female students' shouts, and the males' glares.

"They act like he's some kind celebrity," Umino muttered. "His father's the one with the money."

"Jealous?" Naru teased. "He's the heir, and he sure looks handsome. "

"I don't get it, though, why does he look so... Gloomy?" Usagi asked.

"His girlfriend was killed a few days ago, and he was there when it happened," Umino said with a frown. "Rumors say it was a thief, in a subway station.

"Oh... That's sad," Usagi said.

"And here comes the king," Umino muttered as the blonde guy walked in. Usagi noticed he was almost as tall as most teachers. Most of the females in the room took a step forwards to him, but he cut them off with a cold stare. "Not a social person, I see."

Terry walked past them and sat behind Usagi. _"Can't they leave me alone?"_ he muttered.

Umino was the only one with enough knowledge of English to understand him. _"That's Japanese fangirls for you, Mr. Zephyr. "_

Terry was surprised by Umino's answer, mostly because he didn't think anyone would understand him. "I see. As scary as they are back in the States, then," he said in an almost flawless japanese.

"Cheer up, I bet you'll get to like our group," Usagi said.

"I'd take upon that bet, but I left all my gold bars back home," Terry said with a shrug.

"You don't need to be so mean, you know. I won't bite," Usagi said.

"I'm not so sure about that, but seeing how you didn't try to pounce me yet, I guess I'll take the risk."

"Pounce you?" Usagi asked confusedly.

"Fangirls, corridor, that's all I'm saying," Terry muttered. "So, what's your name?"

"Usagi Tsukino."

_"Rabbit of the Moon?"_ Terry asked amusedly. "Well, nice to meet you, _rabbit_."

"... My name's Usagi."

"That's what I said, _Rabbit.._," Terry said with a grin.

Usagi frowned at him for a second, then sighed. At least she'd got him to smile. Always a start.

* * *

Several minutes later, Haruna Sakurada walked into the classroom and nodded as she saw Terry. "So they weren't joking. Welcome to the school, Zephyr." 

"Call me Terry... And the students out there gave me quite a welcoming riot earlier." That caused the class to start laughing, but Haruna cut them off with a few well placed glares.

"I see... Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Let's see... I'm Terry Zephyr, the son of a millionaire, but that's common knowledge by now. I like studying, science, martial arts, swords, and girls," that last word caused a mass muttering from the classroom, which Haruna once again skillfully stopped. "My life's been pretty good so far, not counting my mother died four years ago, and my girlfriend died last week."

Usagi noticed his face took a sad look as he said that last part. The class fell silent, and Haruna sighed. "Sorry to hear that," she said.

"Don't worry, I'm not this moody all the time," Terry said with a forced smile.

"I hope so," Haruna said. "Anyways, it's time to start today's lecture..." Most of the class, not counting Umino and Terry, groaned at this.

* * *

With the first batch of Senshi out of the way, Beryl had hoped her Generals would get enough energy to awaken Metallia soon, but she was wrong. First Sailor Moon, then Mars and Mercury, had been foiling any plans Jadeite had to gather energy. To make things worse, the London and New York sides weren't making a lot of progress either. 

"My Queen," Jadeite said, "my new plan is simple. People loves what they call 'fast food,' and they eat lots of it. I've opened a new fast food restaurants in Tokyo, and will drain energy off anyone who comes in."

"Won't the Senshi know what you're doing?" Beryl asked.

"I'm only going to drain a small part of energy off each customer. That way, we won't risk detection." If, Jadeite thought, Beryl was right and the Senshi could really scan for youma energy. He was still partial to sheer luck being the only thing responsible for his past failures.

"Very well, it sounds promising," Beryl admitted. "But don't fail agian, Jadeite. My patience with you is running low." Jadeite bowed at her and walked back into the shadows.

* * *

"Hey Terry, where's the limo?" 

Terry sighed as he turned back to see Usagi walking his way. "I wanted to walk home to clear my mind," he said. "You like following people around, or what?"

Usagi frowned. "My house's in that direction too."

Terry winced as Usagi started walking faster, passing him. "Wait, Usagi... I'm sorry."

Usagi looked back at him and nodded. "You look... Really downcast. "

"I still can't stand knowing she won't be back."

"There's more to it than that, right?" Usagi asked. Even if most thought she was a naive, air-headed girl, she like to help others, whenever she could.

"... No," Terry lied. After several seconds of Usagi staring at him as they walked, he sighed. "Okay, yes. Can you keep a secret?"

"I sure can," Usagi said. Specially since she had a secret or two of her own she needed to keep.

Terry frowned for a second. Why trust this girl, he barely knew her... She could go gossip whatever he said to her friends and soon the whole school would know. No... There was something about her that just moved him to trust her. "You see, I was there when she got killed, and I saw who did it. That woman tried to kill me too."

"Woman?" Usagi asked.

"Nevermind. Thing is, I made some research, and I know she's now here, in Tokyo. I came here, in part, because my city reminds me too much of Hana... But I also came here to search for her murderer."

"You'll turn her to the police?" Usagi asked. Terry just looked at her, but didn't answer. Usagi blinked as he started walking away. "Wait!"

"That's your house, it says so in the mailbox," Terry commented without looking back. Usagi watched him go and sighed before walking into her house.

* * *

Later that day, Usagi and Ami were at a new fast food restaurant that had opened that same day. Despite all appearances, even Usagi had figured it out. The youma had been too obvious in most of their plans. Opening a brand new business and selling really cheap, and whatever they sold drained people off their energy. Which didn't mean Usagi wasn't there for the food. If she could get food before the battle, it was all good. 

There was someone else outside, leaning on a wall and staring right at the building they were in. _'I can't be wrong. There's youma in there... Hey, isn't that Usagi?'_ Terry frowned as he noticed the blonde inside the building. He could go in in his civilian form and somehow get her out before... His plan was cut off as Usagi stood up and walked out. He noticed her talking to a small black cat and frowned. _'Is that her pet?'_

He pushed a button on his watch, careful not to be seen, and turned into Zero. The alley he was on helped his concealment, and he was able to see the blue-haired girl that was sitting next to her walking out and talking to her and her cat. Zero had to rub his eyes as he could see the cat moving it's lips. _'Not possible... Though... With all I've seen lately, that cat talking wouldn't be strange for me.'_

"Moon Prism Power!"

"Mercury Planet Power!"

Zero gasped and backed away involuntarily. The girls were surrounded by two spheres of blinding light, and he frowned. "Youma?" His guess was proven wrong, however, as the light faded and he could see the change in them. "Sailor V?" He almost shouted as he saw Moon, but then shook his head. No, the colors were different from the pictures of Sailor V he'd seen. Blue skirt, red knee-high boots, red elbow-long gloves, and red bow. It was still Usagi, he could see that.

Strange, though, since the rumors over the internet said V's face was blurry to anyone looking at her, and all pictures and videos taken of her also had her face blurred out. She had to admit, though, that their suits could be quite useful in combat, women's legs were powerful weapons of distraction after all.

Shaking his mind off all the hormone-induced thoughts, he focused in what they were doing. The two heroines had rushed into the building, and were now shouting something at the restaurant's staff. "Time to make my move," Zero said.

* * *

"May I serve you?" the woman behind the counter said politely. 

"Drop the act, youma," Sailor Moon said. "We know what you are."

The woman frowned. "Very well, Senshi..." Her form changed, and she turned into a green-skinned creature with catlike eyes and bread buns for an armor. Moon and Mercury gasped as tendrils of energy shot off her body, draining everyone around. The youma then leapt over the counter and growled at the two Senshi. Suddenly, a rose embedded itself on the counter, and the youma looked outside. Tuxedo Kamen was standing on a nearby tree, smiling at her. "Damn it, those glasses aren't cheap!" The creature snapped as she saw the hole in the glass where the rose had punched through it.

"You foul creatures are so easily distracted," Tuxedo Kamen mused.

"What do you..." The creature started then looked around. "Hey, where are my customers?"

"Out here, ugly," Sailor Moon shouted from outside the building.

The youma grunted and rushed out of the restaurant. Just as it was about to attack, a small metal ball rolled on the ground and stopped right in front of her. "What the...?"

Before she could finish the question, the ball exploded, releasing a foul-looking green gas. "I want a Youma and Cheese, thank you," a voice said from over the restaurant's roof.

"Who are you?" Tuxedo Kamen asked, as coughing could be heard from inside the gas cloud the stranger's attack had formed.

The man walked into the light and smirked. Black ninja suit with a hood that covered all his face but his mouth and chin, two swords resting on twin sheats behind his back, and a plain-looking black board floating besides him. "My name is Zero, and I'm here to take care of these youma."

"That's our job!" Sailor Moon said.

"Then I will help you. They owe me for something they did to me," Zero said, then grimaced as he realized he may be giving them one too many clues.

_'Something they did to him...?'_ Moon thought. No, it couldn't be him... Or could it?

The gas cloud around the youma dimmed, and the creature looked up, growling furiously. "Stupid human!" she said as she leapt up.

"Now, Sailor Moon, it's your chance," Tuxedo Kamen said as the creature started trying to slash at Zero with her clawed hands... Claws that looked like fries, somehow fitting her theme.

"Wouldn't that be playing dirty?" Moon said.

"They drain innocents off their energy, and you worry about being a fair player?" Tuxedo asked with a frown.

Moon shrugged. "I don't like to cheat."

Tuxedo shook his head then shrugged. "Nevermind that, I don't think our ninja friend needs help."

Moon and Mercury turned back to the battle, in time to see Zero taking a stab at the youma's legs and sending her crashing down to the ground. "And stay down!" he snapped.

"Damn... Stupid... Ninja..." The youma muttered as she tried to stand up.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

"And where's all the talk about playing fair now," Mercury muttered as she narrowed her eyes and sideglanced at Moon.

"That was fair, she had enough time to get out of the way..." Moon said with a shrug.

"Where's Tuxedo Kamen?" Mercury asked as she noticed the caped hero was gone.

"Gone, as usual," Moon said with a sigh. She then noticed Zero had leapt off the roof and was standing in front of them. "You... Thanks for your help."

"My pleasure," Zero said. "After all, I think we're after the same goal."

"Not really," Moon said. "It was a youma, right?" Zero opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. "I know I'm not wrong. It's really you."

"I... Don't know what you mean," Zero said and started walking back to his flying board, which was waiting for him a few meters away.

"You do. You said they owe you for something they did... Was it a youma, the woman that killed your girlfriend?"

Zero said nothing, but walked into an alley, then motioned them to follow him.

"I can take it Mercury is your friend too?" Zero asked as the two Senshi walked to him.

"A very good friend," Moon said.

"Then I guess... Yes, you're right," Zero said, then his hood vanished. Moon gasped as she saw his face.

"I knew it!"

"You're that guy, Zephyr, right?" Mercury asked.

"Terry Zephyr, millionaire, swordsman, and recently, demon hunter," Zero said.

"You know Sailor Moon?" Mercury asked.

"I know Usagi, yes," Zero said. He smiled at Mercury's gasp. "Don't worry, I can keep a secret. And I guess since we're going against the same monsters, I'll help you."

"Good to know," Moon said.

"I only have one request."

"What is it?"

"If we ever face someone named Luminite, she's mine."

"Revenge is not a good thing to fight for," Mercury noted, putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Revenge is the only thing I have to fight for after they took her away from me," Zero said with a frown, his mask reappearing over his face. "I guess I'll see you around, _Rabbit._" He said before leaping on his board and flying off.

"... Since when do you know Terry Zephyr?" Mercury asked.

"Since this morning, he just got transferred to our school."

"Oh... Didn't notice, I was busy studying" Mercury said.

Moon sighed. Ami and her books, she was sure that girl could study through an earthquake.

* * *

**A/N:** As you may notice if you've read the old Cyber Moon, this time around I'm gearing towards making Terry a lot less of a walking joke, and more of an actual character. Here's hoping I got it right so far. 

About this episode's name... It was either that or "1337 n!nj4 5k331z," and I know some people think leet is evil or 5700p!d. XD

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	8. Interview with the Mooncat

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 8: Interview with the Mooncat.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 28, 2005_

* * *

"A burger youma?" Rei asked amusedly. 

"Yeah. Wasn't a hard battle, come to think about it," Usagi said.

Usagi had been in Rei's temple for a while, telling her about the new student, and how he'd helped them fight the youma. Rei had been surprised that a normal human was able to fight off a youma. Then again, from how Usagi described him, Terry wasn't quite _normal_.

"Hey look what I found here, a _rabbit_ and a Miko."

Rei looked at the blonde-haired guy who was walking towards them, as Usagi gave him a short glare. His hair was long, tied up in a low ponytail that went down to his waist, and he was quite tall... Taller than most teens their age, actually. His face wasn't as grim and gloomy as Usagi'd told her, then again, she knew Usagi had a knack for exageration.

"Welcome to the Hikawa temple, my name's Rei Hino. You must be Terry Zephyr, right?"

"Yes, that's me," Terry said. "Usagi, is she...?"

Rei frowned. "I'm one of the group, yes. You must be the ninja."

"Zero," Terry said.

"Yeah, Usagi already gave me a lot of info on you and your background. I don't think revenge is a thing worth fighting for."

"I didn't ask your opinion," Terry said bluntly.

"There's a lot more in stake here," Rei retorted.

"I'm sure there is, but I wasn't informed yet. And I don't think we should be speaking about this out in the open."

Rei shrugged. "Let's go inside. I think we should call Luna, too."

"Luna?" Terry asked.

"That'd be me," the black cat he'd seen the night before said as she leapt off one of the trees surrounding the temple area.

"So I wasn't crazy, you're a talking cat," Terry mused.

"Mooncat," Luna corrected.

"That's quite unbelievable. There's no atmosphere on the Moon," Terry noted as they entered the temple's building.

"Not in this era," Luna said.

"Ookay..." Terry muttered as they reached a small room inside the shrine. "So, the cheerleaders squad's captain is a talking cat? When do the giant robots come in?"

"Cheerleaders?" Rei muttered. "I'll let you know, those suits are a lot more resistant than they look."

"I bet... From the rumors and news I've been researching, you girls can shoot out fire, ice, light and other things at your enemies."

Luna nodded. "Each Senshi controls one element."

"So it's Moon, Mercury... Rei is Sailor V?"

"V?" Mars mused. "Not a chance. I doubt she's a real Senshi, if she were she'd be helping us."

Terry shrugged. "V is taking care of things in England, and I know of another group fighting in the U.S... Though they only showed up after that day at the subway."

Rei looked at Terry and shook her head. "Must be hard on you, huh? I lost my mother when I was a little girl, too."

"And what about your father... If you don't mind me asking?"

"He's into politics, he never had time for his family," Rei said coldly.

Luna looked up at Terry. "Usagi told me about you and your girlfriend... But why were you two playing hero? It's not a thing a normal teenager should be doing."

"You mean we're not normal?" Usagi muttered shooting daggers at Luna. Rei chuckled.

Terry, on the other hand, was silent for a while. "You're right, Luna... It's not a thing a normal teenager should be doing," Terry said, then chuckled, "but I don't think either Hana or me were normal."

"Why?" Luna asked.

"Hana... She had... Powers. Not like the ones the Senshi or that Luminite freak have, but... She could move things with her mind from quite a distance."

"Telekinesis?" Rei asked.

Terry nodded. "And I... Well, I've always liked meelee fighting, I've trained in martial arts since I was a kid, and also fencing. Two years ago, my father gave me a pair of ancient katana swords, which I still use. And before that last battle against Luminite, he also gave us..."

"What?" Usagi asked.

"I don't know... I'm not supposed to show this to anyone."

"Not even your friends?" Usagi asked.

"Friends?" Terry mused.

"I'm your friend," Usagi said matter-of-factly.

"If she says she is, she is," Rei said amusedly.

Terry sighed. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"So, you'll help us?"

Terry nodded. "I will... But if that Luminite girl shows up..."

"Terry..." Usagi said worried. "Don't dare doing something stupid. "

"Like killing her?" Terry said coldly.

"Like getting yourself killed," Luna chided in. "You don't really know what you're fighting against."

"So I don't... I wasn't informed."

Luna sighed. "My memory's blurry about things in the past... All I can tell you is, the Senshi were warriors from a past time, from a kingdom of the Moon, a kingdom that was destroyed in a war against the youma. The same youma that now threaten to take over the Earth. "

Terry shook his head. "So our only hope is a group of teenage girls dressed as cheerleaders? Excuse me if I'm a bit skeptical." That got him glares from Rei and Usagi, but he shrugged them off.

"They're stronger than they may look while in Senshi form," Luna said, "and also... There should be some male Senshi as well."

Terry flinched. "I don't like the mental image I just got." Males in short skirt and form-fitting leotards? He'd need to wash his brain to erase that image from his mind's eye.

Luna sighed. "You're weird. You'll fit right into the group."

* * *

"Icecream?" Beryl asked amused. 

"Yes, icecream," Jadeite said.

"So those humans do eat insects?"

"... No, my Queen... Icecream, not eyes cream. Anyway, my new plan is setting up an ice cream shop and, once it's packed with people, draining them all. My last plan didn't work, since apparently the Senshi can locate even the smallest bits of energy draining we do. "

"Your opportunities are running low," Beryl said. "You've only brought back energy a few times, while Kunzite and Dexite always manage to gather energy. If you keep on failing, I'll replace you by a more competent General."

Jadeite bowed to her. "I understand. I won't fail this time."

* * *

Several hours later, Terry was sitting on a couch in his mansion, thinking about his meeting with the Senshi. 'Like getting yourself killed,' he thought. 'They're right...' 

He really hadn't considered that. He was far from invincible. He had no idea what those youma had in stock for him... For them. He had no magic powers like the Senshi, he had no upgraded strenght or agility... True, his suit gave him a hell of a resistance to damage, but... What if he had to face an ice or electric monster again? On his own, he was quite sure he'd end up dead.

In the end, he hadn't shown them his suit, or explained them what it was able to do. And so far, he only knew Moon used light-based attacks, or so it seemed. Luna hadn't been too impressed by his supposed skills, and really... Back in New York, Nova had been the main fighting force of the team. He was just a sidekick, someone that was there to save her from any danger she would be in.

_'And I failed. If I fight along with the Senshi here... I wouldn't mind being their friend, but what if... What if I fail again? If one of them dies because of me?'_ And they'd been doing fine without him, for what he'd heard. He wasn't needed. He could pretty much pack up and return to...

He froze as Hana's face appeared in his mind, smiling at him.

No, he couldn't give up. If he didn't fight the youma, if he didn't help the Senshi stop them... If he just run home to hide, _then_ he'd fail to her. He'd made a promise to her, and he wasn't backing away from it.

It was then his watch started beeping. After his first fight here, he'd been able to add a new function to his watch, it'd tell him if it detected one of those black crystals the youma used to drain energy, as long as it was inside the scanning range. _'Time to find out if I'm really up to the challenge,'_ he thought as he walked out of the mansion.

* * *

When Zero reached the crystal's location, he couldn't help but be amused by the scene. The Senshi were fighting a monster that looked like a ferret stuck into a strawberry icecream cone. He had to give the youma points for originality. 

However, things weren't too 'fun' for the Senshi, he noticed. Mars and Moon were pinned to a wall by a giant puddle of icecream, and Mercury was the only one still fighting... Or actually, she seemed to be planning her next move.

"Bombs away!" He shouted as he dropped a couple metal spheres at the monster, with the expected results. As the monster was stuck into a greenish toxic cloud, Zero leapt off his board and looked at Mercury. "You okay?"

Mercury nodded. "What's in those spheres anyways?"

"A mix of hydrochloric acid, white pepper, mexican chili peppers, and a few other things you just wouldn't like to be forced to breath, " Zero said. "So... Need help here?"

Mercury shook her head. "See if you can find a way to free Moon and Mars."

Zero stood in front of the two Senshi trapped into the puddle. "Don't move," he said.

"What are you..." Moon started, then blinked as Zero produces his swords and slashed at the puddle around them. Both Senshi fell to the ground and gasped.

"Thanks," Mars said, then turned to the 'battle.'

The youma was just done coughing his lungs out, and had managed to walk out of the toxic cloud, only to be greeted by a rose striking the pavement in front of his feet. Looking up, the group could see Tuxedo Kamen standing on a lamppost. "How the heck does he get up there?" Zero muttered.

"Ice cream wasn't meant to be polluted by the likes of you," Tuxedo Kamen said glaring at the monster from behind his mask. "Sailor Moon, finish it!"

"Oh shut up!" the youma snapped and shot a green ball of icecream at the caped hero, pinning him high on the side of a building.

"Tuxedo Kamen!" Moon shouted worriedly.

"Fire Soul!" Mars acted fast, shooting a ray of fire at the youma. It dodged, however, and countered with a few slimy yellow balls. "Oh heck, not again..."

Zero stood in front of the Senshi, and slashed at the incoming 'missiles' as fast and accurately as he could. He ended up covered in lemon cream, but the Senshi weren't too affected by the 'attack.' "This guy's a joke," he muttered.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

Zero blinked as the golden light disc hissed by his side, taking the youma off guard and blasting right through it. "What the..." he turned back to see the disc flying back to Moon's awaiting hands. She grabbed it and it turned back to normal, and she put it back around her forehead. "And I stand corrected... The destiny of the world is in the hands of frisbee-tossing cheerleaders."

Mars put a finger on his chest and growled. "Stop calling us that. "

Zero shrugged. "Only if you put that finger away, I don't want to get toasted."

Mars shook her head. "Jerk."

"Yeah, sometimes I'm like that," Zero admitted.

"Where's Tuxedo Kamen?" Moon asked.

Zero looked up at where the puddle the caped man had been trapped in was. There were no signs of the mad hatter there. "I take it he does that all the time?" He asked the Senshi. The three girls nodded. "Bah. The typical sidekick's 'vanishing after the battle's over so I can keep my identity a secret' act. So unoriginal..."

Moon shrugged. "All this fighting got me hungry. Who wants some icecream?" She frowned at the shocked looks she got from her friends. "What?"

Zero chuckled. Maybe, after all, joining the Senshi was the right thing to do. Battles were anything but dull around them.

* * *

**A/N:** I know I skipped the whole Sailor Moon's awakening issue, and Mercury and Mars' joining. If you want to know how I see those episodes, go buy the original japanese Sailor Moon episodes 1 to 11. :P 

A bit of info about dialogues not everyone may get... In the Tokyo episodes, dialogues written in _italics_ will be a foreign language (mostly English,) and when switching to the New York and London crews, _italics_ will be Japanese dialogues. Thoughts are always in italics. Hence, when terry calls Usagi "_Rabbit_" he's not calling her "Usagi," but "Rabitto" as the nippons would spell that word.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	9. Aces Up

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 9: Aces Up.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 3, 2006_

* * *

Dexite looked on as his youma faced the Senshi. He just had to find the right time to attack, and he would be able to take those two pests out. 

His mind idly pondered where Dragon Sun and Sailor Pluto were. Unfortunately, he was about to find the answer to that.

"Chrono Blast!" Pluto walked around Dexite as the General tried to stand up. "You know, maybe I should let you attack me first."

"That'd be... Nice," Dexite muttered with a grunt. He then reached his hand forwards, summoning a white energy sword. "Now die."

Dexite lunged forwards, ready to stab through Pluto's chest, but the Time Senshi simply knocked the sword off with her staff, then rammed the lower end of it into his stomach. "No thanks, I like living."

"I bet you wouldn't beat me without your staff," Dexite gloated.

Pluto smiled coldly at him as her staff vanished. "I'll take up on that bet."

"DIE!" Dexite snapped as he lunged forwards once again.

* * *

Neptune dove aside as an energy blast hissed by. She rolled on the ground, summoning her attack while she stood up. "Aqua Blast!" The rat-like monster leapt back, and Neptune smirked. "Gotcha." 

Uranus was standing right behind the creature, and tackled it off the rooftop. "Sun, get him!" she shouted through her communicator.

Dragon Sun was waiting at ground level, and saw the small form of the falling monster as he looked up. "Wish me luck, if I miss I'll be hurting a lot," he said through the comm. Looking up again, he noticed the monster was falling faster than he'd thought. "Now or never... Solar Bolt!"

The heat blast hit it's mark, vaporizing the creature in mid-air, a good thirty meters above grond level. "Nice shot," Pluto said.

"And where were you all this time?" Dragon Sun asked turning to the Time Senshi.

"Keeping Dexite busy. He's quite fun to play with," Pluto mused.

* * *

Dexite slowly walked out of the portal and uttered some choice insults about Pluto's ancestors and her looks. The two female Generals standing near the portal smirked at him. 

"I take it your mission was a failure?" Luminite mused.

"Not really... But Pluto's become a bother to me."

Cardite frowned. "It's bad we don't have the seven Rainbow Youma, if we could send the Shadow Youma to fight her, she'd be dealt with quite easily."

"Maybe, maybe not. For now, she's my problem, and I'll take care of her personally," Dexite said.

* * *

_"This stinks,"_ Minako muttered. 

_"That quite sums it up,"_ Artemis agreed. True, in the last few weeks, things had been escalating. Kunzite was a dangerous foe, and he was always guarded by at least one youma. True, Venus had toasted all youma he'd sent after her, but last time she barely made it out of the fight alive. _"We need some help."_

_"What about the Tokyo group? Or the ones in New York?"_ Minako asked.

_"They have their hands full with their own battles,"_ Artemis explained.

_"Well then, I'll just have to become stronger!"_

_"You won't do that just slacking around all day,"_ the Mooncat muttered.

A figure was hiding in the shadows outside the room, listening to the conversation. _'So she was right... Mina is V. Maybe it's time I use my training in something useful for a change.'_ Noticing the blonde moving for the door, the figure swiftly rushed down the corridor.

Minako frowned as she walked out of her room. Artemis could be quite a jerk sometimes. But he was right... If she couldn't get some help, she'd need to improve her fighting skills. Though neither looked like a viable option right now.

At least, in the short time she'd been around, her English had improved a lot. Far from perfect yet, but she was actually putting some effort into it. Being so inmersed in her thoughts, she didn't see the tall guy staring at her, arms crossed, until he spoke.

"You look troubled, Mina."

Minako turned to the voice and smiled. "Hi Brad."

The black-haired guy smiled back. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Not really," Minako said.

Brad frowned. "I know what can cheer you up. Let's go to the arcades, my treat."

"Going out with your girlfriend again, brother?"

Minako and Brad both glared at the older girl with long, wavy black hair. "She's not my girlfriend, June."

"Says you," June said slyly.

Brad rolled his eyes and turned to Minako. "Don't mind her, Mina, she's a basketcase."

June chuckled as the couple walked out of the house, but then turned serious. _'Be careful, brother. If she's who mother says, then falling in love with her may be dangerous.'_

* * *

Minako's mind returned to her fight against the youma as she walked besides Brad. After the first few attacks in Tokyo, Kunzite's style had changed when he moved here. He wasn't out looking for trouble, instead his youma were setting up stores with articles that drained human energy, or some other scheme involving a lot of people being knocked out and drained. 

"You're awfully silent today," Brad commented.

The blonde sighed. She liked him. She didn't want to lie to him, but she had no choice.

"I understand," Brad said. "Whatever's bothering you, you can't talk about it, right?"

Minako nodded. "Sorry, I..."

"Don't worry. I know what it's like having a secret to keep," Brad admitted.

_'Having a secret to keep?'_ Minako thought. "What do you..." A scream cut her question, and as the two turned to the source, they could see it'd come from a nearby park. It didn't take them long to locate the problem: A massive plant-like monster. In fact, it looked like... "A Venus flytrap?" the blonde muttered.

"We should try and stop them," Brad said.

"Huh? We?" Minako asked playing dumb.

Brad smiled at her. "Mina, you think you and your cat friend would be able to fool my clan for a minute? Fire."

Minako gasped. At Brad's last word, a ball of fire had appeared, hovering over his hand. She took a step back and looked at him in shock as the ball vanished. "Youma..."

Brad shook his head. "No, not at all. But I'm not a Senshi either. "

"Then what..."

"No time to explain, we need to defeat that creature," Brad said and walked into an alley. "Come on!"

The blonde frowned. "But..."

"I know who you are, Sailor V," Brad said as Minako walked into the alley. "And I also know you must keep that secret as safe as possible. As I said, I have a secret of my own," he smirked as a white body suit complete with a white mask over his eyes and a cape trailing behind him replaced his normal clothing. "See?"

Minako blinked in disbelief. "I've read about you... Ace?"

Ace nodded "I'll tell you my story later, right now we have some weed to kill."

Minako sighed. "All right then... Venus Planet Power!"

"Just as I suspected, Sailor Venus," Ace said as Venus' transformation ended. "Why the mask?"

"Something I thought of to keep my identity hidden. And yeah I know about the disguise spell now, but I like the mask anyways."

"You look cute with it," Ace mused.

V blushed then shook her head. "Uhm... Let's go."

* * *

Karnhevor was almost ready to pack up and leave. It'd been an easy mission, and luckily Sailor V hadn't shown up. In a few more seconds, he would be done with the draining and... 

"Fire!"

The plant-like youma leapt sideways, barely dodging the fire blast. "Wow, V has a pet now."

"Better pet than salad," Ace snapped.

"If you want a fight, a fight you'll get," Karnhevor snapped. He'd already sent the energy gathered so far, he'd drain the rest once he was done with the two Senshi... And maybe add V's energy as a boon.

V frowned. The monster was the most disgusting she'd seen, mostly a mass of vines with a big bulb-like head, adorned with two beady, black eyes. His mouth was massive, and filled with sharp-looking fangs. "If you're as strong as you're ugly, you may be a challenge for me."

The plant chuckled. "Try me."

"Crescent Beam!" V smiled as the beam shot at the monster... Then frowned as it bounced off it's skin. "What the hell?"

"My turn!" the youma shouted, reaching forwards with his vines. The two heroes dodged aside, and the white-suited mage took a shot at the creature.

"Lightning!"

Venus gasped as an arc of lightning shot from Brad... Ace's hands and struck the plant. Just like her own attack, it didn't affect the creature in the least. "It's skin is too hard."

"I noticed," Ace muttered. "Have any edged weapons?"

"No..." V said. "What about you?"

"I forgot mine back home," Ace admitted with a sigh.

The giant plant growled and, once again, lashed out with it's vines. "I got a plan!" Sailor V said as Ace leapt off the way. One of the vines wrapped around V's leg, and the plant rose her up over his bulb.

"I'm gonna eat you!" The plant gloated and opened it's mouth as the vine dragged the Senshi in.

"No you're not!" V snapped. "Crescent Beam!"

This time, V aimed her attack into the plant youma's mouth, and he exploded loudly, showering the area with spots of green ooze. "Okay, so the plan was good," Ace admitted, "but next time, tell me what it is so I can get a bloody umbrella." V looked at him, white suit covered in green goo, and laughed.

* * *

Several minutes later, Brad and Minako were sitting in a large room inside the Diamond mansion. From Brad's point of view, it was a bit small for a mansion, but from Minako's point of view, it was a bit _too_ big for a house. Heck, most of her house back in Juuban would fit in the room they were in. 

Minako looked at the two other women in the room. It was hard to believe they were what they said they were. Brad had given her the basic background: His family came from an ancient clan of Demon Hunters. From Artemis' input, the Demon Hunters existed back in her past life, but he didn't think there'd still be any of them after the eons that passed since that era.

"So you're the mighty Sailor Venus," June mused.

"That I've been told," Minako said shooting a sideglance at Artemis.

"Hard to believe, she looks weak," June commented.

"June..." Brad muttered.

"Not to be rude, but I have to agree," the black-haired, willowy woman sitting in front of them said.

"There's a... Seal in her memory," Artemis said. "Maybe Serenity knew they'd be untrained, so she didn't want them to have access to their highest attacks from the start."

"But why? I could use some stronger attacks when fighting Kunzite. "

Artemis frowned. "Some of the Senshi's attacks were strong enough to blast a good section of a city if they missed their mark."

Minako's eyes widened as she remembered the last time her Crescent Beam had missed... She'd ended up burying that youma under a piece of the wall behind it. "Oh..."

The woman nodded. "I understand. Brad is the only one of my children with enough training to fight the youma, so he'll be helping you."

"I'll be glad to," Brad said.

"Love's in the air..." June muttered.

"Zap." In a second, Brad's hand charged with electricity, and he touched June's shoulder.

"Brad!" The woman warned as June was knocked unconscious.

"She asked for it, mom."

The woman shook her head. "Your powers are not to be used for fun. "

Brad shrugged. "I'm pretty sure it wasn't fun for June."

Minako chuckled at that. Artemis noticed she was leaning on the older guy and shot her a questioning look. Minako winked at him, and the Mooncat sighed in defeat.

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, Minako can, once in a lifetime, be smart. If you're still trying to visualize the plant youma, think "Little Shop Of Horrors." 

Next episode we'll be back to Tokyo, with one of Jadeite's amazing, cunning, flawless plans. Yeah, that last bit was sarcasm.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	10. Sailor Youma?

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 10: Sailor Youma?**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 5, 2006_

* * *

Terry sighed as he stared out into the distance. This was quite a good place to come when he needed to think. He had never seen any other students around here during lunch break- Until now. 

"So here you are..."

He turned to look at the two girls, a smile forming for a second before he was back to stare out at the buildings. So Ami and Usagi had found his 'hiding' spot. Not like he wasn't expecting that to happen.

"See Ami, he's been like that all morning."

Terry turned to Usagi. "I'm always like this."

"That's a lie. You're a fun guy when you stop being so gloomy... And today's worse than usual."

Ami frowned. "What's wrong?"

Terry shook his head and turned back to stare out at the surrounding buildings. "Nothing."

Usagi wasn't letting the matter drop so easily. "Nothing? So you're worrying me over nothing?"

"Worrying you?" Terry asked turning back to look at her.

"You're my friend, Terry. I don't like seeing my friends like this. "

"So I am..." Terry muttered. "Well, if you want to know that badly... Today's Hana's birthday."

Ami and Usagi both blinked and fell silent for a few seconds. Ami was the first to speak up. "Maybe we should leave you alone."

Terry smiled at her. "I don't mind the company."

"I bet she was a very nice girl," Usagi said.

Terry sighed. "Yes, she was. She couldn't stand seeing all those crimes being commited around our city and doing nothing, just like me... That's why we started fighting crime... It was dangerous, but also fun."

"Nova, right?" Ami asked. At Terry's questioning stare, she blushed. "I found info on Nova and Zero while searching for clues on the U.S. Senshi."

"I see... Yeah, that was her hero name." He looked at his watch and frowned. "Maybe it was a mistake."

"What was?" Ami asked.

"The day she died... We were using the Zero for the first time. It's quite an amazing substance, with a high resistance to physical attacks and even some elemental resistance, but it's too weak against ice or electricity."

Usagi blinked. "Isn't it a good thing to have against the youma?"

"Not that day," Terry said, his face turning sad again. "Luminite used two youma, one had ice powers and the other one had electric powers. I remember Hana saying it was ironic before we started fighting."

"Maybe you shouldn't be remembering those things, if they make you sad," Usagi said.

Terry shrugged. "Maybe. Thing is, you may need to know this in case we ever face a youma based in either ice or electricity."

"So, what exactly happened?" Ami asked. "If you don't mind telling us..."

"I don't. The fight was short, I remember trying to hit Luminite then getting knocked into a wall. Next thing I knew, I was looking on as Nova got hit by both youma, and her suit started failing."

"Failing?" Usagi asked.

"Yeah. Under the overload of ice and electricity, some parts of the suit started vanishing and reappearing. I stood up to try and help Hana, but before I could do anything, I saw Luminite stabbing Hana through with some kind of energy blade. I got enraged by that and killed both youma, but Luminite knocked me out. She must've thought she'd killed me, since she didn't stay to finish me off."

Ami sighed as Terry looked away. "I can't even imagine how that must feel."

Terry shrugged. "I just hope I get a rematch."

Usagi frowned. "Terry... If we ever face Luminite again, don't let anger get to you."

"I can't promise that," Terry muttered.

"But..."

"Usagi, don't insist," Ami said sternly.

"But Ami..."

"What would you do in his place and with your powers?" Ami asked.

"I... If the youma killed someone I cared for, someone I loved," Usagi said. "I... I suppose I wouldn't rest until I saw the last of them dead."

Terry looked at her and smiled. "That's exactly what I want. Luminite's just the one that killed Hana, but I'd love to get a chance to visit the one giving the orders in that army of freaks."

Usagi sighed. "I understand. Just be careful, even if Luminite shows up... I wouldn't like to lose one of my friends."

_'Losing one of her friends...'_ Terry flinched. He knew exactly how that felt. "Okay, I can promise that."

* * *

"Jadeite, I won't tolerate your constant failures anymore. I'm giving you one last chance to gather energy or I'll replace you with one of the other Generals." 

Jadeite bowed and smiled. "Don't worry, my Queen, this time I have a plan the Senshi won't be able to foil."

"That's what you said last ten times," Luminite commented from the shadows.

"Silence," Beryl snapped. "Very well, tell me what you're planning. "

"A fake romantic cruise, it will attract humans and I can drag them off to the ocean before draining them. The Senshi will have no way to stop me."

"I've heard that before. Do not fail me," Beryl warned.

"I won't, my Queen," Jadeite said as he bowed again and vanished.

"Luminite, come forth," Beryl said.

"Your Highness?" Luminite asked as she walked out of the shadows.

"You do realize the name of that fighter helping the Senshi in the last few battles, right?"

Luminite nodded. "Zero. I thought I'd eliminated him along with Nova. "

"Next time, make sure he's dealt with."

"Next time?" Luminite asked.

"If Jadeite fails again, you may be his replacement."

Luminite smiled coldly. So she'd have a chance to correct her error, and to kill the Senshi. All she had to do was waiting until Jadeite failed. Because from his track record, it was highly likely that he'd fail once more.

* * *

"Hmmm... Here it is," Terry noted looking at the small building. 

"A romantic cruise?"

Terry turned to the voice. He'd seen the ad in a local newspaper, and had immediately guessed it had to be a youma scheme. Apparently, Rei had guessed the same. "Hi Rei. Considering taking a boyfriend along?"

"I don't have one, nor I want one," Rei said bluntly. "I'm just curious about this cruise being free."

"Smells like youma, doesn't it?" Terry asked.

"That's why I'm here, to find out," Rei said.

Terry shrugged and walked into the building. A minute later he walked out with four tickets. "There we go."

"Four tickets?" Rei asked amusedly.

"Sure. Usagi and Ami should tag along."

"Hogging the girls for yourself, aren't you?" Rei said slyly.

Terry shrugged again. "They're my friends, and I know they must be there if this is a youma thing."

"Can't take a joke..." Rei muttered.

Terry looked at her and smirked. "Of course, having the chance to be in a romantic cruise with three cute girls ain't something I'd pass on." Rei could, for a second, feel her cheeks turning a shade of red similar to her suit's skirt.

* * *

The two soldiers guarding the entrance gave a military salute as a reddish-pink haired woman walked towards them. She wore a green military uniform and black sunglasses. "Good morning, Lieutenant," one of the soldiers said politely. 

"Good morning, soldier," the woman said and waited for the door to open.

"Lieutenant?" the other soldier whispered as the woman vanished behind the closing door.

The older soldier smirked. "You're too new to know about her, I guess. That's Lt. Colonel Rakurai, and she's second in charge here. "

"Doesn't look too dangerous to me."

"Rookie, you've never seen her with a rocket launcher," the older soldier mused.

* * *

Rakurai walked into the large office and nodded at the older man sitting behind the only desk inside. "Good morning, General Kino." 

"Lieutenant, our research confirmed most rumors regarding the Senshi. "

"They're good girls then?"

"We could say that," Kino said. "I want further research. They've been spotted several times in the Juuban district, so that's where I'd suggest you start looking."

"Me?" Rakurai asked confusedly.

"I'm going to go straight to the point. I want to talk to those Senshi personally, and I think you may be the only one of my soldiers that could get close enough to the Senshi to convince them to come here."

Rakurai sighed. "I see. All right, I'm going to fetch one of those girls and bring her here."

Kino frowned as the woman turned to leave. "One more thing, Seia." she turned to look at him. "Don't take any risks. The monsters they've been fighting are dangerous."

Rakurai nodded. "I know that, don't worry."

* * *

"I don't know how you guys managed to drag me here," Ami commented as she looked at the sea, "but the view's nice." 

"Where's Usagi?" Terry asked.

"Inside, stuffing her face with food," Rei muttered.

"Being her usual self I take?" Terry asked.

"Yeah," Rei sighed. "Feels weird."

"What?"

"We're the only ones in this cruise that aren't snugging and kissing. "

"Not quite a sight I want to behold right now," Terry admitted.

"Usagi told me about that..." Rei started, but Terry hold a hand up and shook his head.

"Please... Not another 'stop grieving and move on' rant, I'm getting a lot of those lately."

Rei shrugged. "I'm not like Usagi."

"That I noticed."

"However, I don't think you'd honor your friend by being so focused in revenge."

"Yeah, I was," Terry admitted.

"Was?"

The blonde nodded. "I've been thinking about it, and there's a lot of things I hadn't considered at first. This is not about Luminite anymore."

"Good," Rei said.

"Which doesn't mean I won't punch her face in if I ever see her again."

"I would, too," Rei admitted.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice said through the speakers around the deck, "please go to the party hall for a special show."

"That announcement has 'youma trap' written all over it," Ami, who'd been silently listening as Rei and Terry spoke, said.

"Yeah. Let's go find our fearless leader," Rei said sarcastically.

* * *

The ship's captain stood on the stage as the over two hundred people inside the room waited to see what the 'special show' was about. Usagi recognized the 'captain' almost immediately. "That's Jadeite. " 

Rei nodded. "I know. I'd recognize his ugly face anywhere."

"I take it you've seen him before?" Terry asked.

"He's the only 'General' we've seen so far," Usagi explained.

"Then this'll be fun," Terry said.

"Why are we behind the table anyways?" Ami asked as she noticed the large table filled with food right in front of them.

"Still hungry?" Rei asked shooting Usagi a sideglance.

"Can it, Rei," Usagi muttered. "See, once he starts draining people, we can leap under this table and transform, then surprise him."

"... Wow. She's got a plan," Rei said. "We're doomed."

"... And now, with no further delay, our special show," the captain said and walked off the stage.

"He's leaving," Usagi noticed.

"No, really?" Rei muttered.

Terry frowned. "Too bad, my swords needed a sharpening."

"Look, that sailor girl..." Usagi said. A single woman dressed in a sailor outfit had walked into the stage after Jadeite left. She was looking at the crowd and smiling.

"A Sailor Youma?" Terry joked. The woman was a youma, indeed. Without a word, she morphed into a humanoid whose body seemed to be made entirely of water. "Well, at least it's not ice," Terry muttered as they all ducked behind the table. A split second later, the woman shot out black energy tendrils that knocked everyone else in the room unconscious.

"Moon Planet Power!"

"Mars Planet Power!"

"Mercury Planet Power!"

"Zero Armor, Activate!"

Mars smirked as Zero's armor poured out of Terry's watch and covered his body. "Looks like Venom."

Zero nodded, then stood up. "Hey look, it's Liquidator."

The three Senshi looked at him confusedly, along with the youma. "Liquiwhat?" Moon asked.

"Nevermind," Zero muttered.

"Let's fry that thing," Mars said. "Fire Soul!"

The youma's body shimmered, a hole appearing in her midsection, and the fire blast passed through it, setting a part of the far wall on fire. "Missed me."

"Go and burn down the boat, will you?" Zero muttered.

"Wasn't expecting her to do that," Mars retorted.

"Let me try. Moon Tiara Action!"

The youma dodged the attack in the same way she'd dodged Mars' one.

"Shabon Spray!"

"It tickles," the creature said as she absorbed the water blast. As the usual hail settled, she frowned. "Oh no you won't."

Mercury frowned as the creature absorbed the mist. "Wasn't expecting her to do _that_ either."

"My turn!" the monster shouted and shot several thick beams of water at her foes.

The Senshi dodged. "Well, she can't hit us, but we can't hit her either," Moon said. "I hate this."

Zero frowned then smirked as he produced two metal spheres. "Here. "

"Where'd you take those from?" Moon asked grabbing the weapons.

"Nevermind," Zero said. "As soon as I distract her, toss them at her as you'd toss your tiara."

"Gotcha," Moon said. "Be careful."

Zero nodded and rushed at the youma. She shot another water blast at him, but he dodged aside then slashed at her with his sword as he run by her side.

The youma chuckled as the sword sliced through nothing but air. "Nice try, but you guys simply can't hit me."

"You sure?" Zero asked with a smirk.

"What..." The youma couldn't finish her question, as the two metal spheres were thrown at her, getting stuck inside her watery body before exploding, releasing the gas.

Zero rushed back to the Senshi as the creature was stuck inside the customary green cloud. Mercury had her visor down and was frowning. "That thing's still alive."

"That gas is quite flammable," Zero commented.

Mars smiled deviously and nodded. "Fire Soul!"

Mercury and Moon gasped as the fire blast caused the greenish gas to ignite. A small explosion later, there were no traces of the youma anywhere. "What happened to her?" Moon asked.

"The explosion literally vaporized her," Mercury explained.

"Where's Jadeite?" Mars asked.

"I don't detect any other youma in the ship," Mercury commented.

"How will we get all them back to the shore?" Moon asked looking around at the unconscious crowd.

Zero frowned and pushed a button on his watch. "Sam, you there?"

"Good evening, sir, enjoying the cruise?" Samuel's voice asked through the watch's speakers.

"Not quite, it was what I thought. Listen, can you inform the coastguards about this ship? It's packed full of unconscious people. "

"Will do at once, sir."

"Good," Zero said then turned to the others. "So, who wants to go for a swim?"

* * *

**A/N:** Where's the old Terry's fear of water, you ask? The Rewrite Demon ate it.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	11. Army Girl

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 11: Army Girl.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 6, 2006_

* * *

"You really disappoint me, Jadeite. Even with your so-called flawless cruise ship plan, the Senshi still managed to kill your soldier," Beryl said. "However, she gathered quite a good ammount of energy, so I'm giving you one last chance. I don't care about energy this time, Jadeite, but I want you to at least kill one of the Senshi." 

Jadeite nodded. "Understood. I've got the perfect plan this time... "

Beryl snorted. "I'm sure of that. Now go and destroy the Senshi." Jadeite bowed again then vanished. "Nephrite, Luminite!" The two Generals walked out of the shadows and bowed to the queen. "If Jadeite fails this time, you'll be the ones in charge of our Tokyo operations. Nephrite will gather energy, while Luminite searchs for the Ginzuishou."

"Understood," Nephrite said.

Luminite smirked. "I won't let the Senshi interfere with my mission. "

* * *

Again, she was in a familiar place. But it was also a place she'd never seen before. The screams and noises from the battle around her were too real for it to be just her imagination. The smell of smoke and blood... The ruined, burning castle in the distance... Camelot. 

How did she know it's name? She couldn't tell. She'd been having the same dream for over a week, and every night she remembered something else. Once again she looked down, to see she was wearing a Sailor Senshi outfit. But that couldn't be. She wasn't a Senshi.

"Nadia..." She turned to the voice, and like all the other nights, she saw a brown-haired man looking at her, his face showing a hint of sadness, as did his voice. "I'm sorry."

Last thing she saw were the man's hands glowing with energy.

* * *

Naru rose to a sitting position and looked around nervously. A dream... The same nightmare again. But what did it mean? "Me, a Senshi? That's just impossible." 

"It's not as impossible as you think," a female voice said.

Naru tried to locate the source but couldn't see anyone else in the room. "Who's there?"

A grey cat leapt on her bed. Naru thought, at first, that it was just a normal cat, but then she saw the crescent moon-shaped patch of fur on it's forehead. "Just like Sailor Moon's cat," she whispered.

"Naru, what I'm about to tell you may be hard to believe, but it's the truth. There's a reason behind those nightmares you've been having lately..."

* * *

"..." Usagi looked at the paper in front of her and sighed. "Another 30." 

"Maybe you should try... You know, studying?" Umino said.

"Can it," Usagi muttered.

"He's right, _Rabbit_," Terry said.

"Maybe you could help her," Naru commented.

"... I'd think Ami would be a better choice there," Terry admitted. "I'm not as smart as her."

Usagi sighed again. "Guess I'll have to ask her."

"Bet Rei'll have a fit if she finds out you want to study," Terry mused.

"I don't want to, but if I keep on getting bad grades, my parents will skin me alive," Usagi explained.

"They can't be that bad," Terry said.

"You don't know half of it," Usagi muttered.

* * *

"I can see your first try didn't go well," General Kino commented. 

Seia Rakurai nodded. "The couples on the boat said a monster had attacked them before they passed out, but there was no trace of the creature. But there were burnt marks and other things indicating a battle."

"So the Senshi were there, then they magically disappeared?" Kino asked skeptically.

"Maybe not. Maybe they were with the crowd. I have no way to know that."

"Okay... Keep an eye on them, we really need to know what those monsters really are if we want to have a chance to defeat them."

* * *

"Yes, I can try helping you," Ami said. 

"Thank you, Ami," Usagi said.

Terry smiled as Usagi hugged Ami, then turned serious. "I'd like to test this... Magic of yours, and see if I can find a way to replicate it technologically."

"Don't bother," Luna said walking out of her hideout.

"How do you do that?" Terry mused.

"Trade secret. Anyway, as I said, don't bother trying to replicate magic."

"Why not... It could only help the fight. And also, I've already seen the kind of magic the youma use, as well as the Senshi... Unknown, never classified, and seemingly comes out of nowhere."

"Actually, it comes from their guardian planets," Luna corrected.

Terry frowned. "They drain that energy directly from the other planets... Interesting."

"Could you get the 'Zero' to channel magic that way?" Ami asked following Terry's line of thought."

"I'll never know until I try."

"You'd be stronger than us if you did," Usagi said.

Luna shook her head. "Usagi, didn't you notice how much stronger you are in Senshi form?"

Usagi blinked. "Uhh... Not really."

Terry shrugged. "I've heard some rumors about Sailor V being tossed through a brick wall and standing up to kick a youma's ass afterwards."

"That most likely did happen," Luna said.

"I can get hit by bullets and not even feel it," Terry admitted, "but I think you girls may be strong enough to take a rocket blast and only suffer minor bruises."

"What's Jadeite doing up there?" Usagi asked as she looked up to the sky.

Indeed, they all could see an image of Jadeite's face up in the sky. "Must be magic," Luna said.

"Senshi," Jadeite's image said, "I'm tired of your interference. Meet me at the Tokyo Airport in one hour, or else..." the image shifted to a view of Tokyo burning in flames, "... This is what I'll do to your city."

Usagi gasped as the image vanished. "Could he burn the city?"

"Bullshit. He can't be that strong," Terry muttered.

Ami produced her communicator. "Rei, did you see that?"

"Yes, I did," Rei said. "Are you guys anywhere near the shrine?"

Ami nodded. "We were walking that way. We'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Luna sighed. "He may not have the power to burn down the city, but maybe Beryl, his queen, does."

"We can't take risks then," Usagi said. "Let's get him."

Terry pushed a button on his watch and smirked. "I'll provide the transportation."

* * *

Half an hour later, a plate-less black car stopped near the airport. The Senshi leapt off it, followed by Zero, and the car drove off into the distance. "Remote controlled cars..." Mars mused. "Is your father a mad scientist?" 

"I built that thing myself," Zero said. "Now THAT is amazing," he added pointing at the airport.

Indeed, the whole airport was surrounded by a black energy dome, and there were a few dozen police and military vehicles around it, trying to find a way to enter the building.

"Yeah," Moon said, "Amazing and scary, if he has enough power to make a dome like that..."

"No, I meant it's amazing the cops and military got here before the superheroes did," Zero explained.

Mars shook her head. "Stop the chitchat and let's go in."

"Halt!"

Mars looked at the reddish-pink haired woman dressed as a high rank military officer and frowned. "Out of our way."

Seia Rakurai frowned. "Senshi, my superior's ordered me to..."

"Whatever it is, it can wait," Mars snapped.

Seia growled. "Listen, kid. I've been ordered to bring one of you to my boss for interrogation, and I _will_ do it, even if I have to do it by force."

Mars laughed at that. "Force... That's funny."

Seia just blinked as the Senshi walked by, followed by the black-suited man she'd heard was named Zero. "What the... You can't just set us aside as if we were useless!"

Zero turned to her and smiled. "Oh, but you pretty much are right now, soldier girl."

The Lieutenant just gasped and stood there as a small hole opened in the dome, and the Senshi walked in. "I can't believe they just shrugged me off."

"Orders, Lieutenant?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Bring me my rocket launcher." The soldier nodded and walked off, then came back several seconds later carrying a bulky, massive, red rocket launcher. "Let's see how that dome handles this!" She shouted and fired a rocket at the dome. It hit the wall and exploded, but the dome was unaffected.

"What the heck are you doing, Rakurai?" a police officer asked.

Seia looked at the man. Tall, thin, and brown-haired. He was the police equivalent to General Kino, but in this one matter he had no authority at all as long as she was there. "Cut it off, Kawada," she snapped at the older man. "At least I'm trying to find a way in, unlike you and your men just standing there and gawking."

"What's the problem, angry because those kids didn't notice you?" Kawada said.

Seia pointed her rocket launcher at him and smiled. "Please, give me a reason to fire. I beg you."

"I'll pass," Kawada muttered and walked off.

* * *

Inside the airport, meanwhile, the Senshi were trying to locate Jadeite. The area was filled with unconscious civlians, but for now there was nothing they could do to help them, other than defeating the General. "Hmmm... From my visor's readings, he's standing over a hangar, outside," Mercury said. 

"Let's go greet him," Mars said.

The group run out of the building, and saw Jadeite waiting for them. The blonde General floated down to the ground and smiled coldly at them. "Welcome, Senshi... To your funeral."

"Fire Soul!"

Jadeite Summoned a gray energy sword and parried the blast. "Tsk, tsk, Mars... Always the hothead."

Zero produced his swords and smirked. "I bet you can't defeat a master swordsman."

Jadeite shrugged. "I doubt I'd be able to... Luckily there's none here."

Moon gasped as Zero charged the General. "Wait!"

Mars put a hand on her shoulder. "Moon, let him try."

"But..."

"Mars is right," Mercury said. "If he's as good with swords as he said, he might win."

Jadeite's smile had, by now, vanished. What were those swords made of? His energy blade could cut through any known metal, yet Zero was madly swinging at him once and again, and his swords remained intact.

No, madly swinging wasn't the right term to use. He was fast, but Jadeite could also see he'd majorly underestimated the ninja. Using two swords gave him an advantage, true, but even then, Jadeite had trained to fight against dual wielders.

"What, giving up yet?" Zero snapped as Jadeite floated up and to a hangar's roof.

"Not quite," Jadeite said, "but I wanted to give your friends something to play with until I get rid of you." As he said that, several humanoid sand creatures popped out from the ground. "Have fun, girls!"

Mars frowned. "Enter the sandman..."

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury's attack hit one of the creatures, but it didn't look too affected by it. "They're strong."

"Fire Soul!"

The blast tore through one of the creatures' head, but the head reformed. "Just like that water freak."

Zero had, meanwhile, leapt into the roof and resumed his attack on Jadeite. The blonde General tried to kick his legs off balance, but Zero leapt up, slashing with both swords at Jadeite's blade, causing him to drop it. He then put a sword tip on Jadeite's chest and the other on his neck and smiled. "Any last words?"

Jadeite smiled back. "Yes. Bye." Before Zero could figure out what he meant, he shot an energy blast at point blank range, knocking the ninja off the roof.

"Zero!" Moon shouted as the ninja bounced on the ground a few meters away from her. "Zero..."

"I-- I'm fine," Zero said as he tried to stand up. All he could manage was to kneel on the ground. "Here... You know what to do with these."

Moon looked at the metal spheres then at the sand monsters surrounding them. "Yeah." She turned to Mars. "Ready?"

"Of course," Mars said with a smirk. Moon tossed the spheres at the sand creatures, and Mars pointed her finger at them. "Fire Soul!"

Jadeite gasped as his sand creatures rained all over the area. "Damn those Senshi..."

A rose struck the ground near him, and he looked up to the airport's roof. "And how the _hell_ did you manage to get in?"

"That's for me to know and for you to guess," Tuxedo Kamen commented. "Though I'd try not getting distracted so easily if I were you," he added.

"Wha--" Jadeite started, then coughed as he was surrounded by a gas cloud. Next thing he knew, there was a shout of "Fire Soul!" and he was sent flying off the hangar by an explosion.

Zero smiled as Jadeite hit the ground near him. "Thanks for flying with Senshi Airlines. You may take your sorry ass and leave now."

"Why you..." Jadeite snapped as he stood up, his suit singed and his skin bruised. He then noticed the Senshi were surrounding them, ready to attack at any movement he made. "Stupid kids, I'll..." He then frowned as he sensed Beryl's magic. "No! Wait, Beryl, I can still destroy them!"

Moon blinked as Jadeite vanished. "What was that about?"

"Looks like his boss didn't like his performance," Zero said standing up, then winced.

"Are you okay?" Mars asked.

"I'll live," Zero said. "Now let's get out of here before..."

The black dome around the airport vanished, and the Senshi idly noticed Tuxedo Kamen was also gone. Before they could mimic him, however, the 'soldier girl' came rushing in, aiming a massive rocket launcher at them.

"Freeze!"

"You just don't give up, do you?" Mars muttered.

"Listen kid, I don't have time for this. You will come with me, or else..." Seia blinked as the ninja seemingly turned into a blur, then she saw the pieces of her rocket launcher fall to the ground. "What... The... Hell...?"

Zero was now standing next to her. "You could have asked nicely," he whispered to her. "We don't take bullying lightly as you may see."

Seia sighed. "Okay, let's try again. Senshi, my boss wants to ask you a few questions, so... Would you please come with me?"

"No," Moon said.

Seia sighed again. "Why?"

"We're just out of a fight, and a tough one at that," Mars said. "We really aren't in the mood to go through an interrogation."

"But..."

"Tell us where your boss is, and we'll go once we'ver recovered from this battle," Moon said.

Seia took out a small card off her pants' pocket and gave it to Moon. "Go westwards from Tokyo for a good ten miles, and you'll see a small bunker... That's the entrance to the base. Tell them Rakurai asked you to go, and if they don't believe you, show them that card. "

"Bunker westwards..." Zero repeated. "I know where that is."

"Good," Seia said. "And... I Apologize for my rudeness."

"Me too," Mars said. Maybe this soldier girl wasn't that bad after all.

The black car stopped right outside the airport, and Zero nodded. "There's our vehicle. Let's go, girls."

Seia watched the Senshi get on the car and drive off. "This went easier than I thought it would."

Kawada came walking into the airport and chuckled as he saw the wrecked rocket launcher. "They broke your toy. Aren't you mad?"

"I can get another one," Seia said. "Now be useful for a change and call a few dozen ambulances, will you?"

"At once, 'boss,'" Sawada muttered and walked off.

* * *

**A/N:** There's something unsetting about a reddish-pink haired girl with a rocket launcher and the skills required to use it properly. 

Next episode will be Nephrite's debut. Will he gather enough energy to awaken Metallia and defeat the Senshi? No need to ask, he won't. We all know he sucks.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	12. New Old Enemies

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 12: New Old Enemies.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 13, 2006_

* * *

As Terry walked into the classroom, some of his female classmates looked at him, but said nothing. "Amazing, you've gotten rid of your fan club already," Umino noted. "How did you do it?" 

"I killed a few of them," Terry said keeping a straight face.

"... You're joking, right?" Naru asked.

"Of course I am... Or am I?" Terry said in an ominous tone. He then noticed Usagi dozing off on her desk. "What's up with her?"

"Mizuno's been helping her study, I think she's just tired," Naru explained.

Umino smirked. "Worried about your girlfriend, Zephyr?"

Terry frowned and grabbed Umino's shirt collar, pulling him closer over the desk and glaring at him. "I should be, she's been dead for a while. Usagi's just a friend." With that, he let Umino go and turned to glare at the blackboard.

"Sorry," Umino said with a wince as he straightened his shirt. "That was uncalled for."

"Apology accepted," Terry said without looking back at him.

Usagi woke up and looked around. "Class over yet?"

"It hasn't even started, _Rabbit_," Terry muttered.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," Usagi said.

"Would you rather have me calling you airhead or slacker like Rei does?"

"... Nevermind," Usagi muttered.

Just then, a teacher walked in. The class looked at him, confused. Tall, with brown hair that went down past his shoulders, glasses and wearing a whit shirt and black pants. "Good morning students... Your math teacher, Kazuna, got into a car accident last night and is recovering at the hospital. I'm her replacement, Nei Furita."

"Nei Furita..." Naru whispered. _'It can't be him,'_ she thought with a frown.

"You okay, Naru?" Umino asked. "You look like you just saw a ghost. "

Naru shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine." _'A ghost... A ghost from the past,'_ she thought.

Nei looked at Naru and frowned. _'That girl... Her energy's quite high right now. I think I've just found my first target.'_

* * *

"So they told you they'd come here once they recovered?" Kino asked. 

Seia nodded. "Yeah. The ninja guy said he knew where our base is."

"It's been three days since that battle at the airport," Kino noted.

"Maybe it takes them a while to recover. They fought off a monster that put a dome around the airport, I bet the battle wasn't easy at all."

"Well, we still need to talk to them. I hope they're not ignoring us. "

A soldier walked in, his face unreadable. He gave the General a paper sheet, then saluted and walked out of the office. "What's that?" Seia asked as Kino frowned at the piece of paper.

"My niece Makoto... She got into another fight at school."

"Again?" Seia muttered.

Kino shrugged. "When I asked her about it, she just said 'the school's full of jerks.'"

"Been there, done that," Seia mused. "Maybe you should try having her transferred to another school."

"Maybe," Kino said.

* * *

"Are you ready for this?" Nephrite asked. He was standing on top of a building near the Osa-P jewelry, with Luminite and a green mantis-like humanoid youma. 

"Of course. I've sense a strange source of energy in that jewelry, maybe the Ginzuishou is there," Cardite said.

"Quite a coincidence," Nephrite said. "Cigale, drain the girl while Luminite searches for the Ginzuishou."

The mantis bowed to Nephrite. "As you command, master."

Luminite shrugged as Nephrite vanished. "Time to start the show."

* * *

Zero was, meanwhile, standing on a taller building, staring at the female General. "That... Bitch..." He frowned as he tried to control his rage. "Gotta warn the others..." 

"Fire Soul!"

"Or not," Zero muttered. "Good, they can take care of the mantis while I go visit an old friend..." With that, he leapt off the roof and headed to the battle.

* * *

A minute earlier, Usagi'd been walking towards the Osa-P to visit Naru, when she saw them... An insect youma and a woman dressed much like Jadeite, only her suit was white. Naru'd walked out of the store right then, and the mantis had attacked her. 

Usagi produced her comm. "Girls, I need help. I'm at Osa-P and a youma's attacking Naru. There's also a female General..."

"Female General?" Ami asked, her face unreadable. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Rei, you there?" Usagi asked.

"Fire Soul!"

"Guess that answers my question," Usagi muttered. "Moon Prism Power!"

* * *

The mantis leapt back as the fire beam shot by. "Missed me." 

Luminite walked out of the store, frowning. "Strange. The crystal wasn't there."

Naru was trying to figure out her next move. If only they moved Luminite out of the way, she could...

"LUMINITE!"

_'Cue the ninja,'_ Naru thought with a smirk, then dashed into the store as Zero charged at Luminite. The female General produced a couple energy blades and blocked Zero's initial blow.

"Missed me, kid?"

"You have no idea," Zero growled, then tried to kick her legs off balance. Luminite leapt up and delivered a kick to his midsection, sending him staggering back.

"Ready to join your girlfriend, loser?" Luminite teased.

Zero growled, rage taking over his mind. He was aware of his friends friends having problems with the mantis creature, but they were Senshi. They'd manage. He had a score to settle with this bitch, and he intended to do it right then, right there.

Mercury arrived in time to see Zero renew his attack. It was amazing, the speed of his movements and his style. But she could guess who the woman was and why Zero was fighting her. "Zero, don't be foolish!"

"She's mine," Zero snapped without looking back as he blocked Luminite's swords.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

Mercury turned to the other battle and gasped. The creature was as strong as it was ugly, and had wrapped one of his massive pincers around Mars' waist. Moon had just used her tiara to free her, but the creature was unaffected by her magic.

Things didn't look too good for the Senshi, indeed.

"Dark Bolt!"

A dark energy blast hit the mantis, causing it to stagger back and release Mars. The creature looked up and saw a Senshi standing on top of the Osa-P's roof, only her suit was different.

Mercury looked up too. The suit was completely black, with knee-high black boots and black gloves. "Who are you?"

"I'm the warrior of Darkness, Sailor Nemesis, and I'm here to destroy all evil," the new Senshi said.

The mantis chuckled evily. "Well, I'm Cigale, and I'm going to snap your little bodies in half, Senshi."

Zero was still too busy to worry about new Senshi or big bad insects. Even with his sword skills, he was still on the losing side. Luminite was just too strong, and she wasn't even sweating yet. The ninja, on the other hand, was starting to feel the effects of exhaustion.

"Moon, watch out!" Mars shouted.

Zero risked looking back and gasped. The creature had caught Moon's arm with his pincer, and was reaching for her neck with the other one. _'The others can help her...'_ He thought.

"Dark Bolt!"

The creature slapped the attack away and again reached for Moon's neck. _'If I help her, Luminite'll escape,'_ Zero thought. He returned his attention to Luminite for a second, but his mind wouldn't let the matter drop. _'Quite a friend you are, you'd rather get your revenge than save Usagi? You just love failing to your friends, don't you?'_ Zero winced at that.

"Tired yet?" Luminite teased.

Zero frowned and produced several metal spheres out of thin air. "Shut up, bitch," he said as he tossed the spheres at her and ran off.

"Hah!" Luminite said as she sliced the spheres open with her blades, then realized her mistake as she was trapped inside a thick cloud of rancid, unbreathable gas.

"Fire Soul!" Once again, the monster ignored the attack. "We gotta do something!" Mars said. The creature had a pincer around Moon's neck and was slowly closing it, choking her.

"There's nothing you can do, kids. My body's resistant to any kind of magic," the creature gloated.

"Resist _this_!"

The Senshi all gasped as Zero hissed by, slashing at the mantis' arms, causing them both to fall to the ground. The creature paled as he looked at the Senshi, then chuckled again. "Hahahaha! Even without my arms, I'm still unbeatable."

"Who said I'm done with you?" Zero snapped as he leapt in front of the creature. The Senshi winced as he beheaded the mantis, walking back to the others with a shrug.

"Zero..." Moon said, "thanks for saving me."

"Could've saved her earlier," Mars snapped.

"Rei!"

Zero shook his head. "Moon... She's right."

The Senshi heard coughing and turned to see Luminite staggering towards them. "Stupid... Kids..."

"Leave now or die," Zero snapped.

Luminite frowned. True, she could barely breath, let alone fight them all at once. "Very well, this fight's yours, but the war's far from over!"

Zero turned back to Moon as Luminite vanished. "I... I'm sorry. I let anger control me and only cared about killing Luminite..."

"Terry, it's okay..."

"It's not okay," Zero said. "I almost let that monster kill you."

"Stop whinning," Mars snapped. The others turned to look at her. "Zero, we all make mistakes, and I guess what matters is, you helped her in the end."

Zero sighed and started walking away. The others watched him go then looked around. "Wonder who Nemesis was," Moon pondered.

"I'm sure we'll see her again," Mercury commented.

Naru watched the scene from her bedroom, amusedly. "You can bet on that, Mercury," she whispered.

* * *

The man walked through a graveyard, inspecting each tombstone carefully. He was wearing a long, black trenchcoat and black hat, which hid his features from any accidental witness. He stopped in front of one of them, white marble, quite similar to many others he'd seen on his way there. It wasn't the tombstone what attracted the man, but who was buried inside. "Pieces of the puzzle, one by one I'm gathering them." He looked around before digging into his coat's pocket, producing a small insect-like robot. The robot fled down and dug into the grave's soil as the man waited. 

"When my plan's ready, they won't know what hit them." The robotic insect fled out of the soil and into his hand, and the man put the small creature back into his pocket before walking away.

* * *

**A/N:** What, never heard about hi-tech tomb raiders? BTW, for those wondering, those mantis will have a bigger role in this version than they did in the old one. Much bigger. But saying anything else would be spoiling the surprise, so I'll shut up now.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	13. Scorpion's Tail

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 1: Gathering. **

**Episode 13: Scorpion's Tail. **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2006_

* * *

"That didn't go as expected," Luminite muttered. 

Nephrite and Luminite were in a large, dimly lit room somewhere in Beryl's castle. "Your youma drained that girl, so it wasn't a complete failure."

"However, I didn't find the Ginzuishou."

"Tokyo's a large city," Nephrite said. "It'd be quite remarkable, and incredible, if you found the Ginzuishou on your first attempt."

"So, who's our next target?"

"I haven't decided yet. But this time, I'll use one of my Zodiac youma," Nephrite said.

Luminite nodded. "Good. In the meantime, I can search for the crystal."

* * *

Terry frowned. He'd managed to get some images of Sailor Nemesis with his suit's built-in computer, but her face was blurred off them. Even stranger, when he tried to remember how she looked, her face was also impossible to visualize in his mind. 

His allies... His friends were now at his mansion, as he'd called them to let them know some of his theories about the Dark Kingdom agenda and Sailor Nemesis.

"Not even the best image editing programs could make Nemesis' face look clear enough to identify," he said.

"That's a side-effect of Senshi magic," Luna said. "You will never be able to identify a Senshi's normal form."

"But I can see the others' faces when they transform," he noted.

"Because you saw them transforming," Luna said. "The spell protecting their identities is broken if the Senshi tell a person their true identity, or if a person sees them transform. But only for that person, the rest of the world will not be able to identify them."

"That's bad, then. We won't know who Nemesis is until she decides to tell us?" Rei asked.

"Most likely," Luna said. "Is that your only question?"

Terry shook his head. "No. There's also something strange with our new teacher... I've been researching on his past and found a lot of missing details."

"What's his name?" Luna asked.

"Furita... Nei Furita," Terry said.

"Nei..." Luna muttered, then her eyes widened. "Nephrite!"

"Yeah, I'd guessed he was one of them," Terry admitted. "So he's at our school looking for victims?"

"Since his monsters attacked Naru, we could assume that," Ami admitted.

"Too bad we can't ask him," Rei muttered.

Luna suddenly looked around as if she'd sensed something. "What the..."

Terry frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked as he saw Luna walking out of the room. "Curiosity killed the Mooncat," he joked.

"Funny," Luna muttered as she walked down the corridor, then entered one of the mansion's many rooms. "Here..."

Terry looked around. "Yeah, this is where I keep my collection. What's wrong with it?"

Luna looked around, as did the others. Weapons ranging from glaives to throwing stars to swords of several kinds. Luna walked to a couple familiar swords and frowned. "These are..."

"The twin katanas I use as Zero, their name and weaponsmith has been lost through the generations, but I know they belonged to an ancient clan of warriors."

"No kidding it's an ancient clan," Luna said.

"What do you mean?" Ami asked.

"These are two of the Dragon Swords," Luna explained. One of them had a dark blue hilt, while the other's hilt was black. "The Mercury and Saturn Dragon Swords, actually."

"What are these 'Dragons'?" Terry asked.

"There were, in the past, male Senshi fighting along with the female ones. Altough there were no Dragons during the last generation, the one that fought Beryl, the Dragon Swords were kept in a safe place, in case they chose a warrior."

"What you mean chose a warrior?" Rei asked.

"Much like the Sailor Senshi powers... The swords needed someone born in their house planet, and whose intentions were good."

"It'd be a bit hard to find someone born in Saturn or Mercury right now, though," Terry commented.

"Maybe, but their descendants could still be around."

"Isn't there a way I could activate them?" Terry asked.

"Did you ever feel something while holding those swords? Like the swords calling you, or a surge of energy?"

"No." Terry said.

"Then don't try it. The swords must choose you, and I don't know if either will."

"Maybe I can still use their power..."

Luna frowned. "All those who tried to in the past ended the same way... Energy overload resulting in their death."

"I think I'll forget about it," Terry said with a sigh.

"Maybe you'll be able to use them correctly someday," Luna said.

"Huh?"

"Nevermind," Luna said. "In any case, keep these swords safe, they may be useful to us someday."

"I will," Terry said, then shrugged. "Who wants something to eat?"

"You may regret asking that," Rei said nodding at Usagi.

"Hey!" Usagi snapped.

"Hey you, airhead," Rei muttered.

"We're in a room packed full of weapons, and I know how to use them. I'd advice you to stop before I'm forced to grab a mace and pummel you both quiet."

"... You're joking, right?" Usagi asked.

"Of course I am... Or am I?" Terry said in an ominous tone.

Luna frowned. "Forget the food. There's trouble, and near."

Rei nodded "I can sense them too."

"Oh well," Terry said. "Guess it's time to fool around with some youma again."

* * *

Nemesis looked down to the jewelry and frowned. "What's with them and jewelries?" she muttered. 

"They must be searching for the Ginzuishou," the small grey cat besides her said.

"You think I'm up to the challenge?" The black-clad Senshi asked.

"Luminite's one of the Generals, but for what I can remember, she's one of the weakest. If you can't fight her, you won't be able to fight stronger ones, like Nephrite."

Nemesis frowned at that, but said nothing, just waited for the General to be distracted before she attacked.

* * *

"Hey, that guy's in our classroom," Zero noted. 

Moon nodded. "That's Kai Rakurai."

"Rakurai?" Mars asked. "He's related to that army girl?"

"I don't know," Moon said. But we should save him."

The guy in question was now lying besides a tall, humanoid scorpion. The youma spotted the Senshi and growled. "You kids won't save him from me!"

"Shut up, Skorpicon, or whatever you're called," Zero muttered.

"My name's Spica, and I'm going to destroy you all!"

Zero produced his swords. "Let's see you try."

The Senshi frowned as Zero rushed at the scorpion. He tried a slash at the creature's chest, but was slapped away by one of his massive pincers.

"Hope the pincers don't become a habit," Moon said remembering their last battle.

"Zero, you okay?" Mercury asked.

"Been hit worse," Zero muttered standing up. "So I guess meelee won't work here..."

"Kyaaa!" Mars shouted as she leapt-kicked the scorpion into a wall. "Were you saying?"

Spica growled at them then his tail rose up over his head, and started shooting small energy-charged needles. The Senshi dodged them, watching as they exploded against a wall, wrecking it.

"Shabon Spray!"

The scorpion was taken off-guard by the blast, and frowned as the area around him turned foggy. "Hey, stop hiding, Senshi!"

Zero frowned and slowly walked around the creature. He then charged from behind, ready to split him in half, but the youma leapt out of the way in the last second...

... Which put him right in front of Mars. "Fire Soul!"

"Guess he couldn't stand the heat," Zero commented as they watched the youma burn to ashes.

Kai stood up and blinked in disbelief. "Wow... So you guys really exist."

"Are you okay, Kai?" Moon asked.

"... How do you know my name?"

Moon blinked, out of ideas. She then shrugged. "We Senshi know everything."

Zero heard Mars mutter something about airheads and knowing nothing at all, and chuckled. "I think we should leave before the fangirls arrive."

"Wait... My sister was bitching about you guys. Something about you not keeping your word."

"..." Moon frowned. "True, we told her we'd go to her base."

"Now's as good a time as any," Zero said with a shrug.

* * *

"Gust!" 

Kunzite grunted as he was slammed through a large window by the air blast. He stood up and glared at the white-clad man. "You foolish kid, I'm going to destroy you!"

Ace leapt out of the way of a large energy blast, then used his sword to deflect several smaller ones. The orange-hilted sword had proven itself useful several times in the past, and while Ace on his own couldn't defeat Kunzite, he was quite a good distraction while the real powerhouse arrived. "Gust!"

Kunzite phased out of the way and chuckled. "Not going to get me again with that."

"How about... Crescent Beam!"

Kunzite turned back and backhanded the attack away. Actually, he'd used a shield spell around his hand to do that, but the Senshi and her mage friend didn't know that.

"Fireball!"

Kunzite punched the attack and shrugged. "You kids aren't a match for me."

V smirked. "So that's why we've been ruining your stupid plans for months?"

Kunzite was about to attack when he felt movement behind him, turning just in time to grab the incoming sword. It dug into his hand, but he smiled despite the pain. "Fool." He said before channeling his magic through the sword, zapping Ace and sending him rolling on the ground.

"ACE!" Venus shouted. The white-haired General turned to gloat at her, but saw her body surrounded by a thin aura of light. "That's it, bastard. You hurt him, and for that I won't let you get out of this battle unscratched," she said as she glared at him.

"Big words, but can you back them up?" Kunzite teased, resisting the urge to shiver at the ammount of energy Sailor V was gathering.

V's glare deepened, and she aimed a finger at him. Kunzite didn't move, he knew he could deflect her Crescent Beam move easily. "This is for Ace," she said as she put her other hand in front of her finger, palm open and aiming at Kunzite. "Crescent... Barrage!"

The General was in awe at the new attack. Her normal laser beam channeled by her other hand, had grown in power and split into several dozens of needle-thin light blasts, which hit Kunzite even though he'd summoned an energy shield to stop it. Next thing he knew, he'd been knocked through a parked car, ending up with his back nailed into a tree.

_"Now die, bastard,"_ V growled as Kunzite tried to stand up. She aimed her hand at him again, but staggered. _"No..."_

Kunzite smiled despite being in a world of pain. It was really a good thing that V had no power left after that attack, because... He was in no shape to continue fighting. "You... Win this one, V," He said before vanishing.

V smiled for a second, then fainted. She felt arms around her, stopping her before she hit the ground, and looked up at Ace. "I thought..."

"I'll be fine," Ace said, "but you need to rest. Using that attack really drained you." V nodded and closed her eyes, her suit turning back to her civilian clothes. Ace sighed as he also returned to normal.

"I almost did it, huh?" Minako said weakly.

"We'll get him next time," Brad said. There was always a next time with these youma.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I know episodes are getting shorter. I don't like filler anyway, if I can't make them longer, I won't complain. I also edited a few of the earlier Chronicles episodes, and am planning to edit the whole Genesis too, in the near future. 

Nephrite'll be around a lot more than in the old version. I always hated how short and dumb the Nephrite arc was in that thing...

What's the U.S. crew up to, you may ask? We'll see more of them in a future episode, but they'll be mostly out of the spotlight until the "Witches 5" arc.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	14. Bull's Eyes

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 14: Bull's Eye.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 20, 2006_

* * *

"Dark Bolt!" 

Luminite grunted, falling to one knee. In the past, she could've beaten Nemesis easily, but without Metallia's power, the Senshi of Darkness was on the winning side. "This time you win, but I'll be back," she said before vanishing.

Nemesis leaned on a wall, exhausted. The battle hadn't been easy, but she'd scored a couple lucky shots. What mattered was, the evil woman hadn't found what she was looking for.

"Good job, Nemesis," the small gray cat said walking up to her.

"Sort of," Nemesis muttered. "Let's go home, Shade."

The mooncat nodded. "Yeah, you'll need to rest and recover after that."

* * *

The two guards standing in front of the bunker's entrance frowned at the group of teenagers walking towards them. "You got the address wrong, the masquerade's two blocks down the street," the older guard joked. 

Mars looked at him and frowned. "We're here to see Rakurai."

The guard nodded. "She told us about your group. You may pass."

As the Senshi walked through the door, the younger guard turned to the other one. "Wow... So they really do exist."

"Yeah, I find it hard to believe myself," the other admitted.

* * *

"Took you long enough." 

Moon looked at Rakurai, who was wearing her usual military outfit, and shrugged. "We've been busy saving the city."

"So I've heard," Rakurai admitted. "In any case, follow me."

"Gotta admit the facade's good," Zero commented.

"Facade?"

"Yeah. Outside, anyone walking by sees only a small bunker. But the actual base is way bigger."

"That's the idea... Our branch of the army isn't quite known."

"Branch?" Mercury asked.

"You could say we're the Area 51 of Japan," the woman joked. "Anyway, here we are."

The Senshi walked through the door and into a large office. Inside were two men, one wearing a lab coat, with gray hair and glasses, and the other wearing an outfit much like Seia's.

"General Kino, Dr. Tomoe, these are the Sailor Senshi," Rakurai said.

Kino stood up. "It's good to finally know you. Though you don't look that dangerous in person."

"You should see them shooting fire blasts and slicing things to pieces," Rakurai muttered.

"Interesting..." The scientist, Tomoe, said as he produced what looked like a Ghostbusters' ecto-scanner.

"What's that thing?" Moon asked as he pointed the artifact at them.

"An energy scanner," Tomoe said. "And from it's readings... No, this thing must be malfunctioning."

"Why?" Mercury asked.

"The energy levels you have right now are too high for a human body to stand," he explained. "Well, except for the ninja guy, his energy's only a bit over the normal readings."

"My name's Zero," the black-clad ninja said, "and I know what you mean. The Senshi are not quite normal humans, each of them seem to be attuned with a certain element."

"Interesting. So they are magicians," Tomoe said.

"Putting all science and magic talk aside," Kino said, "I wanted to talk to you because I have a few doubts about what we're facing."

"The youma," Mercury said, "are evil creatures, and their goal is taking over the planet."

"Why aren't there reports of their attacks all around the world, then?" Rakurai asked.

Mercury frowned. "That's something we don't know... But we're aware of youma being fought in the States and also in England."

"Being fought by who?" Kino asked.

"Sailor Senshi, like us," Mars said.

"Their main goal seems to be here," Mercury added. "We don't know what it is, though, but it's our mission to stop whatever they're planning."

"So the world's about to be invaded by monsters, and our only hope's a group of short-skirted teenage girls and a ninja," Rakurai muttered.

"You really shouldn't say that in front of them," Zero said. "I know at least one of them could turn you into an ash pile in seconds."

"What can we do to help?" Kino asked.

"Stay out of our way."

The group turned to stare at the black cat who'd just leapt on Moon's shoulder. "A talking cat?" Seia muttered.

"Mooncat," Luna corrected. "I'm Luna, and I'm the one that knows the most about youma and their plans."

"You could inform us," Zero muttered.

"Was going to," Luna snapped, "but you decided to come socialize with the army. In any case... I figured out what Luminite's up to. "

"You did?" Moon asked.

Luna nodded. "I saw her fight Nemesis right outside a jewelry. She must be looking for the Ginzuishou."

"Silver Crystal?" Kino said. "I assume that's some sort of weapon?"

Luna nodded. "If we get it before they do, we could turn the tide to our favor. But if the youma get it first, their power will grow infinitely."

"What about the Princess?" Mars asked.

"No idea, that's what I was looking for when I saw Luminite and Nemesis fight."

"Nemesis? Is that another Senshi?" Rakurai guessed.

"Yes, but we don't know who she really is," Mercury admitted.

"Which takes me to the question... Who are you under those disguises?" Tomoe asked.

"We can't tell you," Moon said.

"Why?"

"Just... Don't ask," Moon said.

"I understand," Kino said. "You look young, not older than fifteen, I'd guess. If your true identities leaked out, you'd have your normal lives disrupted."

"Don't they already?" Seia muttered.

Mars shrugged. "Not really. I guess... We adapted to this. It's almost as if we knew we were destined to do this."

"You were," Luna said.

Kino frowned. "All that's good, but you can't tell us to stay out of the way. This is our city, and our job's defending it."

"Human weapons can't do much against youma," Luna said. "You'd need an entire batallion to take down a single youma, something Moon's done on her own, in the past months, several times."

Seia snorted. "Bullshit. One rocket to the head and I bet any of those youma'd be dust in the wind."

"You're welcome to try, but we're not here to babysit your toy soldiers," Zero said.

"What the... Who are you anyways?"

Moon stepped in front of Zero. "Zero, stop it." She then turned to Rakurai and sighed. "Zero's my ally and my friend, and while his words may be rude, he's right." She looked at the General. "Please, this is not because we want to take all the credit. Stay out of our battles, because those youma won't hesitate to kill anyone attacking them."

Luna blinked at Moon's words. Usagi could be quite a brat and a pest, but she had moments like this one, where she showed just how much of the situation she understood.

Kino sighed and shook his head. "Right. We'll stay out of the way for the time being, but... I can't promise the same about the local police. And we'll start researching to build weapons that can destroy those monsters."

Luna rose an eyebrow. "That would be good. We may need your help, should the youma gather enough energy to start their invasion."

* * *

Next morning, Furita walked into the classroom, and snorted. He couldn't help but be disgusted by these inferior creatures, these humans. But he needed to keep his teacher act, since he'd sensed quite a lot of students who possesed a high level of life energy. He had gathered more energy in his two first attempts than Jadeite had in the month he'd been in charge. 

However, there was something bothering him. Nemesis. He needed to see her with his own eyes, to make sure it wasn't the same Nemesis he remembered... Sailor Nemesis, Princess Nadia.

He frowned as he looked at a boy with thick glasses. _'Gurio's energy is specially high today. Guess my youma'll visit him later. And I'll be there in case Nemesis shows up.'_

* * *

Usagi was walking home when she heard it. A girl's scream, and she sounded like Naru. Were the youma after her _again?_. Dashing down the street as fast as she could, she didn't see the guy turning around the corner until it was too late. 

She did, however, feel the impact as she unwillingly tackled him. The guy staggered back, but Usagi wasn't as lucky, and fell on her butt. "Oh, it's you, Odango."

That jerk again? Usagi glared at the tall, black-haired guy as she stood up, then shrugged. "I don't have time for your insults," she said as she dashed off.

The guy watched her go with a smirk, then frowned. "Youma..." He walked into an alley, and seconds later, Tuxedo Kamen walked out of it.

* * *

By the time the blonde Senshi reached the scene, he could see things weren't looking good. A bull-like humanoid youma was holding Umino by the neck, as Naru tried to free him by kicking the monster. 

"Naru, get out of here," Sailor Moon shouted.

Naru frowned. She couldn't let that creature get Umino, but she wasn't much of a help like this. "All right, I'll try getting some help," she said before dashing off.

After running for a few blocks, she finally found a place with no witnesses. She closed her eyes and shouted, "Nemesis Planet Power!" and the transformation begun. Darkness swirled around her body, slowly closing in on her, and forming her suit. "Now I'll show that bully not to mess with my friends," Sailor Nemesis muttered as she run back to the battle.

* * *

"Moon Tiara Action!" 

The bull didn't move, and Moon cheered. However, before the weapon could hit, a hand snatched it off it's path. A brown-haired man dressed like a Dark Kingdom General. "Hmmm... Interesting weapon, though quite weak."

Moon gasped. "Hey, give that thing back!"

"Okay," Nephrite said and tossed it back at Moon. She dove out of the way with a screech, then gasped as she saw it embedding itself into a wall. A rose hissed by and struck the ground in front of Nephrite. He looked up and frowned. "The Phantom of the Opera is here."

Tuxedo frowned and leapt down, trying to pummel the General with his cane. However, he forgot about the bull youma, but was reminded of him as he tackled the caped hero into a tree.

"That takes care of..." Nephrite started, then smirked as he saw three more figures coming his way. "Well, well, the whole freak show's here."

"You call us freaks? Don't you have a mirror?" Zero snapped as he floated into the scene, along with the rest of the Senshi team.

Mars frowned, not in the mood for taunting. "Fire Soul!"

"Dark Bolt!"

The Senshi gasped as Nemesis' attack cancelled Mars' one. Moon was just done tearing her tiara off the wall, and looked up at Nemesis. "Why did you do that?"

"Is she with the enemy?" Mercury pondered.

"It is really you..." Nephrite said.

Nemesis walked up to him. "Neir... Why are you doing this?"

"I'm not human anymore, Nadia," Nephrite said. "Youma once ruled over this planet, and we'll do it again."

The other Senshi moved, and Nemesis frowned. "Don't attack him."

"I don't think you're a real Senshi," Mars said. "You must be one of them, in disguise."

"Me?" Nemesis chuckled. "I'm not. I bet you don't remember a thing about your past, do you?" Mars shook her head. "Well, I do. I remember Neir... Nephrite... We were in love back then, and I think he still feels the same way."

"I don't," Nephrite lied.

"If you didn't, you would've shot me while we spoke. I know you were never one for subtleties in combat," Nemesis commented.

"I..." Nephrite started, then shrugged. "Bullee, destroy the Senshi!"

Nemesis sighed as Nephrite vanished. Then she noticed the bull monster coming her way and shrugged. "Dark Bolt!"

The youma howled as he was sent flying back by the darkness blast. Zero frowned and used his board as a shield, stopping the bull's flight. "Moon..."

Moon nodded. "Moon Tiara Action!"

Mercury turned to glare at Nemesis. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I don't need to explain a thing to any of you. I love Nephrite, and I won't let you hurt him."

"If you get in our way again, I'm not going to hold back," Mars snapped.

"Neither will I," Nemesis said with a shrug, then leapt into a nearby rooftop.

"What a bitch," Mars muttered as the Senshi of Darkness vanished from view.

Zero frowned. "I wouldn't like to mess with her, though."

"why?"

"Her power level is almost as high as Moon's," he explained.

"... Aren't we all at the same power?" Mars asked.

Zero smiled. "Not really. Believe it or not, Moon's the strongest of you three, Mercury being the weaker... But that's only the magic. Mercury has brain power, and you have meelee skills. However Nemesis... She's almost as strong as Moon, and that's not a good thing for us right now."

"Stronger or not, next time she gets in our way, I'm going to beat her senseless," Mars said then walked away.

"Maybe Nemesis was right," Moon said.

"What do you mean?" Mercury asked.

"Nephrite didn't blast her. He had plenty of time to do so, but he didn't do it... Maybe he does love her."

"Not like that changes a thing for us," Zero said. "We will still need to fight him again, and same with Luminite."

"... Where's Naru?"

Only then the group noticed Umino was up, though visibly tired after the draining. "Uhm... We told her to stay away from the scene," Moon said.

"Oh..." Umino sighed. "So you got rid of that bull freak. Thanks."

"Go look for her, she must be worried about you," Moon said.

Umino nodded and walked off. Zero frowned. "Is it just me..."

Moon chuckled. "They're pretty much a couple, even if neither will admit it."

Zero nodded, then looked in the direction Nemesis had run to. _'Even if she's a Senshi, Mars is right. She messes with us again, and she'll get hurt.'_

* * *

**A/N:** I thinks having Naru as a Senshi gives an interesting twist to the whole NaruxNephrite issue... Though I'm sure most canon-zealots will want to skin me for it. This is my caring face - : 

Hey at least I didn't turn her into Sailor Earth. _that_ is fanon cliche. :P

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	15. Friend or Foe?

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering.**

** Episode 15: Friend Or Foe?**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 25, 2006_

* * *

"Gale Fist!" 

The ant-like youma was blasted to pieces by the air attack, and Uranus turned to her side. Pluto was waiting for them to finish, her daily beating of Dexite already over, while Dragon Sun had turned to look at the wounded Neptune. "Are you okay, Michi?" the blonde-haired Senshi asked.

"I'll live," Neptune said as sat on the ground, looking down at her bleeding leg.

"Want me to carry you home?" Sun joked. Uranus frowned at him then helped Neptune up, and the green-haired Senshi put an arm over her shoulder. Pluto walked to Dragon Sun as he watched them walk out of the building. "What did I say?" he muttered, then rose an eyebrow as he noticed Neptune was leaning on Uranus' shoulder.

"I thought you had noticed it already, Kage," Pluto said. "Those two have a... Special relationship."

Sun shrugged. "I suspected something like that," he admitted. "Where did you find those two, anyways?"

Pluto turned back to her civilian form and smiled. "I'll answer that later, first let's get Michiru to a hospital."

* * *

_Setsuna patiently waited as she was shown several kids. True, she'd gone to that orphanage to adopt a couple kids, but she already knew which ones she wanted. The two she had sensed were the reincarnation of two of the Sailor Senshi._

_And there they were. Walking side by side, the two ten years old girls looked up at her with a certain air of apathy. One of them had short blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing blue shorts and t-shirt, and the other had light green hair and blue eyes, her green summer dress a mix of patches and dirt. All in all neither looked too impressive. Unless you could sense their magic energy, a thing Setsuna was able to._

_"These two," the woman said. "Are they good girls?"_

_The man in charge of the orphanage chuckled. "They've been in seven different foster houses each, escaped from six and were returned from the last, which adopted them both, after they beat up their step-brother."_

_"Kid was a pest," the blonde muttered._

_Setsuna looked at her, and for a second she thought she saw a hint of pride in her eyes as she remembered their lattest foster family. "Well, I'm sure we can get along if we all try," she said. Not like their past selves were a hundred percent girly princesses either, she mused to herself._

_"You sure you don't want to see any other kid before making your choice?" the man asked._

_"Yes, I'm sure," Setsuna said._

_The man shrugged and went to look for the adoption papers. As long as the woman paid, he really had no complaints. He'd also get rid of those two boyish brats, at least for a while._

* * *

_A couple hours later, the girls were sitting in a sofa inside Setsuna's house. She'd asked them several questions and the two girls had answered in an almost drone-like fashion. It was a given they had been asked the same questions in the past, and they were boring of answering them._

_To put it simple, their parents had died in a fire, both girls lived in the same building back then, and neither had living relatives to take care of them. They seemed about to give up finding a new family, and Setsuna couldn't blame them from what they'd told her._

_"I can see your lives have been pretty rough," she said. "I won't tell you I can make life easier for you, but I can make it more... Interesting."_

_The blonde, Haruka, frowned. "That's a first." The other girl, Michiru didn't comment on that._

_Setsuna smiled. Time to drop the bomb. "So, have you two ever had strange dreams?"_

_"Define strange," Haruka said._

_"Castles, monsters, two armies battling, and you in strange outfits, " Setsuna said._

_Michiru blinked in disbelief. "How do you know about those dreams?"_

_"I was there... Well, not literally, but I know that battle happened. What you dreamt of are your past lives."_

_"Bullshit," Haruka muttered._

_"Such language," Setsuna mused. "I know what to do to make you believe me," she stood up, her Garnet Staff appearing in her left hand, and closed her eyes. "Pluto Planet Power!"_

_As the transformation ended, she could see both girls were staring up at her in shock. "I know who you are!" Haruka said._

_"You do?" Pluto asked. Could their memory really be restored so easily?_

_Haruka laughed. "Yeah. You're the Ghost of Christmas Past!"_

_Maybe not._

* * *

Naru frowned. It was too obvious, and she wasn't surprised at all when she figured out who Nei Furita was. Knowing who the Senshi were, on the other hand, wasn't as easy. 

"What's on your mind?"

She turned back and saw Umino walking a few meters behind her. "Oh, hi Umino."

"Hi..." The boy waited for a few seconds before trying again. "Is it Furita?"

"What do you mean?" Naru asked.

"I've noticed how you stare at him, and he doesn't mind the attention. You've got a crush on him, don't you?"

Naru shrugged. "Why would you care?"

"Because I'm your friend. The guy's too old for you, and he's also a bit creepy."

If only you knew, Naru mused. "What's the matter, are you jealous?"

It was Umino's turn to shrug. "Why would I, it's not like I'm your boyfriend."

Naru stopped as Umino walked by, glowering at the boy's back as he walked away. True, he wasn't her boyfriend, and he didn't have a reason to be jealous. None at all. Then why had his last words hit her like a slap to the face?

* * *

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Usagi and Terry were inside Crown Arcades. 

"So this is where you slack off?" Terry asked.

Usagi nodded. "You could say that. I come here often."

"And she always loses, no matter what she's playing."

Both turned to look at the tall, black-haired guy, and Usagi glared at him. "You again..."

"Yeah, it's nice to see you again, Odango," the guy said.

"Odango..." Terry said with a chuckle.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" Usagi muttered.

"I'm only here because my friend Motoki needed help," the guy said. "So, Odango, I'll leave you and your boyfriend alone."

"My name's Usagi!" the blonde shouted at the guy's back as he walked away. "And he's not my boyfriend!"

Terry noticed everyone was staring at them now, and shot glares around at the crowd, causing most of them to return to their games.

"Don't mind my brother, he's quite the jerk when he wants to be one. "

Terry looked at the girl that had just walked to them. Taller than even him, with long, wavy black hair and brown eyes, and she looked tough enough to punch him out cold in a second. That wasn't stopping him from staring, though. "Hello... Karin, right?" Usagi asked.

The girl nodded. "Karin Chiba, and that guy you just sent off crying is Mamoru, my older brother." The girl then turned to Terry. "Hey million boy, put those eyes of yours back in their sockets, someone might step on them."

Terry shrugged. "I can't help but staring at cute girls. Take it as a compliment."

"I will, but my brother won't," Karin said before walking off.

_"Place's full of weirdos,"_ Terry muttered.

"You're right," Umino said somehow popping up in-between them.

"Stop doing that!" Usagi snapped.

"Agreed," Terry muttered.

"Anyways... Usagi, I wanted to talk to you..."

"About what?" Usagi asked the nerdy guy.

"Uhm..."

"Let me guess, about Naru?" Terry asked.

"Yes. She's been acting weird lately."

"Weird?" Usagi asked.

"Can't quite put a finger in it, but... It all started when that Furita man showed up," Umino said. "I can tell she's got a crush on him, and I don't like it."

"Jealous?" Terry asked.

"Not at all. I just don't want one of my best friends to be hurt, I know that guy's up to something."

"Well, I'll talk to her and see what I can do," Usagi said.

"Thanks," Umino said and walked out of the building.

Terry frowned. He had quite a good guess on who Nemesis was now, but he would keep it to himself until he was a hundred percent sure.

"What was that?" Usagi asked as a scream could be heard outside.

"Someone must've seen Umino's face," Terry joked.

Usagi sighed. "Let's just go and see what the critter of the day is. "

* * *

When Moon and Zero reached their goal, however, the scene wasn't quite what they had expected. Karin was standing in between her unconscious brother and a lion-like youma. 

"I see a pattern here," Zero commented.

"Huh?"

"Scorpio, Taurus, now Leo... Anyways, think the girl needs help?"

Karin answered that question as she charged the lion, tackling it into a brick wall. "Whoa... She's strong, no kidding."

Karin looked back at them. "Guess I owe Chie an ice cream," she muttered under her breath. "I can pretty much keep this thing under control," she snapped back at them.

"Yes, but there's also me," Luminite said as she appeared in front of her.

"Listen, you can't fight these monsters on your own," Zero said.

"I was doing just that before you guys arrived," Karin muttered.

The lion laughed. "I was just toying with you, human. You'll be an extra for Nephrite!" With that, he charged at Karin...

... But the black-haired girl sidestepped and elbowed him in the back as he rushed by, sending him rolling towards the Senshi.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

Zero shrugged as the youma was vaporized. "May I...?"

Moon sighed. "Like I can talk you out of doing it."

"Agreed," Zero said then charged at Luminite.

"Not you again!" Luminite snapped as she parried Zero's slash with her energy blades.

"I'm not passing up the chance to make you pay for it, snow white. "

"And I'm not passing up the chance to correct my mistake," Luminite retorted.

"Your only mistake..." Zero said, "was crossing me." With that, he left a half dozen spheres around Luminite and leapt away. "Say cough. "

As Luminite coughed inside a gas cloud, the Senshi turned to Karin. "Take your brother somewhere safe, we'll take care of that woman," Moon said.

Karin nodded and dragged her brother away. The Senshi turned back to the battle to see Luminite still there, only now Nephrite was standing by her side. "We've had enough of you, Senshi."

Zero snorted at that. "And I've had enough of you freaks disrupting peace."

Nephrite chuckled as he produced a long, thin crystal sword. "Let's see what you can do."

"Gladly!" Zero snapped and rushed at him.

"Dark Bolt!"

Moon gasped as Zero was hit by an energy blast, then saw Nemesis leap down from a nearby rooftop. "He's mine," the Senshi of Darkness said.

Zero growled at her "That's IT!"

Moon gasped as Zero rushed Nemesis, slashing and stabbing as the black-clad Senshi tried her best to dodge. "Zero, no!"

"Shut up," Zero said coldly. Moon was about to say something when she saw Luminite aiming her hand at Zero. "Oh no, you won't. Moon Tiara Action!"

Luminite screamed in pain as the tiara slapped her hand back. She growled then saw Mars and Mercury had just arrived. "Well damn..."

Nephrite shrugged. "Let's leave these kids to their games."

Luminite nodded. "We got some energy off this, so I agree."

Nemesis didn't notice the two Generals leaving, she didn't notice the other Senshi telling Zero to stop. She couldn't spare a second to think about anything but dodging the swords... True, Nemesis' magic power was high, but Zero didn't leave her a split second to breathe, let alone summon her attack. If this kept up... She leapt up dodging a sideways slash, then paled as she felt her back touching a brick wall. Zero put his sword right in front of her neck and chuckled.

"Zero, don't do it!" Moon pleaded.

"Do what?" Zero snapped as he stabbed with his swords, each to one side of Nemesis' head, inches away from her.

Nemesis fell to her knees, her face pale. "Why...?"

Zero shrugged. "Why? First, I'm not a murderer. Second, I think I'd act the same way you do if anyone was trying to harm someone I loved, even if that person was evil. And third... I'm not going to hurt one of my friends, Naru."

Nemesis' eyes widened. "... What?"

"Naru?" Moon asked.

Nemesis gasped as Zero's helm vanished. "Terry? But..."

Moon sighed, and the three Senshi turned back to their normal forms. "I'd never imagine you were Nemesis."

Nemesis' suit vanished too, replaced by her civilian clothing. Naru, however, backed away as Terry took a step towards her. "No!"

Zero sighed. "I told you, I'm not going to hurt you."

"You looked quite eager to do so a minute ago," Usagi admitted.

"Not at all," Rei said. "Bet he was holding back."

Naru frowned. "Holding back?"

Terry chuckled. "You know, you were only able to dodge me because I wasn't fighting for real."

Naru could feel her face paling again. "I... I'm sorry I attacked you earlier, if I'd known..."

"You didn't know," Terry said.

"Now what?" Naru asked. "I can't fight you guys... But..."

"Nephrite's evil," Rei said. "You should know he's probably not the same person you knew..."

"You're wrong," Moon said. "Nephrite didn't attack her today, just like last time."

"Listen... I'm going to try and talk to him. I know who he is passing as..."

"Nei Furita," Terry said.

Naru nodded. "I'm sure he'll listen to me."

"And if he doesn't?" Rei asked.

"If he doesn't... If the Neir I used to know is really gone, and Nephrite's truly evil, then I'll kill him myself."

* * *

**A/N:**Ever had one of those "oops" moments when you realize you forgot to tell a part of the story? Not that that whole flashback on how Setsuna met Haruka and Michiru was because of that. I planned it like that. I really did. . ;

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	16. The Lady of Thuner

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 1: Gathering. **

**Episode 16: The Lady Of Thunder.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 16, 2007_

* * *

"So Naru was Nemesis? That was unexpected." 

Usagi nodded at Luna. She'd finished telling her about their lattest encounter with Nephrite as they walked towards Terry's mansion. Naru had told them she'd introduce her Mooncat to them.

"Here we are," Luna commented. Usagi looked at the mansion. It was, indeed, the largest house she'd seen, large enough to have it's own zip code... Or three. She was about to press the intercom button when the large metal gate slid open.

"Seen you coming from a mile away," Terry's voice said through the intercom.

"That guy's got issues," Luna muttered as they walked into the yard.

* * *

Luna blinked in disbelief as she saw the other Mooncat. "Shade?" 

Shade nodded. "Good to see you again, Luna. I can see you've been busy."

Rei shrugged. "You guys should've come speak to us sooner."

Naru sighed. "Sorry, I guess I was too focused in Nephrite."

"I know how that goes," Terry admitted.

"How're you going to speak to him, though?" Ami asked the red-haired girl.

"Easy. Nemesis will pay Nei Furita a visit. I've been researching and know where his... Base is."

"We'll go with you," Usagi said.

Naru shook her head. "No. He won't hurt me, I'm sure of that."

Terry shrugged. "One thing I've noticed... You girls never train, do you?"

"Train? What for?" Usagi asked.

"Well, sure these youma are easy to beat, but we don't know if there's stronger ones out there," Terry said.

"There are," Shade said. "Luminite and Nephrite aren't the strongest Generals, and their troops aren't as dangerous as those of Zoicite or Kunzite, for example."

Terry nodded. "Really... We're having problems beating these goons. What will happen when the strongest ones come charging at us?"

"I don't think Ami or Usagi could be good at melee. No offense, girls," Rei said.

"You may be right," Terry admitted, "but that's not the only way to fight."

Usagi sighed. "I'm already busy enough with studying and fighting youma."

Terry smiled at her. "I know. But I also know training may make that last bit easier for you. Don't mind me, though, I'm just tossing ideas at you girls."

"The idea is good," Luna admitted, "but right now, we need to focus in fighting the youma whenever they show up."

Terry frowned. That wasn't the only idea he had to help them, but he was keeping all others for himself, until he saw a way to make them viable.

* * *

Next morning, Usagi walked into her classroom, to find most of her classmates already there. "Well, at least I didn't get here after miss Haruna." 

Terry nodded as she sat down besides him. "Quite a feat, for what Umino's told me."

Usagi frowned at that, but then noticed a girl walking into the classroom. A girl she'd never seen before. She was quite tall, almost as tall as Terry, with brown hair tied in a high ponytail, and green eyes. The girl walked past them, frowning as she noticed Terry staring at her.

"Not a social person I suppose?" Terry asked turning around.

The girl had chosen a seat right behind Terry, and shrugged as he again stared. "You're supposing wrong, I just didn't feel like interrupting whatever you two were talking about."

Usagi smiled at her. "My name's Usagi Tsukino."

The girl nodded. "Makoto Kino. And I'm sure I know who you are," he added looking at Terry.

"Terry Zephyr," Terry said.

Usagi rose an eyebrow at that. _'Kino, like the general?'_

"One'd think the son of a millionaire would be able to find a private school to go to," Mako commented.

"I hate snobs," Terry said. "But why have you been transferred here anyways?"

"Let's just say I didn't like my old school a lot," Mako said.

"Gotcha."

"Stop staring," Mako muttered.

"I can't help but stare at beautiful young ladies," Terry explained.

Mako shrugged. "I can't help but beat up those who can't stop staring at me." Terry took the hint and turned around.

* * *

Later that day, Nei Furita was on the school's roof, looking down at the students in the patio. "Hmmm... Don't see anyone special today," he commented to himself, not knowing he wasn't alone on the roof. 

"You know, your disguise wouldn't fool me for a split second, Nephrite."

Furita turned around and frowned as he saw Nemesis standing there. "How did you...?"

"That's none of your business," Nemesis said. "Listen, while I do remember about you and me in the past... I also remember what you did to me. I loved you, Nephrite, and you killed me without hesitation."

"I didn't want to do it myself, but Beryl ordered me to."

"I see. So you're Beryl's pet."

"If I was, I wouldn't hold back fighting you," Furita said. "I still want to be by your side, but..."

Nemesis frowned. "The old Neir, the one I loved back then... I can see he's still in there, under that rotten youma surface."

"So what will you do? You can't change who I am now."

"Maybe. But I'd rather see you dead than letting you live on as Beryl's puppet."

"Are you threatening me?" Furita asked, amusedly.

"That's no threat," Nemesis said, "but a promise. I won't rest until I free you from your curse."

"You could do it, right here, right now," Furita noted.

"So I could..." Nemesis muttered and leapt off the roof. Furita considered chasing after her for a second, but then heard the bell ring and shrugged.

* * *

Makoto walked down the street, heading towards her house. Well, her uncle's house, actually. This wasn't the first time she switched schools, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last. 

She stopped dead in her track as the windows of a shop she'd just passed by exploded outwards. "What the hell?" She risked looking inside, and gasped. There was a pale, white-haired woman in some sort of military uniform there, along with a creature that looked like a... Humanoid crab, complete with massive pincers. "These must be those creatures I heard rumors of," she whispered.

"Damn it, the Ginzuishou isn't here either!" the woman said furiously.

"Hey ugly!"

The woman turned around, along with the crab monster, and laughed at the teenager girl standing right outside the jewelry. "Stupid human kid, get lost before I'm forced to destroy you."

"I was talking to the crab, but you're ugly too," Makoto commented.

"... That's it, kid, you just lost your chance. Korabus, do your worst."

Makoto frowned as the monster charged out of the shop. She waited until it was close enough, and punched it in the stomach. The monster's strong exo-skeleton resisted the blow, but he staggered back. "Want more?"

The creature growled at her. "Humans aren't supposed to be that strong."

Makoto shrugged then dove aside, dodging the monster's pincer swipe. She kicked out from the ground, knocking the monster down, then stood up with a shrug. "I don't know what you're trying to do here, but you clearly suck at it." Luminite was about to help Korabus, but as she walked out of the jewelry, she was literally tackled by Zero. "Damn it, not you again!"

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing," Zero snapped as he punched Luminite in the guts, making her stagger back.

Meanwhile, Moon, Mars and Nemesis were unsure of what to do. Makoto was still busily beating the monster around, and the crab didn't look like it had a chance to counter.

Luna leapt off a nearby tree and frowned. "I feel something strange in that girl."

"She's not a youma, since she's kicking that crab's rear," Nemesis commented.

Luna turned to see Mako elbowing the crab, and nodded. "Of course she's not a youma. But she won't be able to defeat that monster without your help."

Korabus finally got fed up with the human girl, and shot a blast of energy at her as she tried to tackle him again. Mako was sent flying a few meters back and fell painfully on her back. "Damn... It... That hurt."

The crab tried to attack her, but stopped as the three Senshi stood in between him and his prey. "Get lost, kids," he warned.

"Dark Bolt!" the blast knocked the crab back, and Nemesis shrugged. "No, thanks, I think I'll stay here and kick you around."

Suddenly, there was an explosion sound and a choked gasp, and Mars went crashing to the ground as Zero's semi-conscious form fell on her. "What the...?"

Luminite smirked. "Tsk, tsk, stupid ninja boy shouldn't expect me to always let him win." Mars muttered some unladilike words as she got up, then tried a high kick to Luminite's head. "Please..." Luminite muttered as she grabbed Mars' leg, sending a wave of energy through her hand into her body.

Moon gasped as Mars screamed in pain. "Let her go!"

"Okay," Luminite said and tossed Mars like a rag doll, knocking Moon down to the ground.

Makoto frowned as she watched the scene. "I wish I could help them... "

"Maybe you can," Luna said.

Makoto looked at the cat and sighed. After fighting a crab monster and seeing the Senshi weren't just a myth, a talking cat didn't look as weird as it would if she'd seen it five minutes ago. "What do you mean?" she asked the cat.

"I sense it in you," Luna said, "you're one of them."

"Me, but..." Mako started.

"Don't you want to help them?" Luna asked.

"Yes, I think they need any help they can get."

"Then say the words 'Jupiter Planet Power' and you'll be able to help them."

Makoto frowned. The whole situation looked like something out of a superhero magazine. However, she made her mind as she saw Luminite shooting energy blasts at the three Senshi, who did their best to dodge. The crab-like creature stood near them, ready to use their distraction to his advantage.

"Jupiter Planet Power!"

Luminite turned as she heard that, and saw a woman standing there, her form blurred by the lightning rings that rotated around her. "What the hell? Not another one!"

"Fire Soul!"

Luminite turned her attention to the other Senshi. "Korabus, take care of them!"

Korabus moved to attack the Senshi, but never got the change. The new Senshi rushed at him, delivering a poweful blow with her right hand. Luminite gasped as she saw a crack on the crab's chest. The Senshi then punched the crab up with an uppercut, and prepared to finish it.

A small antenna grew out of her tiara, gathering electricity from the air around her. "Jupiter..." She crossed her arms in front of her chest in an X-shape, then swung both fists down and forwards, creating a massive lightning bolt that sped towards the airborn monster. "Supreme Thunder!"

The other Senshi gasped as the crab exploded in mid-air. "Wow..." Moon said. "I'd never thought you were one of us."

The new Senshi turned to face Luminite, ignoring Moon. "So, Snow White, still want to fight?"

Luminite chuckled. "I don't know where you came from, but I'm going to enjoy beating you down." She then sensed movement behind her and dodged aside, but she wasn't fast enough. A blade stuck out of her arm, and she yelped in pain.

"Gotcha." Zero muttered.

Luminite punched Zero in the chest with her good arm, sending him staggering back, then pulled the sword out of her arm. "Damn... It... "

"Supreme..." The new Senshi started.

"Screw this, I'm gone," Luminite muttered before vanishing.

Zero grabbed his sword as it fell to the ground. "Next time I'll aim for her neck."

The new Senshi frowned. "Okay, so... Who the hell are you all?"

Moon smiled at her. "Don't worry, Makoto."

"You know me?"

Moon nodded and her suit was replaced by her civilian clothes. "Of course."

"Tsukino?"

"Call me Usagi, all my friends do," Usagi said.

"Then... Call me Mako... Sailor Jupiter."

Zero came walking towards them and smirked at her. "You know, you look way better in that suit."

Jupiter frowned at him, then gasped as his 'mask' vanished. "Zephyr?"

"Guess we need to fill you in on what we're fighting against," Usagi said. "That is, if you want to be a part of our group."

Jupiter shrugged. "I guess... Those two looked like bullies, and I hate bullies." She noticed Zero still staring at her and frowned. "I thought I told you to stop that."

Zero took a step back as Jupiter's gloves cracked with electricity. "Okay, okay... Just keep the sparks away, my suit's allergic to them. "

"So... Who's the leader?" Jupiter asked.

"Sailor Moon, technically," Luna said, "but I'm the one that knows the most about what we're facing." She then looked at Terry. "I think we should use your mansion as a meeting place from now on."

Zero shrugged. "Not like I have a lot of guests there all the time. "

Mars turned to Nemesis. "So, how did your meeting with Nephrite go?"

"It was useless. He's Beryl's pet now," Nemesis said.

The group looked around, making sure there were no witnesses, then they all changed back to their civilian forms. Mako looked at Terry as his suit was 'absorbed' by his watch. "That's one weird way to change your outfit."

"Says the lady who changes amidst a sphere of lightning," Terry mused.

"Touche," Mako muttered.

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, Mako shows up before Nephrite's dead. Not like the plot isn't already f'ed up for good anyway. :P 

You may, by now, be wondering if Terry'll ever get his revenge. That's a given, but I'm not telling when and how. That'd just ruin the surprise.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	17. Demons Within

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 2: Rainbow Crystals.**

** Episode 17: Demons Within. **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 17, 2007_

* * *

He looked around and frowned. Again, the same landscape. Gray, dull and deserted. Looking up, he could see something he was used to now. The Earth up in the sky, surrounded by stars. He knew where he was, but how could he be there? It defied all logic. 

"Endymion..."

The name and the voice sounded familiar. He'd been having the same dream every night for a while, but he always woke up before seeing her face. Because it was clearly a woman's voice. So, he'd be waking up anytime now...

"Endymion, you must help me."

He turned around and took a step back. A figure stood there, floating a meter over the ground, and he could see the stars right behind her. Was this woman a ghost?

"Who are you?"

"That's not important. You have to help me. Gather the seven Rainbow Crystals and give them to the Moon Princess. If they fall in the wrong hands, the Earth will be doomed."

"The Moon Princess? Who is she?"

"You will know when the time's right," the woman said. "Help her. Help my daughter, Endymion."

* * *

Mamoru opened his eyes and sighed. That dream, what did it mean? His mission, just like his power, was a mistery to him. Crystals, princesses and demons... If he didn't know better, he'd say he was in a live version of Final Fantasy. His enemies, the youma, seemed to be always one step ahead, but he could use that fact to find those crystals easily. The Senshi, whoever they were, would take care of the youma, and he could focus in getting the crystals before either side did.

* * *

"Students, today we have a new student, transferred from the Mugen school. Ryo, why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" 

The boy was short, with short brown hair and eyes. He nodded to Haruna as he walked up to her desk, then turned to the class. "My name's Ryo Urawa, I've lived in several parts of the country in the last few years thanks to my father's job... And I hope I can make some friends here too."

"Nothing else to add?" Haruna asked.

Ryo shook his head. Nothing he'd want the class to know, at least.

* * *

Later that day, the group was meeting inside the Zephyr mansion. 

"There's something about that Ryo guy..." Terry said. "For some reason, I don't like him."

"Jealous?" Mako asked.

"Of what?"

"I don't know. But he looks like my ex... Somehow."

"I think," Ami interjected. "From his records, he's quite smart, he's always been on top of his class despite switching schools once or twice a year."

"Still... Wonder if he's another one?" Naru mused.

"What do you mean?" Rei asked.

"Well, so far in our class, one of the transfer students ended up being a Senshi, and the other a ..." She looked at Terry. "Sidekick. "

"Interesting theory," Ami admitted, "but lacks any real proof."

Rei nodded. "Question now is, what are Nephrite and Luminite planning next?"

"You guys stay here and figure it out, I'm going shopping," Usagi said.

"You could also try studying," Terry muttered.

"Done already," Usagi said.

"Amazing," Rei said. "Anyways, I guess I'll tag along. Need to buy a gift for grandfather, his birthday's next week."

"Count me in," Naru said.

"Me too... Nothing better to do," Mako admitted.

"I'll pass," Terry said. "I've been trying to figure out where that Ginzuishou is, I think I'm close to the answer."

"I'll stay too," Ami said.

Usagi frowned. "Ami?"

"Maybe we'll find something about that in my computer. Also, two brains think better than one."

"You're one, and the other one is...?" Rei muttered. That earned her a glare from Terry.

Usagi sighed. "Oh well... You'll miss the fun."

Ami smiled. "Research's fun too."

"Uhh... Suits you," Usagi muttered.

As the others left, Ami turned to Terry. "So, any theories about the Ginzuishou?"

Terry nodded. "I've got a few."

* * *

Zoicite bowed to Beryl. "My Queen, I've figured out why Nephrite and Luminite are having no luck in getting the pieces of the Ginzuishou." 

Beryl nodded. "Interesting. I'm listening."

"The crystals aren't static. They've been moving around the city."

"How is that possible?"

Cardite walked out of the shadows. "We thought that was strange too. Our best guess is, the seven pieces of the Ginzuishou are hidden inside several human beings."

"I see..." Beryl fell silent for several minutes, considering the two Generals' discovery, and finally spoke up. "Very well. Nephrite and Luminite will continue draining energy when possible, but most of our attention must be focused in getting the Ginzuishou. Cardite, Zoicite, you'll be in charge of that from now on."

"Understood," Zoicite and Cardite both said and bowed before walking out of the light.

* * *

The girls stopped just outside of the mall's arcade, noticing a small crowd had gathered there. "Wonder what's going on," Usagi commented. 

Mako noticed they were gathering around the crane machine and chuckled. "Crane Jou, most likely."

"Who?"

"Someone I met in my last school," Mako said. She then turned to the crowd. "Hey Jou!"

A teenage boy looked up from the center of the crowd. He was tall, with black hair and a geeky look. "Mako? Wow, been a while."

"Still emptying crane machines?" Mako asked as the boy walked to them. "Girls, this is Jou Kanzou. Jou, these are my friends from Juuban High."

"Nice to meet you," Jou said.

"Why 'Crane' Jou?" Rei asked?

Jou pointed back to the crane machine, visible now that the crowd had dispersed. The machine was empty, and a big bag full of dolls was sitting besides it. "That's why."

"Wow..." Usagi said. "That's a lot of plushies. What do you do with them?"

Jou shrugged and searched into the bag, producing several plushies. "I give them away, mostly. There you go, these dolls are the boom nowadays I guess."

"Well, we have to go do some more shopping," Mako said. "Take care, Jou."

"You too," Jou said as he waved at them, before grabbing the big bag of dolls and walking away.

Usagi looked at the stuffed, ugly Sailor Moon doll as they walked around and frowned. "Do I really look like this?"

"Fat and ugly? Yeah," Rei said.

"Yours looks like that too," Naru commented.

"Who cares, we have dolls based on us already," Mako said looking at her Sailor Jupiter doll.

As they were about to enter a store, they heard a scream, then people started screaming and running away. "Youma..." Naru said.

Usagi produced her communicator as they all hid inside the store. "Ami, Terry, we're at the mall, and --"

"We're on our way," Zero said through the comm. "I detected a massive energy reading there, and guessed what it was."

"Okay, we'll try to see what they're up to this time," Usagi said, then put the comm away. "Let's get them," she said to the others.

"She's being brave. We're doomed," Rei commented.

* * *

Zoicite looked at the boy, amused by his resistance. "You were fun to chase down, human, but this ends here." 

"Who are you?" Jou asked glaring at the strange couple.

"We're youma, and you have something we need," Cardite said, then shot an energy blast at his chest, and a small transparent crystal popped out of it. Jou's eyes glazed over as he stood back up. "We have one," Cardite said as the crystal floated to her hand.

"Think fast!" Zero shouted as he tossed one of his metal spheres at Cardite, then snatched the crystal, before leaping away.

Cardite and Zoicite were surrounded by a cloud of gas just as the rest of the Senshi run to them. "Surrender now, youma!" Moon said.

"Hah!" Zoicite said as he used an energy blade to disperse the gas. "Senshi, you're no match for us!"

Zero looked at the two Generals. "Hmmm... These two look cute, unlike that bitch Luminite..."

Mercury frowned. "Uhm... The brown-haired one's male."

Zero looked at Zoicite and shook his head. "Ookay... So, pretty boy, I see you've got a sword. Let's see if you can use it."

"You'll be surprised," Zoicite said.

"I won't," Zero snapped before leaping at him.

Cardite was looking at Jou, not really noticing the Senshi glaring at her. "Hmm... Interesting... So _this_ is where they've been all this time..." She shot another beam at Jou, then smiled coldly at the Senshi. "As much as I'd like to take care of you personally, I think I'll watch this Rainbow Youma tear you to pieces instead."

"Rainbow Youma?" Mars repeated. For some reason, the name seemed familiar.

Jou howled in pain as energy leaked out of his body, then surrounded him like a cocoon. The energy slowly started changing him into a massive creature as the Senshi stood there, unsure of what to do.

Zoicite was, meanwhile, figuring Jadeite and Luminite were right. Zero wasn't a pushover in melee range, and if he allowed him to stay this close, the masked man would end up winning the fight. The General waited for the right moment to attack. As Zero swung again, he smirked. "Gotcha!"

Zero staggered back as Zoicite's free hand lit up with light, momentarily blinding him. "Damn cheater..."

"Sorry hun, I can't let you win so easily," Zoicite said.

"What the heck's that thing?"

Zero turned to Jupiter's voice, his sight finally clear enough to see what she meant. A two meters tall spider youma was staring at the Senshi hungrily. "I second that."

"Arakel, destroy them!" Cardite ordered. The spider sprung into action, charging at the Senshi who dove out of the way.

"We have to stop that thing," Mercury said.

"We can't hurt it... They turned that boy into this monster," Moon said.

Jupiter frowned. "I can't leave him like that. I won't kill him, but I sure can beat him down!"

As Jupiter charged, the arachnid youma let out a gutural laugh, then swung it's arms, webbing shooting out of them and covering Jupiter from head to toe.

"Jupiter!" Moon frowned and produced her tiara, then stopped. "I can't... I could kill him..."

"Then weaken him."

"Luna?" Moon turned to see the two Mooncats looking at them from inside a store. "What do you mean?"

"Moon, use your stardust technique, that'll weaken the creature."

Moon nodded. "Here goes nothing... Moon Tiara... Stardust!"

The others gasped as they saw Moon's Tiara hover to the monster, golden dust falling off it as it circled the creature. Arakel howled then turned into Jou, who fell to the ground, unconscious.

"How could Arakel lose?" Zoicite asked his partner.

"The Rainbow Youma have been sleeping for eons. They'll be weak for a while, but..." She produced a blank card out of thin air and nodded. "Monster from Hell, one of seven, rest and recover within this card."

The Senshi gasped as the same energy as before leaked out of Jou and into the card. When that was done, the card had a drawing of Arakel in it. "Now, give us the crystal," Zoicite demanded.

"Want it, fight for it," Zero snapped.

Cardite frowned. "No need for that. We'll get it later. Let's go, Zoicite!"

Zoicite glared at Zero, then vanished along with Cardite.

Mercury went to check on Jou. "He's okay, they didn't even drain him... And I don't detect any youma energy in him."

"That's good," Jupiter said. The others gasped as they saw she was holding a mass of webbing in her hand. "They don't do spiderwebs like they used to," she added with a chuckle.

* * *

Tuxedo Kamen sighed as the Senshi walked out of the mall. True, he didn't get there in time to get the crystal, but at least, the youma didn't have it. That piece of the Ginzuishou was safe with them... For now.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	18. Shard Hunters

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 2: Rainbow Crystals. **

**Episode 18: Shard Hunters.**

_ By Razor Knight _

_Last update: January 15, 2007_

* * *

Terry held the crystal shard in his hand, looking at it for a few seconds before turning to Luna and Shade. "Okay kitties, I guess it's time for some more explaining from you." 

Luna sighed, looking at the Senshi, now back to their civilian forms. "That crystal has the same energy readings as the Ginzuishou. However, it's too weak to be it."

Shade frowned. "Maybe it's a shard of the Ginzuishou."

"A shard?" Ami whispered and started typing in her computer.

"So you mean we need to gather all the shards?" Rei asked.

Shade nodded. "Yeah. Serenity must've split the crystal so it'd be harder for the youma to gather it. Once all the pieces are gathered, we'll be able to form the Ginzuishou."

"Seven pieces," Ami said.

"How do you know?" Luna asked.

"I scanned that shard and made a tridimensional model of what the crystal would look like when complete. From my calculations, we need six more shards."

"And they're apparently inside humans," Mako said. "But what was that thing Jou turned into?"

"A Rainbow Youma," Luna said. "Monsters of nightmare, stronger than normal youma, in fact, almost as strong as a General."

"They didn't look that strong," Rei commented.

"They've been sleeping for eons, their power must be at their weakest," Shade explained. "But with those new Generals, Zoicite and Cardite around, the Rainbow Youma and also Nephrite and Luminite, I think you girls should be very careful from now on."

"Sure, forget about the sidekick," Terry muttered. "Here."

Usagi looked at the crystal and blinked. "Why?"

"You're the leader aren't you?" Terry said. "I'm sure you'll give this thing a better use than I can."

Luna nodded. "Even though that's only a shard of the Ginzuishou, I'm sure it could give a Senshi's power a significant boost."

"That's good news, but what if Moon isn't around?" Rei asked. "She's the only one that can do that healing trick."

Shade shook her head. "You all have minor spells, used to either paralyze weak creatures or to dispel dark magic. They won't affect normal youma or the Generals, but they're useful in cases like this. "

"That's good to hear," Zero said. "I suppose spraying them with mace won't work. Maybe I'll use a big wooden mallet instead."

Luna shook her head. "Stop making fun of this issue."

"I'm not. I was just planning ahead, I may be 'lucky' enough to end up facing one of those Rainbow Youma alone."

"If that happens, just use those grenades of yours until the real fighters arrive," Shade said. "No offense," she rapidly added.

"None taken. I think you're right, but I'll have to upgrade my 'Chokers.'"

"Strange name for them," Ami said, "but fitting."

* * *

"So you were right," Nephrite said. 

Zoicite nodded. "Yes, but with all the Senshi there, the Rainbow Youma will not have a chance to win."

"We'll need you to create a distraction, Nephrite," Cardite commented.

"Not yet, I haven't found anyone with large ammounts of energy."

"I can attract some attention," Luminite admitted. "Wherever I go, that Zero kid seems to be there to bother me."

"And he's like that Tuxedo Kamen guy. If they both were out of the way, there'd be less interference to our plans," Cardite added.

"I'll do my best to get rid of Zero, then," Luminite said.

Zoicite nodded again. "Good. I've already located another shard carrier."

* * *

Ami tried to focus on the book in front of her, but her mind kept on returning to the crystal shards. They could be inside anyone, and they didn't have a way to know who the carriers were, which meant they'd have to let the youma attack them. Also, the two new Generals were strong, if the other two were still around, things could get messy. 

She felt weak. Compared to Moon, her battle power was ridiculously low. Rei and Mako had some combat skills, and Terry's skill was amazing in melee combat. Naru was, from her scannings, nearly as strong as Moon, and even Tuxedo Kamen was a better fighter than Sailor Mercury. She couldn't help but wonder why she was a part of the team.

"You're Mizuno, right?"

Ami's train of thoughts derailed as she looked up. The new student from Usagi's class, Urawa, was there, standing next to her table. "Yes, that's me. I've heard about you from my friends, Urawa."

Ryo looked at her book and frowned. "That's too advanced for our class, isn't it?"

"I... Like reading and learning new things."

Ryo nodded. "I see. So as I thought, you're the brains of the team. "

"Team? What do you mean?"

Ryo sat on the chair opposite to hers, not saying a word for several seconds. Then, he looked around before returning his attention to her. "I know who you are, Sailor Mercury."

Ami sat there, her face unreadable, for almost one minute before giggling. "I see your imagination's too active."

"Don't try denying it," Ryo said. "I can see the future. Well, not all of it, just some images and events. I had a vision the night before I was transferred here, Mizuno."

"What kind of vision?" Ami asked. She couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not yet, and she wasn't about to admit she was Sailor Mercury if Urawa hadn't actually seen her transform.

"You and me speaking in a park, then some strange woman attacks and I transform into an insect-like monster. A youma, I think you were calling me that in the vision," he noticed Ami's nod and continued. "I saw you transform in my vision, Mizuno. I know I'm carrying one of those 'shards' you're looking for."

Ami gasped. "Urawa, that's no..."

"Don't try denying it, I know what I saw. My visions always come true."

The blue-haired teen sighed. "Okay, you know my secret. Now what?"

Ryo shrugged. "You seem friendly, and I may be staying here for longer than I first thought, so..." After that, he just stood there for a minute, silently looking at Ami.

"Are you asking me to be your friend?" Ami asked, her face again unreadable. Ryo had been quite straight before but now was acting different, and she couldn't help but wonder why.

"I'll be happy just being able to study with you, Mizuno," Ryo said, looking down at his shoes.

Ami smiled. "Call me Ami, all my friends do."

Ryo looked up and saw her smile, then sighed. "Then, call me Ryo."

"Deal," Ami said, her smile fading for a second as she saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ryo said dismissively. "I've heard you're quite good at maths, and I'm stuck in this one problem..."

* * *

Usagi was, meanwhile, facing her worst enemy. A force so fearsome and merciless she knew the battle would be hard, but she was up to the challenge. 

"Jump, you stupid thing!"

Motoki smiled as he watched Usagi play the Sailor V arcade and fare as badly as usual. "I think she'll never be able to beat that one. "

"At least she's persistant."

Motoki turned to the side, and saw Mamoru standing there. "I thought you didn't like her," he commented, his voice low enough for Usagi not to hear him. Not that Usagi'd hear anyway, she was too focused in beating the game.

"I never said that, and... It's none of your business," Mamoru muttered.

"Darn thing!" Usagi snapped at the arcade as she lost her last life, then walked off.

"She's cute when she's angry," Mamoru said in a whisper. If Motoki heard, he didn't comment on it.

Just as Usagi was walking out of Crown, a couple figures appeared inside. Usagi saw them and run out to find a place to transform.

Cardite looked at Motoki, then noticed the crowd looking at her and Zoicite. "Boo."

Zoicite chuckled as the humans all run for the door screaming for help, then zapped them all, except for Motoki, who was their target, and Mamoru, who'd hid behind the counter. "Humans, so weak and harmless. At least they're good mana batteries."

Cardite nodded, then returned her attention to Motoki. "It's time for you to join us, Rainbow Youma."

"Wha--" Motoki started, but Cardite's blast interrupted him. He fell to the ground, a crystal shard floating off his body, then stood up as dark energy surrounded him, morphing him into something else.

Zoicite reached for the crystal, but a cane slapped his hand away. Before he could realize what had happened, Tuxedo Kamen kicked him, then grabbed the crystal. "Finders keepers, youma."

"You'll pay for that!" Zoicite snapped and charged at him, energy blade ready. Tuxedo blocked the sword with his cane and both glared at each other.

Cardite shrugged and turned to the creature. The transformation was almost complete now. If the Senshi interfered, she'd handle them.

* * *

"You sure about that?" Seia asked. 

Kai nodded. "Yeah, from the rumors, the Senshi study at my school. At least some of them."

"I can't trust rumors without concrete proof," Seia said.

"Sis, you've got no clue on who they are anyway. I don't think checking the school would do any harm to your investigation."

Seia shrugged. "I guess..." She stopped as she looked at the arcade several meters ahead. "Something's wrong in there."

"How do you know?"

Just then, Tuxedo Kamen was sent flying out the front window. "A wild guess, but I think it was just proven true."

Kai frowned. "The Senshi'll be here any minute."

Seia risked looking inside. Two creepy humans and a red-furred tiger-like monster standing amidst a carpet of unconscious victims. She reached down into her right boot and took a handgun from inside it. "Kai, call the General, tell him I may need reinforcements."

"What are you..." Kai started, then sighed as his sister leapt into the building, and several shots could be heard. "She's insane," he muttered as he walked into a nearby store looking for a phone.

* * *

Mars produced her comm and frowned. "Moon, where are you?" 

"Rei, the youma are attacking Crown. They turned Motoki into one of those creatures, and..."

"We're facing Nephrite and Luminite here," Mars said. "But I think Mercury can help you."

Ami's face appeared in the comm's screen. "I'll be right there, Usagi."

Moon nodded then put the comm away. It was then that she heard gunshots. "What's going on in there?"

* * *

Mars frowned. Things looked almost bad for them. She knew the victim from Usagi's class, her name was Karin. The girl trying to wake her up, however, was someone she hadn't seen before. Short red hair, blue eyes, average heigth, and also average built. "Girl, just get the heck out of here, we'll take care of the youma." 

"I'm not leaving without Karin," the girl snapped.

Mars sighed in defeat and returned to the problem at hand. Zero was, as expected, trying to slice Luminite in half. Nemesis was keeping Nephrite distracted, so that left the youma to her and Jupiter. Problem was, the youma this time wasn't only one. "Gemini. I see Zero was right about the pattern."

Jupiter charged at one of the two almost identical creatures. They were humanoid, female, with long hair that was black in one side and red in the other, wearing suits and masks that matched their hair, but the colors were in opposite sides, as if one was a mirror image of the other. As the Lightning Senshi attacked, the other youma kicked her from behind, causing her to lose balance for a split second, and the one that she'd targeted punched her down.

"Fire Soul!" Mars frowned as both youma moved out of the way of her attack. They seemed to move almost as a single entity, coordinated and flawless.

"Heave ho! Pun intended."

Zero's shout caused the twin youma to look his way, and they noticed almost too late the airbound Luminite. As the twins both leapt out of the way, Mars could see she was being dragged back by his airboard, and also saw an opening to attack.

Jupiter also used the distraction in her favor, kicking the youma up, then aimed at her while electricity gathered in her tiara. "Supreme Thunder!"

"Fire Soul!"

The fire blast hit the other creature from behind, setting her on fire. Neither twin hit the ground, as they both vanished at the same time.

"Coordinated even to die. Showoffs," Jupiter muttered.

Luminite stood up, kicking the airboard away, then grunted as the board fled back at her, smacking her face and sending her crashing back down. "Fucking kid..."

"Just like playing an arcade," Zero teased.

Mars and Jupiter stood in front of Luminite, charging up their attacks. "Fire..."

"Screw this," Luminite said then vanished.

Nephrite had, after dodging one of Nemesis' energy blasts, noticed odds were highly against him, and vanished as well. "Damn coward," the Dark Senshi muttered.

"We'll get them someday," Zero said. He then noticed Karin was gone. "What the..."

Nemesis shrugged. "I saw Chie carrying Karin away while I fought Nephrite."

Mars frowned. "Her name's Chie, huh? She didn't seem strong enough to..."

"She's stronger than she looks," Nemesis said. "Anyway, think Moon still needs help?"

Zero leapt on his board and fled away. "I'm checking on her anyway. "

* * *

Zoicite looked at the wound in his arm. It was simply impossible, that human girl had managed to hurt him while he was fighting the caped freak. "You bitch..." 

Seia smirked, gun aimed at Zoicite's head. "Die."

This time, the shot bounced off an invisible barrier. "No thanks. Tigrel, get her!"

The massive red tiger snarled at Seia, and she shot at it. It didn't affect the creature much, other than slowing it down, and it leapt at her claws-first.

"Shabon Spray!"

The attack itself wasn't too hard on the tiger, but its aftermath caused the creature to stop and look around confusedly as mist filled the area. Seia took the chance to move out of the way, noticing the fog wasn't blocking her vision, as it apparently did with the enemy.

Moon had been trading blasts with Cardite, but the General had managed to dodge or deflect her tiara. As the mist fell, however, she saw an opening and used it. "Moon Tiara Action!"

Cardite yelped in pain as the Tiara hit her arm. "That's it. Tigrel, destroy her!"

Moon leapt out of the way as Tigrel charged straight at her. "How did you do that?"

"He may not see you, but he can still smell you," Cardite gloated.

Mercury frowned as she heard that, and slowly moved behind Moon as her friend readied her tiara. She had a plan which could just work if she timed her movements right. But first, she had to figure out what her stun attack was...

Tigrel snarled as he once again charged at Moon. This time, however, the Moon Senshi was ready. "Moon Tiara Stardust!" The tiara's dust managed to slow down Tigrel, but didn't stop his charge. He slashed down at Moon, but the blonde moved out of the way, and Tigrel found himself right in front of Sailor Mercury.

And with the worst timing, too, as Mercury had just managed to 'unlock' her own stun tech. "Shabon Stun!" A single water blast shot at the tiger, knocking him to the ground as his form reverted back to normal.

"Monster from Hell, one of seven, rest and recover within this card. "

Moon and Mercury both turned just in time to see Cardite holding a card, Tigrel's form could be seen in it. The General chuckled coldly then vanished.

"Where did that phantom of the opera wannabe go?"

Only then did they remember Seia was still around. "I don't know, but he helped us by keeping Zoicite busy," Mercury said.

"He got the crystal, though." Moon commented.

Mercury frowned. Tuxedo Kamen had kept that crystal for himself? That was something she wasn't expecting. Maybe the caped sidekick had an agenda of his own.

Seia shrugged. "Well, at least I got a shot at one of those bastards. They were lucky I didn't have my launcher with me."

"I bet," Moon muttered. "In any case, we're out of here."

Seia shrugged as the two Senshi left. As she looked around, she frowned and produced a cellphone. "Seia here. Battle's over, send as many ambulances as you can get to my coordinates."

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, I tweaked the Rainbow Youma a bit. If you've read the old Cyber Moon, you'll know one or two of the 'new' ones, but there's a few changes in them, too (as shown by Jou/Arakel.) 

As for Seia being able to hurt Zoicite... I don't recall anyone trying to shoot a youma in the anime. Who knows, maybe a sniper shot was all it'd take to kill a General. ;)

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	19. Snakeskin

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 2: Rainbow Crystals. **

**Episode 19: Snakeskin. **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 15, 2007_

* * *

"Are you okay?" 

Terry stopped walking and looked at Mako. No, he wasn't okay, else he would've felt her approaching him. "Yeah."

"You don't look okay," Mako noted. "Specially since I've been walking besides you for the last three blocks and you didn't seem to notice."

Terry didn't say a thing as he resumed his walk. Mako walked besides him, waiting for him to speak. "I've been having nightmares lately, I'm running to Hana but can't reach her, no matter how fast I run. Wait, I never told you about her, did I?"

"The others told me about your girlfriend," Mako said. "My parents died when I was six, so I guess I... Know how that feels, losing someone you love."

Terry sighed. "Okay, steering off the sad topics... I've seen how you fight, you've got some skills there."

"Learnt them on my own," Mako explained, not wanting to push the matter further. "A girl's gotta defend herself. What about you, you seem to be better than me at melee."

"I had some of the best martial arts teachers money could buy," Terry said, "and that may sound a bit snobbish, I realize. Not that it's any help against those monsters."

Mako chuckled. "You could build yourself some long range weapons, right?"

"I'm no inventor, I just use a few things from dad's company I consider useful. In any case, I'm happy just being there to help the real heroines."

"Think our fearsome leader will stop getting detention anytime soon?"

It was Terry's turn to laugh. "Who knows... At least now she's mostly late for school for studying. By the way, have you seen Ami lately?"

Mako nodded. "I've seen her at the library with Urawa, and also I saw her talking to him today during lunch break." She didn't miss the scowl in Terry's face. "Jealous?"

"Of what?"

She didn't, either, miss his tone. "Deja vu," Mako muttered. "You like her, huh?"

"That's none of your business," Terry said.

Mako grinned. "So I'm right."

Terry looked at her, showing no emotion as he stopped walking and leaned back on a tree. "Even if I do, I don't want to tell her yet. "

"Why not?"

"Until Luminite's dead, and Hana can rest in peace, I can't afford to fall for someone else. I don't think it'd be fair for her, or for Ami."

Mako shook her head and started walking away. _"Bullshit."_

Terry didn't seem too surprised by her use of English. "It's how I feel about all this," he said as he followed her.

"I don't know why Ami's hanging out with Urawa, but you know, I agree with you. There's something wrong with that guy."

"And...?"

"And I think you should tell her. Let her know what you feel. It's only fair, I think."

Terry was silent for a whole block, then nodded. "You're right. But right now, you better walk away."

"Huh?" Mako blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I saw Furita looking at me earlier... He has a certain look I've noticed before, like a predator looking at their next meal."

"So he's after you today?"

Terry nodded. "Now go, find a place to transform, and come kick his rear."

"You're gonna let him drain you?"

"Not without a fight."

* * *

Naru sighed. Usagi was still the same, and there was some irony in the fact someone who saved lives in a regular basis getting detention for being late to class. The redhead had waited for her to get off detention, she was used to it, and knew Usagi hated walking home alone. 

She froze as a man walked out of the building. He locked eyes with her for a moment, only to keep walking without giving it a second thought. "Nei..." The fact he hadn't seen through her disguise yet was almost disappointing to her. And no matter how hard she tried to hate Nephrite, she couldn't. She could pretend hating him all she wanted, but in the end, she knew she was still waiting for him to return to the path of light.

_'Quite an amusing thing for the Senshi of Darkness to think,'_ she thought with a small smile. It was then that she heard a scream, and heard Usagi's voice. Something was wrong in there, and she had a good guess what could be going on.

Naru looked around to make sure nobody was around, then closed her eyes. "Nemesis Planet Power!"

As Sailor Nemesis run into the school, Nei Furita walked out from his hiding spot behind a tall tree. "I knew it, Nadia, I knew it was you," Nephrite whispered, then vanished.

* * *

Usagi leapt aside barely dodging the massive snakelike youma. She couldn't transform since Zoicite and Cardite were there, and she couldn't use her comm either. Haruna had been turned into that big ugly snake, and Usagi couldn't think of any way to beat her right now. 

"Dark Bolt!"

The snake staggered back as the darkness blast hit. The three youma in the room turned to the door just in time to see Nemesis charging in. "Get lost, kid, your boyfriend isn't here," Zoicite snapped.

"Usagi, leave them to me," Nemesis said turning to the blonde and winking at her.

Usagi nodded and rushed out of the room. Nemesis turned back to her foes. "Since you mention Nephrite, I'm glad he's not here. I don't want to kill him, but with you two, I don't have such handicap."

Zoicite frowned. "Serpel, get her."

"Dumb name," Nemesis muttered then leapt out of the way as Serpel rushed past her and crashed through the wall. "Hey, no wrecking the school!"

"Moon Tiara Stardust!" Serpel staggered back as Moon rushed to her side. "I agree."

Serpel growled and charged at them again, but this time she was interrupted by a rose gliding from the side, slicing her cheek. She turned to the side and saw Tuxedo Kamen standing near the stairs. "Here, ugly, try hitting me."

Moon and Nemesis looked worriedly as the snake rushed at the caped man, who simply leapt out of the way, and the snake screeched as it fell downstairs, crashing through the wall and out of the building. "That's gotta hurt," Nemesis commented.

While the two Senshi leapt after the snake, Tuxedo charged at the Generals. Cardite moved out of the way and rushed after the Senshi, but Zoicite stood there, waiting for the caped hero to attack.

"Well?" the General asked after waiting for the hero's move for over one minute.

"After you, ladies first," Tuxedo taunted.

Zoicite charged up for an attack, but was stopped by an explosion that knocked him sideways into the wall. "Who the heck..."

Seia stood near the stairs, holding a still smoking missile launcher and grinning. "Guess the Senshi were right about you youma being tough, that blast should've torn you to pieces."

Tuxedo frowned as he noticed something, the explosion had caused Zoicite to drop the crystal he'd taken out of Serpel. The masked hero picked the crystal off the floor and chuckled. "Keep this up, Zoicite, and I'll have all the crystals in no time."

"Moon Tiara Stardust!"

Zoicite heard Cardite's chant and knew Serpel had been defeated. He stood up and glared at Tuxedo and Seia before vanishing.

"Guess this battle's over," Tuxedo said turning to Seia. "Thanks for the help, whoever you are."

"I'm an ally of the Senshi, just like you," Seia said, then stood there for a few seconds as Tuxedo simply turned and walked away. "Not the social kind, huh? I'll have to inform Kino about this, I guess."

* * *

While Moon and Nemesis took on Serpel, another battle was fought a few miles away from them. And this one wasn't going too well for the youma either, albeit for different reasons. 

Jupiter was trying to get some help as she watched Terry take on Nephrite. "Come on, someone's got to be there..."

Rei's face appeared on the comm. "What's wrong, Jupiter?"

"Terry's Nephrite's next target. I'll try keeping that bastard busy, but..."

Rei nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Mercury's face appeared next. "I'm near, I'll reach you in a minute or two."

Nephrite parried a slash and frowned. The human had swords, and knew how to use them. He was too busy dodging the slashes to zap him out and drain him, and with Luminite gathering energy elsewhere, he was quite on his own.

And outnumbered, he thought as he saw Jupiter coming his way. "Damn it," Nephrite muttered, then an idea crossed his mind. He banished his own energy sword, then stopped the boy's slash with his hands, getting slight cuts in his palms, but also letting the boy open for an attack. "Gotcha," he said as he channeled energy through the swords, knocking the boy out cold.

"Terry!" Jupiter shouted, her voice almost a growl. "Okay bastard, you hurt him, so I'll have to hurt you."

Nephrite shrugged and snapped his finger. A monster rushed from around the corner, this time it was a fish-like creature. "Piskeh, take care of her while I drain this human."

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter thought attacking first was the best option, but she was quite wrong. The youma spit a jet of water straight at her, carrying her own attack's energy back and almost knocking her out with the electric backlash. "Damn... Hurt..." She muttered. The fish started walking to her, but was greeted by a water blast that knocked him back.

Mercury rushed in, saw Terry lying on the ground unconscious, then glared at the fish youma. "Shabon Spray!"

Jupiter blinked as the fish staggered back. "How can that hurt him, he's a fish..."

"Shabon Spray!" The second blast of cold water knocked the fish down and near Nephrite.

"Wow, I see I'm not quite needed here," Mars commented as she finally reached the scene.

"Shabon Spray!" A fourth blast hit the fish as it tried to stand up, sending it flying straight into Nephrite who wasn't fast enough to dodge. "Shabon Spray!" The fifth blast knocked the fish and Nephrite into a wall, and Mercury fell to one knee. "Darn it... Jupiter, can you get them?"

Jupiter had just finished standing up, and was more than eager to zap that fish youma into oblivion. Also, she noticed what Mercury's strategy was. While Mercury wasn't strong enough to kill a youma even after all these attacks, she'd weakened and soaked it, and sent it crashing into Nephrite, which left both quite open for a shocking surprise. "Hell yeah," the brunette said before summoning her attack. "Supreme Thunder!"

One painful light show later, Nephrite was trying to get his bearings, and the fish youma was dust in the wind. He noticed the three Senshi walking to him and decided the best strategy was a retreat. "Not today, girls."

Mercury smiled as Nephrite vanished, then went to check on Terry. "We need to get an ambulance, and quick."

Jupiter nodded and turned back to her human form, then went to look for a phone. Mars stood there watching as Mercury kneeled besides Terry. "He'll be okay. But Ami, weren't you with Urawa?"

Mercury shrugged. "Ryo warned me about this, that's why I got here so fast." At Mars' questioning stare, she added. "I'll explain that later, when Terry recovers."

Mars nodded. "Gotcha." As she looked around, she realized something was amiss. "Where was Luminite anyway?"

"I don't know," Mercury said and sighed as Mako rushed back in. "So?"

"Uncle Taichi said he'd send an ambulance here... And also told me something else."

"Uncle Taichi?" Mercury asked.

"General Taichi Kino, I supposed you'd guessed I was related to him. "

"We did," Mars said. "What else did he tell you?"

"There was a youma attack a few miles away from here, in a movie theater. Everyone there was drained, and the army saw no signs of battle there for once."

Mars muttered some unladylike words and shook her head. "Bastards... They attacked three places in one day."

"Divide and conquer," Mercury said. "They're getting smarter."

"Then we'll have to be smarter than them," Mako said.

Mercury nodded. "Leave that to me."

"I never saw you fight like that," Mars noticed. "You almost finished that fish on your own."

"A girl does anything to defend the one she loves, huh?" Mako commented.

Mercury blushed. "It's not that... I'd act the same way if any of you girls were drained and defenseless."

Mars shrugged. "Maybe. Should we go before the ambulance shows up?"

"I'll stay and make sure he's okay," Mercury said turning to her human form, and Mars followed suit.

Mako chuckled. "You two are so alike..."

Ami rose an eyebrow but said nothing about it. Rei looked at Mako and nodded with a smile.

* * *

"Excellent job, Luminite," Beryl said. "And also you, Nephrite. You both got more than energy today to make up for your past failures. " 

Nephrite bowed to the Queen. "We're glad you liked our plan's results."

Beryl then turned to Zoicite and Cardite. "You two, however... You already lost three shards, I don't want any more failures."

Zoicite bowed to Beryl. "We won't fail again."

"How are things in the other two points?"

Kunzite and Dexite walked forwads. Kunzite spoke first. "My Queen, while I've gathered more energy than I expected so far, Sailor V keeps on disrupting my attacks. However, I'm making plans to destroy her along with her mage sidekick, so I'm sure you'll hear good news from me in a week or two."

"Did you figure out who she really is yet?"

Kunzite shook his head. "Not her human identity, or she'd be dead now. But it's quite obvious what her true Senshi identity is. In Tokyo you've got Moon, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter, but no..."

"Sailor Venus..." Beryl realized. "That's why she's been so much trouble. She was one of the strongest in the past."

Dexite frowned. "In my part of the world, things aren't going too well. Pluto's a formidable opponent, and my youma always end up facing her three pets. While I'm gathering energy, it's not as much as I'd expect from such a big country."

"If you need help, you know I'm not busy right now," Aurite said.

"Sure, forget about me," Jadeite muttered walking by. Aurite smiled at him.

Dexite frowned. "No. I'll do this on my own."

"Don't be a fool," Aurite said. "I could keep Pluto busy, with Jadeite's help, and you could take care of her pets. Once you crush them, I'm sure Pluto'll be easy to defeat."

Dexite smiled. "I see... Yes, that could work. I must return to the States now, but I'll think about your plan." Aurite simply nodded as Dexite vanished.

* * *

The figure typed a few commands into the computer console and waited. Indeed, his new weapon would be soon completed, but it'd also need a field test. And what better way to test it than using it against those who had, in a way, created it? 

And while they were distracted fighting their enemy, he'd have more than enough time to finish his main project, and also work in a little bonus he knew one of them would just love to hear about.

* * *

**A/N:** First really revised episode, not a lot of things changed here, but next few episodes (from 20 to 40) will get a good surgery session.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	20. Youzilla?

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 2: Rainbow Crystals. **

**Episode 20: Youzilla? **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 15, 2007_

* * *

Ryo sat staring down at the ground, well aware that all the looks in the room were directed at him. Even the priestess' two crows seemed to stare at him from atop the tree they were perched on, outside. "Ami told me to come here," he said finally, "and I can guess why. " 

"She said you warned her about those youma attacking me yesterday," Terry explained. "Care to tell us how you knew about it?"

Ryo nodded. "It's been a few months now since this power started showing. I can see flashes and images of the future, and whatever I see, happens sooner or later."

Ami nodded. "He knows who we are, he knows about the youma, and also..."

Luna glared at Ryo. "I sense youma energy in him. Faint, but it's there."

"That's because I have one of the Rainbow Youma inside," Ryo explained. "I've seen the future, and I see Mercury fighting me. But my power's not something I can control, the images just come to me. "

"I think we can trust you with our secret, if Ami trusts you," Usagi said.

Rei snorted. "You two have a birth defect, you trust everyone."

"If I were in your place, I wouldn't trust me, either," Ryo said with a nod.

Rei frowned as the door slid open and looked at the tall, brown-haired man dressed in an outfit much like hers. "Yuichiro, I told you I didn't want any interruptions."

The man bowed slightly. "I'm sorry, but there's a woman outside in a military uniform who wants to speak to the priest. Since he left to run some errands, I thought you could speak to her instead."

"Can you describe her looks?" Rei asked, half-fearing the woman would have grey, or white, or even brown hair.

"She's a bit shorter than me, with reddish-pink hair, and has a jeep parked downstairs with a rocket launcher in it."

Mako chuckled. "That sounds like Rakurai."

Rei nodded as Yuichiro walked out of the room. "I'll go talk to her, you guys stay here."

"Why?" Usagi asked.

"If she sees all of us together, she may be able to make the connection," Rei said. "Though I didn't know grandfather knew her. "

"Who's the guy, your new boyfriend?" Mako asked slyly.

Rei scowled at that. "Yuichiro Kumada, my grandfather hired him to help with temple duties." After saying that, she walked out of the room, not really in the mood for any other remark from her friends.

Ryo grunted and put a hand on his forehead. Ami looked at him worried. "What's wrong, Ryo?"

The boy frowned and looked at her. "I'm okay, but I had a vision. The woman outside will be attacked a few minutes after she leaves the temple."

"Then we should protect her," Moon said.

"Also, two other youma will attack a movie theater a few blocks from here," Ryo added.

"I'll stay with Rei and protect that woman," Mako said. "After all, she's almost part of my family."

Terry nodded. "Moon should stay too, the rest of us can go kick the other two Generals around."

"In any case, we still have to wait for Rakurai to be gone before we can leave," Ami said.

* * *

"Good morning," Rei said as she bowed to Seia. "How can I help you?" 

"Isn't the priest here?" Seia asked.

"He's taking care of some business downtown. I'm his granddaughter, and I help him run this place," Rei explained.

Seia nodded. For some reason, she felt like she knew this girl, though she was sure she'd never seen her before. "Well, when he comes back, tell him General Kino wants to speak with him."

Rei bowed slightly as Seia left. She heard croaking and looked up to see her two crows standing on the temple's roof. "I know," she said in a low voice, "but I didn't know grandfather knew the General. "

"Rei, Ryo had a vision, said Seia'd be attacked after she left this place," Usagi said walking to her, along with Mako.

"Where are the others?"

"Went to stop the second attack Ryo saw," Mako commented. "And Ryo went home, said he wouldn't be of any help if he stayed around.

"Let's go in and change for the party, then," Rei suggested.

* * *

"This is just too easy," Luminite commented. 

Nephrite just nodded. Their youma was almost done draining the humans inside the theater, and still no signs of the Senshi. They'd most likely miss this attack while busy fighting one of the Rainbow Youma. He tensed, however, as he sensed something. "I think they figured it out."

"Dark Bolt!"

Luminite dove aside barely missing the blast. She looked to the upper rows of seats and saw Mercury, Zero and Nemesis ready to fight. "Well, well, so they are smarter than we thought. Kabutel, get Mercury."

The youma, which looked like a female, humanoid, red scarab, charged at Mercury. "I'll take care of Nemesis," Nephrite said. "You get the swordsman."

"No need to tell me that," Luminite muttered.

Zero rushed at Luminite, who summoned a couple energy blades. They both grappled for a few seconds before backing away. Nemesis was, meanwhile, using Nephrite as a moving practice target, and the General was returning the favor.

As for Mercury, she had dodged the scarab's initial charge, and was now analyzing it with her visor as she kept her distance. "I see... Magic-resistant exoskeleton, which is also lighter than it looks giving you a good attack speed."

The scarab didn't bother answering, instead rushing at her again. Mercury leapt out of the way and chuckled. "What's so funny?" Kabutel snapped.

"Let me guess, you lack any long-range attacks?"

Mercury grinned mentally as the scarab growled at her. Yep, that was it's weak point. However, it was resistant to magic, and from her readings, would get no damage from her Shabon Spray attack.

She heard a grunt, and as she turned, saw Zero being kicked away by Luminite. Luckily the suit absorbed most of the damage, but the General was still strong enough to give Zero a hard time. Mercury leapt aside, once again, as the scarab tried tackling her. She needed to get rid of this bug so she could help Zero, but how...?

"Shabon Spray!" Her attack did nothing but enrage the scarab, but that was just what Mercury wanted. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone, if her strategy worked as she planned.

Zero used his swords to parry Luminite's slash once more, and as they both backed away, he saw Mercury jumping over the female General. He instinctively leapt back knowing what would be chasing her, but Luminite didn't realize what was going on until the scarab had hit her dead on, knocking her into a wall.

"Uhh... Oops?" Kabutel muttered, right before feeling a throbbing pain in its chest, and falling to its knees as Zero pulled his swords out.

"That was unexpected," Zero commented as the scarab vanished, looking at Mercury. "Thanks for the help."

Mercury was about to speak but then brought her arms up fast. "Shabon Spray!"

Luminited had been about to charge at Zero from behind, but Mercury's blast took her by surprise, sending her falling back down. "Damn water Senshi..."

"Dark Bolt!"

Nephrite fell on Luminite as the female General tried to stand up. He grunted and shook his head to recover, and saw the two Senshi and the swordsman surrounding them. "I suggest a tactical retreat."

"Agreed," Luminite muttered as they both vanished.

"That was fast," Zero commented.

"Why not drag that bug to me, though?" Nemesis asked.

"Well, it was magic-resistant, so I thought the only way to get rid of it would be with melee weapons. Besides, I knew you could handle Nephrite on your own, and if you needed help, Zero would be able to get Nephrite distracted..."

Nemesis nodded as Mercury explained her strategy. That was just like Ami, she could be weak as a fighter, but her brains did more damage than her attacks. For some reason, however, Naru couldn't help but think there was something else she'd considered before planning her actions in the battle that had just ended, other than battle strategy.

* * *

The two Generals floated down as Seia glared at them. "Nice to see you again, army girl," Zoicite said, not sounding warm at all. 

"Let me guess, you're going to turn me into a youma and use me to attack the Senshi?"

"As humans say, 'Bingo,'" Cardite said then shot an energy blast at Seia.

The woman wasn't about to go down so soon, and she leapt back, landing on her jeep. "We humans have another saying too..." she commented as she kneeleed to pick something off the back seat. "Suck my rockets!"

Cardite and Zoicite barely had time to dodge as the rockets hissed by. "Nice trick, girl, but you won't get us with those," Zoicite snapped.

_'So I won't'_ Seia thought with a smirk. She fired two more rockets, one to each target, and as they got close to their mark, she pushed a concealed trigger in her launcher. The rockets exploded near the Generals rather than passing them, causing both youma to fall down to the ground, more out of surprise than pain.

"That's impossible... That human got us..." Zoicite muttered.

Cardite stood up and growled. "You want to play, human? Let's play cards." She produced a card off her suit's pocket and smirked. "Dorgon, I summon..."

"Fire Soul!"

Cardite blinked in disbelief as the card burnt to ashes in her hand. "Hey, that's cheating!"

"Supreme Thunder!" The electric blast knocked Cardite back down to the ground. "Are you okay, Lieutenant?" Jupiter asked.

Seia nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay, I had them under..." She stopped as a beam hit her from behind, and dropped to the ground.

"That's more like it," Zoicite snapped as he grabbed the crystal.

"This means trouble," Moon commented as Seia transformed.

"Think fast!" Tuxedo shouted as he leapt at Zoicite cane-first. The General quickly summoned a blade and parried his blow. "Damn it... "

Mars turned to look at Seia... Or rather, to the man-sized dinosaur she'd become. She had no clue what the dino was, but she was quite sure it was a predator. "Uhm... What now?"

"I'm open to suggestions," Moon muttered. She wished Mercury was around so she could figure a way out of this one.

Cardite laughed. "Zoicite, keep the caped freak busy. I'll help Saurel take care of these pests."

"Fire Soul!"

Cardite deflected the attack with one of her own blasts and frowned. "You asked for it, firegirl."

As Cardite took on Mars, the dinosaur youma screeched at the other two, then it's mouth lit up with energy.

"Supreme Thunder!"

The youma shot a fireball at the Senshi, cancelling Jupiter's attack. It then growled at Jupiter. "I think she didn't like that. "

"That's Seia for you, always the same hothead," Jupiter muttered before leaping aside as the youma tried to tackle her.

"Moon Tiara... Stardust!"

Saurel turned to Moon as the dust hit, and snarled at her. "Moon, watch out!" Moon backed away as the dinosaur's mouth lit up again. It shot another fire blast, and Moon barely managed to dodge it.

"Shabon Spray!"

The water blast hit the creature along with a couple metal spheres, and the area around the foe was covered by both the magical mist and the unbreathable gas. "Who'd thought Seia would become a raptor..." Zero commented as the three other Senshi run to the battle.

"Dark Bolt!" Nemesis' attack sent Cardite skipping back. "Hi, youma scum."

"I take it Nephrite and Luminite failed," Cardite muttered as she stood up.

"Like that'd be new for them," Zero snapped. "Now it's your turn."

"Saurel, get them!"

"Mars Soul... Embers!" Several small fire blasts shot from Mars' hands, hitting Saurel and knocking it out. "I don't think he's gonna help you."

Cardite growled at her, then chanted her usual spell and left after the card hard absorbed Saurel. Zoicite punched Tuxedo away then vanished as well. "Another day, another youma got his ass kicked," Jupiter said with a smile.

Tuxedo stood up and shrugged before leaping away. Moon smiled as she watched him go. "Too bad the youma got the shard."

"We saved Seia," Zero said. "That's good enough."

* * *

The three Mooncats had watched the battle from atop a tree. "I'm quite sure he's one of them." 

Artemis turned to Luna. "You mean...?"

The black cat nodded. "One of them showed up in the States, so I'm guessing we could have a few of them around."

"If he has any power," Shade commented, "it's still dormant. We won't know for sure until it awakens."

* * *

**A/N:** Another revised episode... Next one will be the first to be mostly rewritten, so it may take me a while to get back to the Dark Moon saga. 

But if all goes as planned, the results will be far better than they were before.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	21. Ice Power

Cyber Moon: Chronicles. Act 2: Rainbow Crystals. Episode 21: Ice Power. By Razor Knight 

_Last update: January 19, 2007_

* * *

"I was told you wanted to see me."

Kino looked at the short, old man standing in front of his desk and nodded at him. "We've been trying to figure out who the Senshi really are, as well as their enemies, the youma. As I know from reports that several of the battles were quite close to your shrine, I thought you might have a clue on that."

"Not at all," Hino said, his face unreadable.

"We both know you're lying, old man. You've always boasted about your ability to sense things I wouldn't believe in, not for the fact I've seen them and talked to them."

"Listen, Taichi. I was your father's friend, and I think it's my responsability to protect you now that he's gone. Don't try digging up the dirt, son, what you find could be something you'd rather not know about. Now if you excuse me, I've got something else to take care of. Farewell."

Kino didn't try stopping the man as he walked out of the office. "Well, that sure clears up a lot of doubts," he snapped at the closed door.

* * *

Usagi looked at Terry as she walked into the classroom, and knew something was bothering him. "What's wrong?"

"Fangirls," Terry muttered.

"Huh?"

"It's been going on for a while," Umino explained, "but only recently they started being really active. So, you finally faced them?"

Terry nodded. "And I'd rather be chased by one of those monsters that attack now and then. At least those drain you then leave." And, he thought, he could slice those monsters to bits and not get arrested for it.

"What happened?"

"They've followed me around, yesterday, and also today."

"Stalkers, huh?" Mako said as she walked into the classroom.

"Worse. Fans."

"Don't let it go to your head," Mako joked.

"I have other things to worry about," Terry said, "and that's exactly the problem."

"Terry!"

The girls turned to the voice, but all they saw was a blur heading straight for Terry's desk. As it stopped, they could see it was a quite tall, red-haired girl. Mako recognized her, it was Chie Wanako, the school's cheerleader squad's captain.

Terry looked at the girl for a moment before turning to Mako. "And as you see, some are just too annoying."

"I'm the founder and first member of your fan club, Terry," Chie said.

"Only my friends call me by my first name," Terry snapped bluntly.

"The girls want to know, do you have a girlfriend?"

Mako grimaced. Chie looked strong and all, but Terry seemed ready to fling her out the window. "No, he doesn't, in fact he lost his first love to a criminal only months ago."

Chie turned to Mako with a dismissive look. "I asked him."

"And she answered," Terry said. "Now, please leave."

Chie smiled. "Okay, since you asked nicely..."

Usagi shook her head as the redhead left. "Think they'll leave you alone?"

"I doubt it," Terry said.

* * *

"He's got fans?"

Usagi nodded. "Weird as it sounds."

"Jealous?" Mako asked.

"Of what?" Ami said. "He's just a friend."

Suddenly, Terry walked by. "Hi girls."

"What's..." Ami started, then blinked in disbelief as a dozen girls walked after Terry. "... the hurry?"

"They're a bit too extreme," Usagi noticed as Terry run in the opposite direction, with the girls chasing him.

"At least he keeps healthy that way," Mako joked.

"Unless they catch up with him."

"Hi, Ryo," Ami said with a small smile.

"Hi. Ami, I just wanted to warn you, a certain professor's been staring at you today."

"Furita?" Usagi asked.

Ryo nodded. "I don't need my power to know he'll target you next."

"Thanks for the warning."

Right then, the 'fan club' run by, with their hair and uniforms adorned by spots of assorted colors. Terry walked by holding a rifle and smiled thriumphantly. "And stay away!"

The principal's voice could be heard through the school's speakers seconds later. "Terry Zephyr, using a paintgun inside the school building isn't allowed. I'll let it pass this time."

"How did he know so fast?" Mako pondered.

"I have my means," the principal said.

"Weird," Usagi said.

"It is, isn't it?"

* * *

After school, things weren't much better. The group had decided to follow Ami, hoping to scare Nephrite away, but Terry's fan squad was following them as well.

"_Shit_, I'm about ready to start slashing them to bits," Terry commented.

Mako looked back. A group of around twenty girls, following them at a short, yet safe distance. "I'll take care of this."

The 'fan club' stopped dead as Mako walked to them. "Hey you, out of the way."

"Make me," Mako snapped, cracking her knuckles, and trying to look as intimidating as she could.

Chie looked at the girl in an almost hateful way. She was sure they could probably win by numbers alone, but even Zephyr wasn't worth the injuries. "Okay, Kino, we get it. I think we'll leave now."

Mako stared at the 'fangirls' as they walked away. "That was almost too easy." Terry could only agree to that. But if they came back, he could possibly use his gas bombs and run.

"Hey!" The group turned to see Ryo walking their way. "Good thing I found you, guys."

"What's the problem?" Usagi asked.

"I had another vision. Today is Rei's grandfather's birthday, and the youma will pay a visit to him."

"Thought Ami was today's target..." Mako said, then flinched. "Hino's one of those super youma..."

Ryo nodded. "Yes. And from my vision, most of those you call 'Generals' will be there too... Only one will come to attack Ami."

Ami frowned. "Girls, go help Rei."

"But..." Usagi started.

"I'll protect her," Terry said. "I can handle Nephrite."

"He's right," Naru said.

"I still don't like this," Usagi commented.

"I can help, I think," Ryo said.

"You?" Mako asked.

"Fighting isn't the only way to help," Ryo said. "Just go help your friend, I'm sure Zephyr's good enough to protect Ami."

Usagi sighed. "Okay, you win."

Terry and Ami kept on walking, with Ryo walking a few steps behind them. He frowned as Nephrite appeared in front of the couple. _'If Zephyr tries to fight Nephrite, it won't do any good. He needs to get somewhere to transform.'_

Terry, who had stood between Nephrite and Ami, was thinking the same way. "Get lost, monster."

Nephrite chuckled. "Humans are fun. How do you plan defending her from me?"

Ryo tossed a rock at Nephrite, getting his full attention. "Terry, go get some help."

"I won't leave her alone!" Terry said, then frowned. Right, so that was his plan... He had to admit Urawa wasn't that bad after all. But never outloud.

Ami sighed as Terry run off. Ryo's plan was good, Zero had way better chances to defeat Nephrite than Terry. She gasped, however, when Ryo took Terry's place, standing in-between the General and her. "Ryo?"

"I won't let him hurt my friend," Ryo said.

"That's funny," Nephrite said, then shot an energy blast at Ryo, knocking him out. "Pitiful... Now where were we?"

"I think I was about to kick your ass."

Nephrite turned to Zero, who was standing on a nearby tree, swords drawn. "Sorry kiddo, but Luminite's busy elsewhere today."

"That's just too bad, since I wanted to stab her through. Guess you'll have to be her substitute."

Nephrite shot another energy blast, and frowned as Zero leapt over it, falling at him with a drop kick. He jumped back barely missing the kick, then looked around and frowned. "Where the hell is the girl?"

Zero took the chance to slice Nephrite's leg. "I'd worry less about her and more about your own life, idiot."

Nephrite growled at the ninja, then tackled him, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground. "Actually, I think I'll just drain you instead."

"Sore... Loser." Zero snapped.

Nephrite grinned. "On the other hand, I bet if I kill you, I'll piss Luminite off bigtime." He laughed as his hand started shinning, and energy started flowing into Zero's body.

"Shabon Spray!"

The General turned to Mercury. "That tickles. I don't know why you even try, you're the weakest Senshi."

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury repeated her attack, this time aiming it at Nephrite's arm. The General grunted as the blast forced him to release Zero, and she grinned. "I know I'm not a fighter, but I trust my friends to do the fighting for me when I'm outpowered."

Nephrite swiftly summoned an energy blade and stopped Zero's dual slash. He then punched the ninja in the ribs, strong enough to make him fly back a few meters.

Mercury frowned. At least she hadn't been drained, but now she had to find a way to beat Nephrite. Her magic wasn't good enough, and Zero's swords couldn't get past Nephrite's energy blades. If only they had something...

She remembered Luna saying one of Zero's sword was Mercury's sword. A plan formed in her head, a quite unlikely one, but it could just be good enough to work. "Shabon Spray!"

Nephrite chuckled as the blast hissed by. "Missed me."

"Wasn't aiming at you," Mercury said with a shrug.

Nephrite sensed movement behind him and turned, his blade ready to stop Zero's ones... But he gasped as he saw the sword coming at him. It was one of Zero's swords, but it was glowing an eerie cyan color. It slashed through his energy blade and left a deep wound in his shoulder. "How..."

Zero put his sword on Nephrite's forehead and glared at him. "My friend Nemesis apparently thinks you're not completely evil, so I'll let you go this time."

Mercury sighed as Nephrite vanished. "Thanks..."

"I should be thanking you. Nephrite almost knocked me out... And it was you who beat him, Ami."

"I only acted on a wild guess."

"And it sure worked," Zero said looking at his sword. The glow pulsed for a few seconds, then the sword was back to normal. "Darn, I hoped it'd stay that way."

"Let's go help the others."

"What about Urawa?" Zero asked.

"I'm... Fine," Ryo said as he stood up. "I wouldn't like to get blasted by that guy again, tho."

"I agree," Zero said. "Let's go."

Ryo sighed as Zero called his board, and both him and Mercury leapt on it, flying off towards the shrine. "Guess you can't fight destiny after all... At least I tried."

* * *

**A/N:** Fan clubs. Gotta love them... Not. This episode ended up being way shorter after the edit, but as I've mentioned elsewhere, I hate fillers.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe.




	22. Shrine Chaos

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 2: Rainbow Crystals.**

** Episode 22: Shrine Chaos.**

_ By Razor Knight _

_Last update: January 19, 2007_

* * *

Luminite leapt back as Jupiter tried to kick her, only to be greeted by a Dark Bolt from Nemesis. "Damn it, kid, why don't you go fight your boyfriend?" 

"I don't need to, Zero's kicking his rear right now."

Tuxedo Kamen was keeping Zoicite busy, as usual, while Mars and Moon took on Cardite. Hino watched the scene with detached interest, but frowned as Mars was sent flying back by one of Cardite's blasts. "You okay, Rei?" He asked her in a low voice.

"You must be confusing me with someone else," Mars said trying to play dumb.

"Your disguise could've fooled me, but your spiritual energy grew a lot when you became a Senshi. I know it's you, Rei."

"You should get out of here," Mars said.

"I know what they want, I've heard some rumors... And I think I'm one of the targets, right?"

"Yes, that's why you must leave, before they get you."

"And they'll come back for me again and again until they get the monster in me to awaken," Hino said. "Sorry, but I can't let them destroy the temple... And I trust you to defeat them."

"But..."

"Hey, monster!"

Cardite turned away from Moon for a second, and saw the old man, Chamel's carrier, standing there glaring at her. "Foolish old man... "

"No!" Even as she rushed forwards, she knew she was late. Cardite's blast hit her grandfather, and the shard that popped out of his body floated to the General's hands. "Fire Soul!"

Cardite leapt aside, feeling the heat from the fire blast brush her face. "Tsk, tsk, always the hothead."

"I may be, but you can't defeat me."

"So I can't..."

"Moon Tiara Action!"

Cardite winced as the Tiara hit her back. "So shameful, a Sailor Senshi using such cowardly methods?"

"You made it too easy for me," Moon snapped back.

"Too bad you won't get another chance," Cardite said as she floated up. Moon and Mars looked to Hino as his transformation ended, and saw he'd become a two meters tall humanoid chameleon. "Chamel, destroy those two!" Chamel growled and rushed at the two Senshi.

* * *

Jadeite grimaced as he saw Nephrite's wound. Thankfully, youma healed way faster than humans. Still, a wound like that should hurt like Darkness. "What happened to you?" 

"Mercury, that's what happened," the brown-haired General muttered.

"Unless she got way stronger since last time I faced her, she couldn't have damaged you like that."

"It wasn't her, not directly... But that Zero kid, somehow his swords absorbed Mercury's attack and used the energy to slice through one of my energy blades."

"Sounds like they've gotten smarter," Jadeite said.

Aurite teleported into the room, taking a moment to look at Nephrite. "J, hun, I detected a second shard at that shrine."

"What are the chances..." Nephrite muttered.

"And guess what's even weirder? Zero's the carrier."

"Think Zoicite and Cardite will figure that out?"

"They're too busy fighting to scan him."

"I think we should go and give the Senshi something to worry about, then," Jadeite suggested.

"I already told Beryl about my finding. She gave me permission to go to Tokyo and help the others."

* * *

Zero checked on the battlefield as he fled towards the shrine. Jupiter was trying to beat on Luminite, as that Tuxedo guy kept Zoicite busy. The other three Senshi were facing a strange reptilian youma, he could guess that was the shard's carrier. "Guess we got here just in time," he said as he leapt off his table, followed by Mercury. 

"Mars Soul Embers!" Mars shot her attack at Chamel, but the creature leapt over it, vanishing while still airborne. "What? Where is..."

"Mars!" Moon shouted as Mars was sent flying into a tree by an unseen force. "What the hell... Wait, that thing's a chameleon..."

Cardite chuckled. "Amazing, you figured it out that fast... But that won't do you any good."

Nemesis looked around nervously. How were they supposed to hit something they couldn't see? "Show yourself, lizard!"

"Shabon Spray!"

Nemesis blinked as the attack hit something right in front of her. She could briefly see the outline of Chamel's body as it turned to Mercury with a snarl. "You can see it?"

Mercury had her visor down. "Infrared," she said. "Zero?"

"I see him," the ninja commented, "but I don't know if I'll be able to fight him alone."

"You're not alone," Mercury said with a smile.

"Good," Zero said and charged forwards, apparently with no target in mind. He slashed at the air a few times, then was knocked back by their invisible foe. "That hurt..."

Moon turned as two figures appeared in the battlefield. One was their old 'friend' Jadeite, but the other... "Who are you?"

"Name's Aurite, and I'm not here to fight you... Yet."

"Let's see if they can beat Chamel... There's no need to get Draguel yet if Chamel defeats them."

Jupiter knew she had to help the others. But she couldn't see a way to defeat Luminite, who was dodging all her punches and attacks.

"Think fast!"

Luminite fell back as a water jet hit her from the side, causing her to lose balance for a second. She turned to the new attacker and saw a guy wearing a robe similar to that of the Shinto priest they'd targeted this time. "Stupid move, human, you really thought a bit of water would defeat me?" she snarled as she stood up, her suit dripping water.

Yuichiro shook his head. "Not really, but water and electricity shouldn't mix."

"Supreme Thunder!"

Luminite realized a little too late what the human's plan was. She fell to the ground in a heap, standing up weakly and noticing Jupiter was preparing a second blast. "Not today, thundergirl."

As Luminite left, Jupiter turned to Yuichiro. "Thanks for the help. "

The man shrugged. "Couldn't let them wreck the yard, after all I work a lot to keep it in one piece."

Jadeite saw Zero taking on Chamel and noticed something interesting. Both swords were glowing blue, thanks to Mercury's use of her Shabon Spray magic on them. Also, the other three Senshi were still shooting at it, albeit blindly, and Jupiter was now rushing in to help. "Aura, I think we should turn the tide..."

"What are you guys up to?" Cardite asked.

"I found another carrier," Aurite said. "Look."

Zero dodged as Chamel tried a sideways slash with it's massive arm, then felt something hit him from the side. "What the heck..." He kneeled on the ground, dropping his swords, and clutching his chest.

"Zero!" Mercury growled as she looked up at Aurite, who was smirking at them. "If you hurt him, I'm going to kick that smile of yours away."

"I didn't really hurt him, but he'll hurt you in a minute," Aurite snapped.

"What does she..." Moon muttered then saw a shard float out of Zero's chest. "No!"

Aurite growled as Moon leapt for the shard, catching it before she could react. "Damn it kid, give me that!"

Moon smirked as the shard vanished. "Come and get it."

A blood-freezing howl caused everyone to turn to where Zero was. Standing in his place was a five meters tall, blue-scaled dragon. "Zero... No..." Mercury gasped.

"How are we going to fight _that_?" Jupiter asked with a wince.

"Good luck trying," Jadeite mused. "Draguel is the strongest of the seven Rainbow Youma."

"Any plans, Ami?" Moon asked.

"I... I don't know," Mercury said. "Sorry." She looked up at the dragon. For some reason, she couldn't even think about hurting him.

Nemesis aimed her hands at the dragon, but was knocked down to the ground by Chamel. "Oh this is just great," Nemesis snapped. "Shadow Heal!"

"Soul Embers!"

"Moon Tiara Stardust!"

Chamel howled as he reverted back to normal. Cardite captured the youma in one of her cards as Mars went to check on the carrier. "He's okay, just unconscious," she said.

Cardite chuckled. "Draguel, it's time for your first meal in eons. "

The dragon howled again, stomping on the ground. The shockwave knocked all the Senshi off their feet. "This is going to reek," Jupiter muttered.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Moon's tiara bounced off the dragon's skin, and it turned to glare at her. "Eh... Hi?"

Draguel shot a stream of bluish flames at Moon, and the blonde Senshi screeched as she leapt out of the attack's path. The ground it hit didn't burn, but froze. "Weird," Jadeite commented.

"I don't remember Draguel being an ice dragon," Aurite admitted.

"Fire Soul!"

Draguel growled as the attack hit, and turned to Mars. The Fire Senshi glared at him and leapt up, using all her strength to kick the dragon's head. Draguel took the hit, however, and shot an ice wave at point blank.

"Mars!" The fire Senshi was knocked away and into the forest. Moon looked at the others. Jupiter and Nemesis were already charging at the creature even before Mars hit the ground. But Mercury wasn't moving, just looking up at the dragon. "Ami, what can we do to stop him?"

Mercury looked away from the dragon and shook her head. "I don't know... I don't want to hurt him."

"SUpreme Thunder!"

"Dark Bolt!"

Another howl was heard, and Jupiter and Nemesis bounced on the ground near Moon. "They're winning," the blonde said. "I could use one of your plans right now."

"Sorry, I..." Mercury started. "Look out!"

Moon leapt aside, barely dodging the blast. It wasn't an icy wave this time, but some kind of black energy beam that caused the ground to crack as it touched it. "What's that?"

Jadeite rose an eyebrow. "Was that death energy?"

Aurite nodded as the dragon shot another wave, it hit a tree and the tree withered and rot instantly. "Indeed... But those aren't Draguel's powers."

A third blast was shot, and this time it hit it's mark. Moon fell to the ground and weakly tried to stand up. "Hmm... This battle's as good as done," Jadeite said. "Hey Zoi, let's get out of here, Draguel can handle the rest."

Zoicite dodged a cane swipe from his foe then teleported up to where the other Generals were. "I see... Yes, we don't need to stay here. "

"I'll stay," Cardite said. "Who knows, they've turned the tide against us before."

"Have fun," Aurite said as all the Generals but Cardite vanished.

Moon stood up and glared at the dragon, then turned to Mercury. "Ami, snap out of it."

"But... I can't hurt him..."

"He'll kill us all if we don't find a way to stop him," Moon said.

"Usagi..."

They both heard the dragon's howl, and looked up in time to see Tuxedo Kamen leaping in the path of another death wave. The masked man fell to the ground with a loud thud, and Moon shivered. "This isn't..."

"We can't beat him," Mercury said hopelessly.

Moon shot a glare at the Ice Senshi. "You haven't even tried, Ami. Stop being a coward!"

Another wave shot from the dragon's mouth, and this time, the two Mooncats stood on its path, a faint glow surrounding them and blocking the blast. "Moon needs you, Mercury," Shade said.

Mercury blinked, Moon's word had taken her out of her gloom, and she realized she was right, she needed to get over her fear of hurting Terry and fight. "How did you do that?"

"We have a few hidden tricks," Luna said. "Listen, Ami, Moon alone can't defeat Draguel. We need you to make it out of this one alive. "

Mercury nodded, and summoned her visor, trying to find a weak spot in Draguel's body. "No way..."

The dragon snarled at her, but didn't attack. "Maybe... Terry's still in there," Moon whispered.

"Shabon Spray!"

The attack hit the dragon, causing it to stagger back. It growled insurprise then shot another death blast at Mercury.

"No!"

Mercury gasped as Moon took the hit for her. "Usagi, why..."

Moon tried to stand up, but managed only to kneel on the ground and smile at her friend despite the pain. "Somehow, your attack did hurt him... It's all up to you, Ami."

Mercury glared up at the dragon. She knew Moon was right, but... Would her weak attack be enough to beat that Dragon before it knocked her out as well?

* * *

**A/N:** Why is Draguel using ice and death attacks? Those who've read the old Cyber Moon may guess it, those who didn't will have to wait a _long_ time to find out why. Why was Mercury afraid to hurt Terry? That one should be obvious...

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	23. Full Rainbow

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 2: Rainbow Crystals.**

** Episode 23: Full Rainbow.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2007_

* * *

"Shabon Spray!" 

Draguel growled again, but didn't attack. Cardite frowned as she looked around. The Senshi, except for Moon and Mercury, were all unconscious, and she figured it'd be a good time to get rid of them while Mercury was busy, and before Moon recovered.

Her plans were, however, ruined by a rocket exploding quite close to her head. As she picked herself off the ground, she could see Rakurai standing near the temple's stairs, aiming her launcher at her. "Move and die, freak show." Cardite frowned. As soon as she managed to make all her senses work again, she'd teach this human not to mess with her.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury tried her attack again, but Draguel wasn't still down. She knew she was running out of power, but couldn't think of a way to stop the Rainbow Youma. "Shabon..."

Cardite nodded as Mercury staggered. "She's tired, Draguel, finish her before she recovers!" The dragon turned to the youma and growled at her. "What? You must not disobey me, weakling!"

Mercury looked up at the dragon, wondering just why he hadn't tried to attack her. "Zero?" Draguel turned to her and seemed ready to attack, but stopped and looked down at Mercury. "I don't want to hurt you, but I must if I want to return you to normal..."

Cardite chuckled. "You're out of power, girl. As for you, Draguel, I warned you not to disobey me..." She rushed forwards and kicked the dragon's head, her attack backed with magic, and sent him crashing down the stairs. "Now, little Mercury, I'll..." Cardite stopped as she realized Mercury had a thin bluish aura around her body. She shot an energy blast, not wanting Mercury to finish whatever she was doing, and chuckled.

The chuckle died, however, as the two Mooncats stopped her blast. "Mercury, don't give up yet," Shade said.

Mercury nodded, the aura around her vanishing. She could, however, feel the change, the words in her head she knew would help her defeat her foe. "Shabon Spray..." Mercury went through the motions of her attack, but held the water bubble in front of her for a second more before shooting it out. "Freezing!"

The water blast was slightly larger than her normal one, and was visibly colder, too. Cardite leapt out of the way, but something knocked her back into the attack's path. Moon looked up in shock at the same time Mercury did, as Draguel stood there after using his tail to help them defeat Cardite. "Terry..."

Seia aimed her weapon up at the dragon. "What the hell's that thing?"

"Zero," Moon said as she stood up. "Mercury, do you have energy left to heal him?"

Mercury sighed. "I'll try. Shabon Stun!"

Draguel made no move to dodge or block the attack, and his body shone as it was hit, before returning to his original form. Zero fainted, but someone caught him before he hit the ground. "Guess the battle's over," Jupiter said smiling at her friends.

"You okay?" Mercury asked.

"Yeah, the attack just knocked me out for a while, that's all."

They heard Cardite's chanting and turned to the General, but she just took a second to glare at them and vanished. Seia frowned. "Need an ambulance for your friend?"

Zero's eyes opened and he stood up slowly. "I'm fine... I wouldn't like to go through that again, though."

Seia shrugged. "Well then, I'll go report this mess to Kino."

"How did that happen?" Moon asked after Seia was out of the shrine's yard. "Why didn't Draguel attack Mercury?"

"I was still there, Moon," Zero explained. "But I couldn't control my actions at first. When I saw Mercury was the only one up against me, somehow I forced my.. Draguel's body to do what I wanted.

Luna sighed "Good thing this battle's over, it was a tough one."

Zero looked up and down at Mercury, and she blushed. "What are you doing?"

"Uh... Just getting a reading on your new power level." Zero said rapidly. From the looks Moon and Jupiter gave him, he could tell they weren't buying his half-truth.

"I thought it was only a new attack," Mercury admitted.

Zero shook his head. "From my readings, you're right now almost as strong as Moon, at least magic-wise."

Mars and Nemesis walked to them. "This place's a mess," the Fire Senshi muttered.

"So the only Rainbow Youma left is Urawa," Nemesis said. "And the youma said this was the strongest of them, so whatever he turns into, he'll be easier to beat than Draguel."

"Sometimes power isn't everything," Zero noted and smiled at Mercury.

Mars looked around worriedly. "Where's the priest?" Yuichiro came walking out of the temple, followed by Hino. "I'm fine, don't worry about me, Senshi," he said winking at Mars.

"Good to know, sir," Mars said. "Okay guys, our job here's done, let's go."

"Who died and made her the leader?" Moon muttered as they all run out of the shrine.

* * *

"Ryo, wait!" 

Ryo sighed. It'd been three days since the whole mess at the shrine, three days since he'd figured out he couldn't change what was going to happen, no matter what he did. "Hello, Ami."

Ami frowned at his slightly cold tone. "You've been avoiding me lately."

"I don't want to stand between you and Zephyr," Ryo said.

"Between me and..." Ami whispered. "There's nothing between us."

Ryo chuckled. "Not right now, I bet." He stopped as Ami's stare looked like it could've pierced through metal.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Ami said steering off the current topic.

Ryo nodded. "I saw more than I told you before, about the battle where I'll become one of those youma." Ami just listened, so he kept on talking as they walked. "I saw you fighting me on your own, and just when you were about to defeat me..."

"What?" Ami frowned as Ryo stopped and looked down. "What did you see?"

"If you fight me, my youma side'll kill you," Ryo said. "That's why I've been avoiding you."

Ami let out a gasp. "But your visions... They could be wrong."

"They're never wrong," Ryo said. "Never."

"Future isn't set in stone," Ami said. "Back at the shrine, when Terry became Draguel... He attacked the others, but couldn't attack me. He said he was able to take control for a while."

"Yeah, well, I suppose that worked for you, because he..." Ryo stopped himself, as much as it was true, he knew Ami wouldn't admit it. "He cares about you."

"You do, too," Ami said. Ryo just stared at her in shock. "I... Can tell you wanted to be more than a friend to me, Ryo... And I..."

Ryo smiled at her. "I know, I'm the one who sees the future, remember?" That caused Ami to giggle, but Ryo turned serious. "My father's moving again tomorrow. I was thinking of telling you about that today, Ami."

"So it'll happen today?"

Ryo looked up and nodded. "And sooner than I thought, too."

Ami looked up as well, and saw Cardite sitting on a tree branch. "I..."

"Ami, go get some help," Ryo said.

Ami nodded and rushed into an alley. Cardite chuckled. "I'm not interested in her."

"I know," Ryo said. "Do it, youma."

Cardite frowned. "You're making it easy for me... Good." She shot an energy blast at Ryo, and he screamed as a crystal shard flew out of his body. "Good, now..."

"Shabon Spray!"

The attack surprised Cardite, and she cursed as Mercury leapt for the crystal, getting it before she could react. "Mercury... You're becoming quite a pest lately."

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you," Mercury said.

"If I were you, I'd run," Cardite suggested.

"Thanks, but I'll pass."

Cardite frowned. She could sense the energy in Mercury, after that upgrade at the shrine she was... Stronger than Moon? That could mean trouble for her, but luckily she had some cannon fodder to keep the Ice Senshi busy. "Rigale, destroy her!"

Mercury froze as she saw what Ryo had turned into. She remembered the first of those things, a green-skinned, human-sized mantis-like creature with massive pincers and large yellow eyes. And from the readings she was getting, this bug was also resistant to magic, just like the first one. "Ryo..."

Rigale screeched, a loud, high-pitched screech which caused the windows around them to vibrate. He then swung his scythes in front of him, shooting an X-shaped golden blast.

Mercury frowned. She had called the others, but they'd still take a while to get there. So, she had to either keep the bug busy, or defeat it. "Shabon Spray... Freezing!"

Rigale let the attack hit and screeched in a way that was too close to laughter. It then tried it's blast again, and Mercury dodged once more.

Cardite chuckled. Indeed, Rigale wasn't as strong in attack as Draguel was, but he wasn't rebelling against her. From what Nephrite had told her, sometimes the carrier's feelings could interfere with the youma's labor, specially when strong feelings like love or hate were involved. So maybe that Zero guy was in love with Mercury, and that had saved her at the shrine.

This time, however, things were different. This time, Cardite wasn't going to just watch the show from the sidelines. "Think fast!" she shouted as she shot several energy blasts down to the Ice Senshi.

Mercury reacted fast enough to dodge the blasts, but they also distracted her from her other opponent. As she leapt aside, Rigale took the chance to tackle her, trapping her neck in one of his pincers. "Ryo... No..." Rigale didn't seem to recognize her, and started increasing the pressure on his hold. Mercury tried to kick him, but he grabbed her leg with his other pincer, and laughed again.

"Hey ugly, let her go _now_!"

Cardite frowned. That loser Zero was back, oh joy. She leapt off the tree and right in front of the ninja, glaring at him. "I won't let you interrupt them, kid."

"Well, that's just too bad," Zero snapped as he produced his two swords.

Cardite summoned an energy blade and laughed. "By the time you get past me, your girlfriend will already be dead."

Zero frowned. He knew she was right, if he tried to fight her... But he could use brain as much as brawn, and decided to show the cardgirl he was still full of tricks. "Hey bitch, fetch!" he snapped as he tossed one of his swords at her like a spear.

Cardite knocked the sword away with her own, but the split second she was distracted allowed Zero to rush at her. The grey-haired General fell to one knee as Zero scored a quite deep wound in her side. "Fucking... Kid..."

Zero ignored the General, instead walking to Rigale. "Urawa, let her go now!"

Rigale turned to Zero, his hold on Mercury not lessening at all. "Mine..."

Mercury was still struggling to get free, when she heard that. Ryo was trying to fight the youma for control, maybe she could... "Ryo... If you don't stop this now, I'll... Don't let your visions control you, please."

Rigale turned to Mercury, and she could see the creature's glare lessening for a moment, then he dropped her to the ground. The Ice Senshi coughed as she rubbed her throat, trying to recover from the chokehold.

"Not again!" Cardite snapped. "You kids are a real pest, but I'm going to get rid of you right here, right now!"

Zero flinched as Cardite started gathering energy, then smirked. "Watch out, behind you!"

Cardite chuckled. "You think I'll fall for..."

"Moon Tiara Action!"

Cardite cursed out loud as she was sent flying forwards, but her flight was stopped by Mercury's fist. "No way..."

Mercury glared at Cardite, ice energy gathering in her hands. "Chill. "

"Moon Tiara Stardust!"

Rigale reverted back to Ryo, and the female General frowned. She swiftly used her chant, then glared up at Mercury. "You kids aren't bad fighters, I'll admit. Hope we can have more fun someday."

"Shabon Spray Freezing!"

Zero flinched. The attack had been a second too late, as Cardite was already gone when Mercury shot it... but it had left a thick layer of ice around Mercury's feet. "Ami..."

Mercury collapsed on Zero's arms, and he frowned. "Thanks... Terry. "

Moon checked on Ryo and nodded. "He'll be okay. What about you, Ami?"

Mercury smiled tiredly. "I won't be able to shout for a while, I bet. Other than that, I'm okay."

"Too bad Cardite escaped," Zero said.

"I let her escape," Mercury said, "and I bet she knows it."

Moon chuckled. "You must be really tired, though..."

Mercury looked at Moon then realized she was still leaning on Zero, and jumped away, blushing furiously. "Uh... Not really."

Moon smiled. She already knew what those two felt for each other, but with Ami's shyness and Terry's vendetta, she knew they'd probably need a bit of help to admit it.

* * *

Jadeite couldn't help but wince as Cardite appeared in the portal room, her glare daring anyone to speak. The lesser youma scientists operating the portal were smart enough to not make any questions. "Welcome back. Was the trip any good?" 

"No. I almost had Mercury, I almost killed her, but Zero and that Moon wench interfered."

"Too bad."

"Mercury almost managed to blast me to dust, too. But... She let me escape."

Jadeite nodded. "Compassion... One of mankind's weaknesses."

Zoicite had been listening to them from a distance, and decided to speak up. "Now we have all seven Rainbow Youma. Once they recover, we can summon the Shadow Youma, but also..."

Jadeite nodded. "The Senshi and Tuxedo have shards of the Ginzuishou. We need to defeat them to get them back."

"I've been researching and comparing data," Zoicite said, "and from what I know, a few of the Senshi study at Juuban High."

"Interesting..." Jadeite said. "We could attack them there, and make sure they have no way to transform."

Zoicite nodded. "But we need to plan the attack carefully. That way, there'll be no way for them to escape death."

* * *

"So, you really are leaving..." 

Ryo nodded. "Sorry, Ami, but dad's work..."

Ami smiled "I understand."

"It's better this way," Ryo said. Ami hugged Ryo, and the boy blushed. "A-Ami?"

"Come visit us whenever you can, okay?" Ami said as she released him from the hug.

Ryo nodded. "I'll try. Goodbye, for now."

Ami smiled as Ryo walked away. "Goodbye, Ryo."

"He wasn't that bad after all... Well, except when he was trying to strangle you, but he wasn't quite himself that time."

Ami turned around to see Usagi and Terry walking her way. "You guys... You could've said bye to him too."

"Maybe," Terry said, "but I think he's right, it's better this way. "

* * *

Finally, it was ready for testing. It was a pity he couldn't obtain some recent samples from the Ice Senshi, as her new power would indeed be a nice addition to his creation. He needed test subjects, however, and he knew just where to find them. Yes, things were about to become _very_ interesting for the group of Senshi fighting in his city. Interesting and deadly.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, at least Ryo didn't leave as a loser, like he did in the show. This ends the second arc, next episode will start the third and last arc for the Dark Kingdom plotline.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	24. Grim Reaper

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 24: Grim Reaper.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2007_

* * *

_"Mina, you really need to stop wasting so much time with that guy. "_

_"It's not a waste,"_ Minako muttered at the white cat. _"I like him, he likes me... And also, half our dates end up with us facing Kunzite."_

Artemis sighed. _"Still... I don't think your parents would like the idea of you dating that guy."_

_"That guy's got a name,"_ Minako snapped. _"And my parents never really cared about me that much."_

"That's a harsh thing to say about them, Mina."

Minako paled as she noticed Brad was leaning on the wall just outside her room. "Brad? You shouldn't eavesdrop."

"You start shouting at each other with your room's door open, and it'll just happen," Brad countered. "Be glad only me and mom can understand Japanese."

Artemis frowned and walked out of the room. Minako sighed. "Brad... "

"He really doesn't like me," Brad mused. "Can't blame him, I bet he sees you as a daughter more than as a protegee."

Minako rose an eyebrow. "He does?"

Brad shrugged. "A theory of mine. Anyway, still want to go out tonight?"

Minako smiled. "Of course."

* * *

Setsuna sighed as she waited outside the house. For a house bought on a scientist's salary, it was quite impressive, although not as large as her own house in Tokyo. She felt uneasy about leaving her 'children' alone, but she knew she had to act on her visions. 

The door finally opened, and a man slightly shorter than her, but apparently older, stood there, looking at her through a pair of glasses. "Uhm... Good morning, what can I do for you?"

"I have something to discuss with you, Dr. Tomoe... But it's better if we don't talk about it out in the open."

Tomoe shrugged. "Come on in, then. May I ask your name?"

"Setsuna Meiou," the green-haired woman said as they both sat on two couchs set so they were facing each other. "At least that's my civilian name."

Civilian name? Tomoe was trying to figure out who this woman really was and why she was talking to him. "And what's your real name, then?"

Setsuna smiled for a split second before nodding. "You've been researching on Senshi, right?"

Tomoe nodded slowly. "You... Know about them?"

"I am one of them," Setsuna said.

Tomoe shook his head. "That'd kill one of my theories... You see, all the Senshi seen around the world looked like teenagers."

"I'm far from a teenager, I admit. Very far."

"You don't look that old... Maybe twenty five or so..."

Setsuna chuckled. "What do you think about them?"

"From what we've researched and seen, human weaponry does next to nothing to those Youma creatures. Senshi on the other hand can vaporize them in one shot, five shots at most."

"You know, you're right. I'm an exception to the rule, simply because I'm not a reincarnated warrior like them. I never died in the first place."

Tomoe gasped. "How old are you, then?"

"It's not polite to ask a lady her age," Setsuna mused. "Let's just say I've seen how they built most of the seven wonders."

Tomoe sighed. "So... All the other Senshi will be teenagers." Setsuna nodded. "And you're here talking to me... A part of me hopes my guess is wrong. Is she one of them?"

"That's quite hard to believe."

Setsuna turned to the monotone, female voice and saw a girl not older than fourteen standing on the doorway that lead to a dimly lit corridor. She was short, with short purplish-black hair and dark purple eyes, and her skin was a few tones away from white. She was staring at the green-haired woman with a neutral expression, as if she were trying to sense something in her.

"You're right, Hotaru," Setsuna said. "But I have ways to prove I'm telling the truth."

"I'd like to see them, then," Hotaru said. If she was surprised that the woman knew her name, she didn't show any signs of it.

Setsuna stood up and nodded as her staff appeared in her hand. "Pluto Planet Power!"

Hotaru didn't look impressed by the transformation at all. "I see. And you say I'm like you?"

Setsuna nodded. "Search in your mind, I'm sure you can feel the power." Hotaru closed her eyes for several seconds, and a symbol glew white on her forehead as she opened them.

"That's Saturn's astrological symbol!" Tomoe said.

"Indeed, she's Sailor Saturn," Pluto explained.

"Saturn Planet Power!"

As Hotaru shouted that, she reached her hand forwards, and a long, purple glaive appeared. The glaive's blade was silvery and shaped as a G, and as she grabbed the weapon, it started pouring a black mist. The mist covered Hotaru's body, slowly solidifying and turning a different color. As the last of the mist turned solid, Tomoe could see his daughter was wearing an outfit much like Pluto's one, only the collar, bow and skirt were dark purple, just like her knee-tall boots. Her outfit was completed by a tiara similar to Pluto's only the gemstone in it's center was purple.

"Welcome to the team," Pluto said with a smile.

"So, what happens from now on?" Tomoe asked.

"Your daughter's a Senshi, one of the defenders of the planet. She must help us fight the youma."

"You're one of the Senshi in the U.S., right?" Saturn asked.

Pluto nodded. "And if my visions were right, you'll be needed there, today."

"Wait a second, I..."

The green-haired Senshi's stare made Tomoe forget what he was going to say next. "Dr. Tomoe, I'll bring your daughter back unharmed."

"... If you don't..."

"I will," Pluto said. "And also, I have a request from you. Everything you saw in this room must not be known outside it." She didn't wait for an answer, and Tomoe was left staring at the space the two Senshi had been standing on seconds earlier.

* * *

"My Queen, we're planning on launching a final strike on our other fronts," Kunzite explained. 

Beryl nodded. "And how do you plan to do so?"

"I'm going to take my three strongest youma to London, they'll deal with the magician and Venus, or at least weaken them enough so I can finish them off."

"Good thinking. Dexite?"

"My personal troops were reduced drastically by those three Senshi, so... I'm going to send my remaining troops to the States and finish the Senshi off once they're tired and weak."

"That many crossings will cost a lot of energy," Beryl noticed. "Energy we can't spare."

"I'm not going to fail," Dexite said, "and getting rid of those Senshi will pay off for the energy we will sacrifice."

"If you fail, don't bother coming back," Beryl warned icily.

"I understand, my Queen," Dexite said and bowed to her.

* * *

Pluto and Saturn appeared inside Setsuna's house, and the three other persons in the room looked at the newcomer with some interest. "Team, meet Hotaru Tomoe, Sailor Saturn." 

"Welcome," Kage said.

"Nice suit," Michiru commented.

Haruka grinned. "Don't mind Michiru, she's a pervert."

"Hello," Saturn simply said, then closed her eyes, reverting back to her human form. "This place looks adequate for a group of 'heroes. '"

Kage frowned as Hotaru didn't seem to show any emotions. "Are you a robot or something?"

"Kage!" Michiru groaned.

"Not the first time someone asks me that," Hotaru admitted.

"Well, are you?" Kage insisted.

Hotaru looked at him with the same emotionless face she always had. "No."

Michiru clutched her head and sighed. "Let's leave all that for later, I'm sensing youma."

"Great," Kage muttered.

"Time for the Senshi of Death to rise," Hotaru commented.

"Senshi of Death?" Haruka asked in shock.

"Of Life and Death, actually," Pluto said. "In any case, let's get moving, team!"

* * *

"There they are," Neptune said. 

"Five youma?" Sun muttered. "How are we supposed to fight them?"

"We'll manage," Uranus said.

"Hotaru, stay out of this one," Pluto said. The girl started to protest but she continued. "Your energy reserves are way lower than ours, you shouldn't fight for long time periods."

"Exactly why I'm gonna go first," Saturn said and vanished.

"What the hell?" Sun exclaimed.

"Apparently, she can teleport," Pluto mused.

"Why does the newbie get the cool skills?" Uranus muttered.

"Let's go help her," Sun said and run in before the others could stop him.

"Kids need to learn about following orders," Pluto muttered. "Go help them, I'm staying in case Dexite shows up."

"Saturn... Grim Edge!"

Sun gasped as Saturn swung her scythe forwards, and a death energy wave shot forwards, cutting one of the youma in half. He kicked one of the youma that got too close to the Death Senshi, then swiftly gathered energy. "Solar Bolt!"

"Thanks," Saturn said in her usual monotone, then turned to a third creature. "Grim Edge!" As the blast hit, Saturn fell to one knee. "Damn..."

"Gale Fist!"

"Aqua Blast!"

That took care of the two remaining creatures. "Well, this was just too easy," Sun commented.

"Fire Soul."

The attack took the Dragon Senshi off-guard, sending him down to the ground. The others looked up to see a metallic creature standing on top of a building. It was tall, with silvery metal skin and green robotic eyes. It had no mouth, but the rest of the creature looked human enough. "What the fuck is that thing?" Uranus muttered.

"New targets acquired. Begin elimination procedure," the creature droned.

"Hey, that thing acts just like you," Sun commented as he stood up.

Saturn shrugged. "Grim... Edge!"

"Crescent Beam."

The Senshi gasped as the attacks cancelled each other. "Pluto?"

Pluto was about to answer, but sensed movement behind her. She dove aside as a large energy blast hissed by. "Dexite..." she muttered as she saw the pale General walk out from around a corner.

"Yeah, I've missed you too," Dexite said. "But today, I'm not alone. "

Pluto realized what he meant and leapt back, barely missing the two blasts coming from her sides. "Jadeite, Aurite," Pluto said. "I thought you were all too scared to come fight me."

Jadeite smirked. "Talk all you want, witch. Today's your last day. "

"Three versus one is unfair," Pluto commented.

"Should we care?" Aurite snapped.

"Indeed, because it's unfair for you," Pluto snapped and rushed at her.

"We should go help Pluto," Sun commented.

"Gale Fist!"

"Gale Fist."

Uranus gasped as the creature used a replica of her attack. "No, really, what the hell is this thing?"

"Moon Tiara Action."

"Haruka, watch out!" Sun leapt to Uranus as an energy disc shot out of the robot's hands, knocking her out of the way, but getting hit by it. "That... Hurt.." he muttered as he tried to stand up and failed.

"Get that thing," Saturn said. "I'll heal him."

Neptune nodded as Saturn put a hand on Sun's back. Energy started pouring out of her hand and into his body. She turned to the creature, who was just standing there waiting for their next move. "Okay ugly, you hurt our friend."

Uranus nodded as she looked at her. For some reason, she'd always been able to know what Michiru was thinking, and that let them fight in a way most take years to perfect. "Let's show this copycat what real Senshi can do in battle. Uranus..."

"Neptune..."

"Twilight Power!"

Sun was already standing up as he heard the shout, and both him and Saturn turned to their two allies, who were wrapped in spheres of their elements. The spheres slowly fused with them, and the changes in their suits were quite noticeable. Both had their planets' symbols drawn on their suits' chests, translucent elbow pads, and the broochs in their bows changed, adding a pair of small feathery wings to the jewels. Also, They both noticed the upgrade had given them an energy boost, which was quite welcome as they'd have to kick Dexite's ass once they were done with the tin man.

As the light faded away, both upgraded Senshi glared at the creature.

"For disturbing peace..." Uranus said.

"... And using our own attacks..." Neptune continued.

"... We won't forgive you. Twilight Sailor Uranus..."

"... And Twilight Sailor Neptune..."

"... Will punish you!" Both finished.

"Why don't they just blast that tin can to pieces?" Saturn muttered. Sun couldn't help but agree, and also be amazed at Saturn's healing powers. He felt no traces of the pain he'd felt minutes ago, which was a good thing given the situation they were in.

"Uranus Storm Wave!"

"Neptune Aqua Pillar!"

A massive wind blast hit the creature, along with a column of water which shot right under it. It fell to one knee, sparks coming out of several cracks in it's metallic skin. "Mission failed, return to base."

"No you won't. Solar Bolt!"

"Grim Edge."

The two attacks hit the creature from the side, and it bounced on the ground once before exploding. _"Sayonara, Mr. Robotto,"_ Kage mused.

"Let's help Pluto!" Neptune said.

Dexite appeared near them. "And who'll help you?"

Sun glared at the General. "Hi there, Snow White. Came to get your ass kicked?"

The General smiled coldly as he materialized an energy blade. "Not before I slice you in half."

* * *

**A/N:** The London scene was to set up the situation for next episode... Which will be the last time we'll see the "Outers" for a while, wrapping up the U.S. and England sides of the war. As for Hotaru, she'll have a part to play 'soon' and I wanted to give her a bit of spotlight before that happened.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	25. Exodus Again

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 25: Exodus Again.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 13, 2006_

* * *

"Grim Edge!" 

Dexite blocked the wave with his own energy blast, then blocked a slash from Sun with his sword. "Annoying little brats..."

"Aqua Pillar!"

"Storm Wave!"

The General staggered back as both attacks hit. A Twilight level attack wasn't enough to bring a General down, but it sure caused a lot of pain. "Okay kids, that's it!"

Saturn frowned. "His power's going up..."

"How do you know?" Uranus asked.

"Other than the thin black aura around him?" Sun muttered.

"That, and I've got weak psi skills," Saturn explained, her voice as unemotional as ever.

"Aqua Pillar!"

The pale man chuckled as the attack hit. It still hurt, but with the energy rush he was feeling, it didn't quite matter. "I'll show you real power!" As he shouted that, he punched the ground, creating a wave of energy that knocked the Senshi down to the ground.

* * *

Pluto frowned as she risked looking away from the two Generals she was facing. Dexite had somehow powered up, which meant even in Twilight level, her group would have quite a lot of trouble fighting him. She'd love to help them, but she wouldn't be able to until she'd beaten her own foes. "Tired yet?" 

"Not a chance," Jadeite snapped as he charged at her, while Aurite gathered energy for an energy blast.

* * *

Upon knocking them all to the ground, the corpse-like man had taken on the two Twilight Senshi, and was right now fighting them both. Neptune was leaning on a wall, recovering her breath, while Uranus tried to resist Dexite's flurry of punches and kicks. 

Sun frowned. He wanted to help, but he was quite out of energy, and the General was too strong. He looked up to see Pluto was still busy fighting two of those freaks, so there'd be no help from her.

He looked at his two friends. Their new power was amazing, even though Dexite was still on the winning side. If only he could... He frowned as he felt something in his mind, then smirked. "Playtime's over, Dexite."

The General turned to him as he blocked one of Uranus' punches and laughed. "What could a weakling like you do against me?"

"This. Sun Twilight Power!"

Dexite leapt away from Uranus, taking his time to recover and wait for Sun's transformation to end. Flames had surrounded him as soon as he'd shouted out his transformation phrase, and were still swirling around him, though they kept on inching closer to his body. As the flames touched him, they vanished. The changes in his suit were quite a show. His formerly golden boots were now trimmed white, as were his gloves, and his sword had a longer hilt, which looked like a golden dragon with the sword's blade pouring out of it's mouth, it's wings were spread out and served as the sword's guard. And like the female Twilight Senshi, the planet's symbol was drawn on his suit's chest.

Sun didn't waste time with speeches, instead aiming his sword at his foe. "Sun Gravity..." The blade glew white for a second before he tapped it on the ground, releasing an invisible energy wave. "Hold!"

Dexite gasped as the wave hit him, then laughed. "That didn't harm me in the least. You're still a weakling."

"And you're still braindead, if you can't figure out why that tech's name is 'Gravity Hold,'" Sun snapped.

As he tried to move, Dexite realized what Sun's 'attack' really did. "You brat, as soon as I get out of here I'm going to..."

"Problem is, you won't move unless I run out of power," Sun commented.

"Got any energy left?" Uranus asked.

Neptune shook her head. "I'm out of power."

Uranus frowned, then noticed Saturn wasn't moving. "What's the newbie doing?"

Saturn wasn't paying attention to them, instead trying to figure out how the others had powered up. She focused in that, leaving herself open for an attack, not that there was anyone around who'd be able to attack her right now. There, she knew what to do... "Saturn Twilight Power!"

"She learns fast," Neptune commented.

As her transformation ended, she stepped forwards, glaive aimed at Dexite. Her suit had suffered the same changes as Uranus and Neptune's, but the weapon was unchanged. "Time for the Senshi of Death to do her job," she said coldly.

"Hah! You can't defeat me, girl, I'm still stronger than you all!"

"You are not," Saturn snapped back. "You were dodging most of the blasts Uranus and Neptune shot at you, tiring them out until you could get them easily. You're as out of energy as any of us, only we don't bluff out of it."

Dexite glared at her. "Why you..."

"Let's see if you can resist one more strike," Saturn said as coldly as ever. "Keep in mind I most likely wouldn't be able to hit you if you weren't locked in Sun's attack... So I guess he's the one that defeated you, not me."

"I'll kill you, stupid ki..." Dexite's gloating was stopped by Sun, as he used his tech to slam the corpse-man through a brick wall.

"It's not just for keeping you in place, as you can see," the Dragon commented. "By the way Saturn, attack him before I run out of power, will you?"

"Was about to," Saturn muttered. "Saturn... Death Bolt!"

Uranus and Neptune gasped as a dark blast shot out of Saturn's glaive, piercing through the General's chest. Dexite didn't even have time to blink before vanishing. "She's strong..."

Saturn fell to her knees, dropping the glaive. "Tired..."

Sun leaned on a tree and sighed. "Finally, we got him."

"Well done, team," Pluto said as she walked to them.

"What happened to the other two?" Neptune asked.

"They vanished when they saw Dexite die," Pluto explained. "Guess they didn't want to take any risks."

"What happens now?" Uranus asked.

"I've been keeping an eye in Tokyo," Pluto said. "With the seven Rainbow Youma gathered, Beryl could summon the Shadow Youma to fight the Senshi there... Also, I know she'll want to focus her troops in that point, as the Tokyo Senshi have gathered most of the Ginzuishou shards."

"So, we go and help them?" Neptune asked.

"No. I've detected something else, an evil I can't yet identify, in Tokyo. It isn't anywhere near Juuban, so I could bet the Senshi there won't figure it out yet."

"You want us to go stop that evil?" Sun asked.

"No, just to investigate, and... Kage, Hotaru, you both need training, to improve your skills as much as Haruka and Michiru have the last few years."

"We were the ones killing Dexite," Saturn pointed.

"It was a team effort," Pluto said, "and you said it yourself, he was out of power by the time Sun got him."

Saturn frowned. "I see. So we're going to stay out of the Dark Kingdom battles from now on?"

Pluto nodded. "The Princess is already fighting against Beryl, even though for what I know, she still doesn't remember who she really is. "

"How can you know that?" Sun asked.

"Because if the Princess had awakened, Beryl's Generals would already be dust in the wind. In any case, Haruka and Michiru will go to investigate this new evil, while you and Hotaru go back with me and train for future battles."

* * *

"Why does Kunzite always have to interrupt our dates?" V commented angrily. 

"I don't know, but I think we should kick his rear once and for all. "

V nodded at Ace, then looked around the wall they were hiding behind. Kunzite was searching the area, flanked by three cat-like youma. The only visible difference between the trio was their fur's color, it was red, blue and green respectively. "Here's the plan... I tackle Kunzite, you keep the youma busy until I'm done with him. "

Ace nodded. "Be careful."

"You too."

Kunzite smirked as the two heroes came out of hiding. "Finally."

"What are you up to this time around, Kunzite?" Ace asked. "Didn't drain anyone, just scared them off. That's just not your style."

"I would use my style if I didn't intend for this to be our final battle."

V looked around. The shopping mall they were at was large, but it's emptiness, even at daylight, was unnerving. "Let's see who beats who, then."

Kunzite leapt away from V as she charged, and one of the youma, the green-furred one, tried to tackle her. "Not this time, you'll have to get past one of them to get me," the General noted.

V punched the cat away, pointing her finger at it. "Crescent Beam!"

The cat-like creature dove aside, but as it stood up, it was clear V hadn't shot to kill. The Senshi was now running in Kunzite's direction. "I'll get that Senshi slut."

"Fireball!"

The fire blast knocked the cat to the ground. It stood up swiftly and noticed it's two lookalikes were also standing up. "Roshnyan, Azunyan, let's skin this little mouse alive."

The red-furred one nodded. "I like that plan, Vernyan."

Ace stood ready, waiting for their attack. As soon as they charged, he shouted "Teleport!" and the three youma ended up in a triple collision. "Didn't think you guys'd fall for that... You're quite stupid."

"And you're quite dead," the blue-furred cat snapped.

Ace dodged aside as it charged, slicing it's side with his sword. "Touche. Lightning!"

The other two cats flinched as their ally fell. "You killed Azunyan, we'll have to kill you," the red-furred one snapped.

Ace sighed as the cat run to him. "Shield." As the cat slammed head-first into an invisible barrier, he was already done casting another spell. "Ice."

Vernyan snarled at him. "You killed my brothers, human... That'll be your last mistake."

Ace smirked. "Go ahead, try like your friends did."

Vernyan laughed at him. "Not yet..." The bodies of the other two cat youma vanished, leaving black energy orbs behind. Both orbs entered Vernyan's body and it howled as it morphed. The cat grew in size to almost three meters, and it's formerly green fur was now black. "Human, Prepare to face Aronyan."

"Name's ugly, but you're uglier," Ace muttered. "Fireball!" The attack bounced off the cat's skin. "Okay, you might just be a little hard to defeat," he muttered before leaping aside as the cat's massive claw fell to him.

Meanwhile, V was trying her best to beat Kunzite. The General was as fast as usual, and without Ace helping her, she couldn't find a way to defeat him. From what she could see as she risked looking to the side, Ace had his hands quite full right now, as the three youma had seemingly fused into a single, large cat.

"What's up, Venus, giving up yet?" Kunzite snapped.

"I'm not... What?"

"Sailor V doesn't exist, you're Venus. And you're going to die today. "

"Just try," v snapped.

"Gladly," Kunzite snapped back. He started gathering energy and formed a shield to protect himself from V's attacks.

"Oh no, you won't!" V muttered. "Crescent Barrage!"

Kunzite cursed as his shield was hit dead-on by the laser rain, vanishing when the last few beams hit. A couple of them hit him, but that wasn't enough to bring him down. "Die, Venus!"

V gasped as a massive energy beam shot out of Kunzite's palms, then blinked as the attack didn't hit. Artemis was standing in front of her, a barely visible forcefield right in front of him. "Art?"

"It's good I decided to come check on you," Artemis said. "Tho I don't think I'll be able to stop another blast like that."

Ace frowned. He had to help V, but he couldn't until he got rid of the cat youma. He had tried all of his spells, and his sword, but nothing had worked so far. Actually, all his spells but one... "Okay kitty, it's time for you to take a catnap."

"Stupid jokes won't save you," Aronyan snapped.

"I know, but this will..." Ace focused in his sword, and it lit up with energy. "Demon Sword!" He slashed at the cat with the charged sword, leaving a deep wound behind, and the wound also lit up with power. "And here's where I run," he muttered as he rushed away.

The cat youma had time for one last painful howl before the energy inside it overloaded it's body, causing it to explode. "That was overkill," Artemis noticed as the whole building started shaking and small fragments of the roof started raining on them..

Ace shrugged. "We... Need to get out of here," he said weakly.

Kunzite laughed. "You won't." He shot an energy wave, not directed at his foes, but at the building itself, then vanished.

* * *

As the General appeared outside the building, he couldn't help but smile as it collapsed. "Ironic isn't it... All these months trying to kill Venus, and what killed her was her sidekick's magic." 

With one last look at the now wrecked building, Kunzite teleported back to the Dark Kingdom.

* * *

Minutes later, a rat was running over the pile of concrete and steel that had once been a shopping mall. It stopped on a large piece of wall and sniffed around, looking for something to eat. The rodent leapt off it's perch as it started moving, turning as the wall segment was sent flying away several meters, and coming face to face with an angry-looking white cat. 

"Boo," the cat said, and the rat dashed off. "Well, this is really a mess."

Venus was checking the damage. A scar in her left leg, a wound near her right elbow, and her suit was a mess, and had cuts all over. "Ace?" she called out, not getting any answer. "Oh no..."

"Gust!" came the muffled shout from under a pile of assorted debris, which was all sent raining over the area as Ace weakly stood up. "Mina, I'm sorry..."

"About what?" Venus asked.

"I almost kill us all," Ace noted.

"But now, Kunzite thinks we're dead," Artemis said, "and will surely tell that to the other Generals."

"And that's good because...?" Venus asked.

"If we stay in a low profile for a while, we could go help the Tokyo group when they need us, and suprise the youma."

"That's a plan," Ace said as he checked his own wounds. There was blood running down his right leg, a cut over his left eyebrow, and he could barely move his sword arm. "I think I'll need a few healing spells after this."

"What the hell was that?" Artemis asked. "I've never seen you use something as strong..."

"It's one of the Demon Hunters' strongest spells... And one that is better not to abuse, as it requires a lot of energy."

"You don't look tired," Venus said.

"I know... I added a drain spell to it, fed off that cat thing..."

"A human draining a youma... Strange irony," Artemis muttered.

"So, off to Tokyo we go!" Venus said and walked away, not waiting for the others.

"Artemis..." Ace said once she was out of hearing range.

"Yes?"

"I know you don't quite like me, and I'm not going to ask you to like me... But try not showing it so much in front of Mina."

Artemis shrugged. "Boy, it's not that I didn't like you, it's that I didn't think you were strong enough to protect Minako when she needed to..."

"You 'didn't'?" Ace noticed.

Artemis nodded. "In a way, you saved Minako back there. She was running out of energy while Kunzite wasn't even sweating. And after that display of power you gave us..."

"So... Friends?"

Artemis shrugged again. "Maybe. One thing though... You hurt Mina, I'll hurt you."

Ace nodded. "Fair enough, Art."

Artemis blinked. Everyone was calling him that nowadays... Worst thing was, he was starting to like the nickname.

* * *

**A/N:** Kunzite never read the Evil Overlord guide. As for the U. S. group, Haruka and Michiru will be investigating the Mugen Gakuen ('Infinity Academy') while Saturn and Dragon Sun train for a while.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	26. Interlude

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom. **

**Episode 26: Interlude. **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 22, 2007_

* * *

The Tokyo Senshi were, once again, meeting at the Zephyr mansion, and Rei had just finished explaining them what she'd found out in their last battle. 

"So your grandfather figured it out?"

Rei nodded at Ami's question. "Yeah. He said my energy's gone up a lot since I became a Senshi, but... I thought it'd only be detectable while we were in Senshi form?"

Terry produced a small cammera off his pocket and shrugged. "Not quite... Let me show you what I know."

Usagi blinked as the cammera lit up, projecting a tridimmensional image of some wrestler in the center of the table they were all sitting around. "Wow... Nice trick."

"You see, I've always liked melee combat, so I researched and found a scale that measures a fighter's overall abilities. A normal, untrained human like most of you were before the transformation, would go up to about three or four points in that scale."

Ami nodded. "I've seen that too." She noticed everyone looking at her and blushed. "I don't study _all_ the time, you know... Anyway, the scale has the best fighters in the world going up to between ten and twenty points in that scale."

"Would that scale be able to measure those like us?" Naru asked.

"I've been working on that, girls," Terry said as the image changed to a miniature image of Sailor Moon. "She's the strongest I've seen, even though she has nearly no fighting skills. Her power in my scale would go up to a hundred."

"I bet I'm the weakest," Ami said.

"There's also me," Terry admitted. "But yeah, power-wise, before the upgrade, you were at eighty points, the lowest of all the Senshi I've been able to see in battle."

"And now?" Usagi asked.

"Her power's up to over two hundreds," Terry said. "My guess is, you all will upgrade like she did when you need it, and you'll all be above that."

"How much power do _you_ have?" Mako asked.

"Keep in mind I have no magic or superhuman stats," Terry said. "When wearing my Zero armor, my power is around twenty five points. "

"Weakling," Mako muttered.

"Without the armor, I go down to around... eleven points."

"Bullshit," Rei said bluntly.

"We can fight if you want, no magic, no armor," Terry said. "The backyard has enough space for that, or we could go to one of the training rooms."

Rei chuckled. "I'll pass. I've seen you fight, and you most likely aren't bluffing."

"So, what's everyone doing later?" Usagi asked.

"I want to catch up on my reading," Ami said.

"We could go shopping, it'll be fun," Usagi insisted.

"No, thanks," Ami said.

"You miss it," Mako said. "Count me in."

"Me too," Naru said.

"I gotta help fixing the temple's yard," Rei said. "Our little battle there quite wrecked the place."

Terry shrugged. "I'm trying to research on the other Senshi groups. Also, the more I stay in here, the less I'll have to worry about the fangirls."

"Aww... Come on, we'll protect you," Usagi said.

"Oh, all right... But I'm bringing my .45 just in case." The girls all looked at him in shock. "Joking."

* * *

And so, a short trip to the mall later, the group was now sitting on a bench and talking. "I still don't know what's so fun about all this." 

Mako chuckled at Terry. "That's because you could buy the whole mall if you wanted to."

"Heh. In any case..."

"I sense a disturbance in the Force," Mako said.

"Hi guys!"

"Told ya," Mako muttered as Umino popped up from behind the bench.

Umino looked at Mako. "You should be careful, the fangirl squad's after you."

"What, they like girls now?" Usagi mused.

"No, but after she apparently chased them off, they figured she was his girlfriend."

Mako looked at Terry, then blushed. "He's not."

"I know," Umino said. "I saw them lurking the mall, too, so you should..."

"Terry!"

"You again?"

The crowd of girls was larger than last time, and was, again, lead by Chie. "We figured why Kino defended you the other day, but really... Why are you dating that ox?"

"Ox? Why you little..." Mako muttered.

Terry walked up to Chie, his glare making her take a step back. "I'm not dating anyone, or want to date anyone right now, and that's because I'm still mourning my first love. Now, if you and your harpy squad could leave me alone, it'd make things a damn lot easier for me."

There were murmurs in the crowd, but Chie silenced them with a quick glare back. "I see. Terry, I like you, we all do, but... This isn't helping the case, right?"

"If you mean chasing me around like a pack of cats running after a truck of tuna, then no."

"Then what, want us to stop being your fans?" one of the girls asked.

"I don't think he minds that," Naru said, "but the whole chasing him around the city is a bit _too_ extreme."

Chie seemed deep in thought for a minute, then she turned to the crowd. "Okay girls, I guess we know what we have to do. Let's go back to the base."

Usagi walked to Terry as the fangirls left. "That's one crisis averted."

Terry nodded. "Let's go back to whatever we were doing."

Usagi looked at Terry. She knew him enough to know something was upsetting him, but what? She could only guess and wait for him to talk about it.

* * *

As usual, the youma Queen sat in her throne, surrounded by hundreds of assorted youma, who were careful not to step into the dim light surrounding the stony seat. 

"Anything to report, Kunzite?"

Kunzite bowed to Beryl as he stepped out of the darnkess. "In our last battle, we had different outcomes on both fronts. While I was able to kill Venus and her mage friend, Dexite failed, and from Jadeite's report, I fear there's yet another Senshi around."

"A Senshi strong enough to defeat Dexite? Who is she?"

"Saturn," Kunzite noted. "However, my spies in the States haven't shown any movements from the Senshi there since Dexite's death, and one of them mentioned the possibility they'd moved back to Japan."

"That could complicate things a lot," Beryl admitted. "We're having little luck defeating the Senshi in Tokyo, if the New York ones were to join them..."

"That's why I want to put my lattest plan into action. One that has been planned carefully, and will require the assistance of all my fellow Generals."

"And the plan is?" Beryl asked as Zoicite walked out of the shadows and stood besides the white-haired General.

"As I told the others some time ago," the androgynous General noted, "the Senshi are mostly seen in Juuban, so the best guess would be, that's where their headquarters are. We'll wait until all the students arrive at Juuban High and trap them all inside a forcefield. " Beryl was about to say something, but stopped. "Once we get that, we'll threaten to kill all the students if the Senshi don't show themselves."

Jadeite stepped out of the darkness. "If they show themselves, we'll know who they are, and kill them. If they don't, we'll kill all the humans in the building, killing the Senshi as well."

Next to step into the light was Aurite. "While Kunzite and some others stay inside, I'll stay outside with the rest. That's in case some of the Senshi aren't inside the building when the dome's summoned."

Cardite followed. "We'll be able to enter or leave the dome in case things get too dangerous on either side, and that's what'll give us the advantage."

"Of course, we'll get a few youma to help us," Nephrite added as he stood next to the others.

"It's a pity the Rainbow Youma aren't fully recovered," Luminite noted. "If we were able to use them, our victory would be assured. "

Beryl gave them all a short, vague smile. "This time around, you seem to have all things considered... I expect results this time, as you'll be using a copious ammount of energy. A failure will not be good for any of you."

"Understood," the seven Generals said in unison as they all bowed to their Queen.

* * *

Next morning, during lunch break, Chie was talking to her closest friend, Karin, about what'd happened at the mall the day before. 

"So he told you to stay away?"

Chie nodded. "It's not fair. He has all those girls with him all the time..."

Karin smiled. "Chie, from what I've seen of them, they aren't chasing him around, they're his friends. Also, I know from a good source the whole issue with his girlfriend is true."

"I know that. But there has to be something else."

"There sure is," Karin said.

"What is it?" Chie asked, her interest piqued.

"I'll tell you, for a kiss," Karin noted, keeping a straight face.

"Uhh..." Chie blushed. "Don't joke like that, you dummy."

Karin laughed. "You're fun to tease. Anyway, I've heard his reasons to move so far away from home were not only to heal his heart, but also, to search for her murderer."

"So, what do you think I should do?"

"Maybe you should stop trying to be his girlfriend, and become his friend."

Chie nodded. "Thanks for the advice."

Karin smiled as Chie walked away. "And maybe I should follow my own advice, as well."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a table not far from Karin's... 

"... And he wanted to trade me his yatch for one of my swords."

Naru frowed at Terry. "You didn't?"

"I have ten boats like his, but only two swords of that kind."

"Quite a smart move," Naru said. "It'd be bad if you sold those swords before their power could be used for good."

"Hey girls!" Umino said as he somehow popped in-between Terry and Naru. Terry grabbed him by the collar and tossed him back. "What was that for?"

Terry shrugged. "Just stopping the girls from hitting you in the head. Brain damage seems to be severe enough already."

Umino ignored the jab. "I just wanted to let you guys know I finally figured out who Sailor Moon is!"

"You did?" Usagi asked with a frown.

"Indeed. She dresses up like a cheerleader, is quite clumsy and popular..."

"So?" Mako asked.

"So it's simple. Chie Wanako is popular, clumsy, and the captain of the school's cheerleading squad. She's Sailor Moon!"

"Who are you calling clumsy?"

Umino turned around to see a pair of piercing blue eyes glaring at him. "Uhm... Hi there, Chie."

Chie grabbed Umino by the collar as effortlessly as Terry had, and carried him out of the room. "She's stronger than she looks," the blonde commented.

"Aren't you gonna save him?" Mako asked amusedly.

Naru shrugged. "Chie's not gonna hurt him."

"Not the face!" Umino's voice could be heard from the outside. Everyone in the room flinched.

"Much," Naru added rapidly.

"What the heck, a storm?" Usagi muttered walking to the window as the sky outside darkened. "Oh crap."

Terry looked outside and grimaced. There was a black wall around the school, from what he could see. Or rather, a perfect sphere surrounding the school, from what his watch's data told him. "This isn't good."

Naru nodded as four of the Generals materialized near them. "Not good at all."

* * *

**A/N:** So far editing is making episodes slightly shorter. But don't worry, some episodes will need a few extra hundred words to compensate for the lack of a certain couple.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful universe. 


	27. Domes and Dragons

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 27: Domes And Dragons.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 22, 2007_

* * *

"Meow!" 

Rei looked outside, and saw Shade perched on a tall tree branch. The cats had never gone to her school before, so that meant something was happening. She walked out of the building, making sure nobody saw her. As everyone was having lunch, however, there just wasn't anyone outside to see her talk to the cat. "Hello, Shade."

"Rei, the Generals trapped the school building in a forcefield. All the other Senshi are trapped inside."

The girl nodded and picked the cat up, rushing into an alley. Soon enough, Sailor Mars was running towards the Juuban High building, as fast as she could.

* * *

Mercury was almost glad she'd decided to stay in her classroom for a change. That'd saved her from being trapped like the others, with no way to transform. She knew on her own she had near zero chances to defeat all those Generals, so she had to find a way to take them out of the room. 

Inside said room, the situation looked dire. Luminite, Jadeite and Nephrite were there, along with a white-haired General she'd never seen before, but for some reason looked eerily familiar. "Senshi, we know you're here. Transform and fight us, or we'll kill all the kids, " the new General threatened.

Karin growled at Luminite's words. Kill them? Not without a fight. She leapt off the crowd, delivering a running jab to Luminite's midsection that caused the pale woman to stagger back. "Want more?"

Nephrite tried to backhand Karin, but she ducked and went for a punch to the jaw. Before she could connect, however, Jadeite zapped her down with an energy blast. "Humans, such a pest..."

"Karin!" Chie snarled at the Generals and rushed them, but the three dodged her charge. Nephrite knocked her down, and the three chuckled mockingly. "Bastards..."

Terry looked at his watch. Those two girls weren't normal, definitely. But he had no time to worry about his readings.

_'I need to find a way out of this... But if transforming is the only way to save my friends, I'll do it.'_ Usagi thought with a frown.

"As soon as I distract them, find a way to sneak out of the room," Terry said.

"What are you planning?" Naru asked.

"You know me, I love getting hurt," Terry joked.

Before Terry could act, however, the door turned blue, along with a good section of the wall, and then was ripped off it's place. Everyone turned to see Mercury standing there.

"Oh my, look who's here," Luminite mocked.

"What's wrong, Icegirl, can't find your friends?" Jadeite added.

Terry smiled to himself. With the crowd distracted, he could put his alternate plan in action. He let several of his 'Chokers' roll under the Generals, and nodded at his friends.

When the Generals were able to see again, the crowd was gone. "What the Darkness? Oh, this is just great!" Kunzite snarled.

"They can't get out of the dome anyways," Luminite said. "Let's split and get them."

"Foolish," Jadeite said. "Don't split. The Senshi must've found a way to separate from their human friends and should be already done transforming. Let's search for them."

"Don't bother, we're here," Moon said as she and most of her group rushed into the room.

"Good," Luminite said. "Now we can get rid of you once and for all. "

"Heard that before," Zero snapped as he charged at Luminite.

"Time to call for reinforcements," Jadeite said. A half dozen youma appeared, each uglier than the last.

"Girls, I'll take on those critters, you kill the uglier ones," Zero said.

"Be careful, everyone. We've never fought this many enemies at once, " Mercury said.

* * *

"Karin, are you okay?" 

Karin nodded as she leaned on a wall. "Yeah. Shouldn't have tried to fight them."

"Good thing the Senshi were around," Umino commented.

"Hey, where's Terry?" Chie asked.

"I saw them split from the crowd," Umino said. "They said something about calling the army."

"Where'd the Senshi come from, though?" Karin pondered. "It most likely means they study here."

"Or that they have ways to enter those forcefields," Umino noted. "In any case, let's wait for them to solve the problem."

* * *

Jadeite dodged to the side as Jupiter tried tackling him. "Not bad, thundergirl. I bet you'd do a lot better if you fought with your brain instead of your fists." 

"My fists work for me, thank you," Jupiter muttered and charged again.

"So, Nephrite, what are you waiting for?" Nemesis snapped.

"We don't have to fight if you don't want to, Nadia."

"Sorry, but Nadia's dead, you killed her," Nemesis said. "Dark Bolt. "

"Is she really?" Nephrite pondered as the energy blast hissed by, barely missing his head. He had made no move to dodge the attack. "I think you're still the same, and you can't quite hurt me."

"Shut up!" Nemesis growled and rushed at Nephrite. He sidestepped and punched her in the back, knocking her to the ground.

"Luckily I don't have such handicaps."

* * *

Zero backflipped, narrowly missing a claw slash, and bounced off the wall, managing to punch his target away. _'Okay, maybe trying to fight this many youma wasn't a good idea.'_ He was knocked back by a jet of acid, luckily his suit's element regenerated faster than the acid acted. 

Still, all he could do was dodge and keep them busy, that way his friends would have a fair fight against the Generals.

* * *

Kunzite was meanwhile fighting Moon. "You're the so-called leader? I can't believe Jadeite couldn't beat you." 

Moon dodged as Kunzite shot an energy blast, and frowned. There had to be a way out of this mess, and preferibly without thrashing the school. She idly wondered if Mars or Tuxedo Kamen had already found a way to get through the shield.

* * *

Mars looked at the black dome around the school with a frown. As if the dome wasn't enough trouble, there were three Generals outside. She had to find a way to get through both the dome and the idiots, and fast. "Looks like a challenge." 

"Do you have a plan?" Luna asked.

"Not really," Mars said, then run to the dome. "Hey you, uglies!"

Aurite chuckled. "Ms. Firebrain's here. Was about time. Ready to die, girl?" the gold-haired General snapped.

"It doesn't matter, because I'm not going to die," Mars snapped back. "Fire Soul!"

Aurite punched the attack away. "Seriously... You girls are so weak. "

Cardite produced a card and smiled, then blinked in disbelief as the card was stabbed through by a rose, ending up pinned to a tree. "Oh great, that's twice in a row..."

"What, no comments on my looks or skills?" Tuxedo asked as he leapt off the tree branch he'd been standing on.

"They kinda talk for themselves," Cardite snapped.

"At least I'm not trying to beat opponents with Magic: The Gathering cards," the masked man snapped back.

_'I've got to help the others,'_ Mars thought as she dodged a barrage of energy blasts from Aurite. _'But how to get through that dome...'_ The answer came to her as she dodged again, and one of the blasts struck the dome, momentarily disrupting a small area of it. "Hah! You miss and miss again. Not that those weak blasts would be any problem for me, really."

"Shut up," Aurite snapped.

"I hit a nerve, huh? Sorry, freak show, but you're just too weak to fight me."

"Too weak?" Aurite growled. "DIE!" She shot a massive energy blast at Mars, but the Fire Senshi dodged and rushed in as an entrance formed. "... Oops."

"Who's the hothead now?" Mars shouted as the dome closed, and stuck her tongue out at Aurite.

"Well done, genius," Cardite snapped as she dodged Tuxedo's cane.

"Let's go in," Aurite said ignoring the jab. "All the Senshi are in there now, and these losers won't be able to follow us."

Tuxedo growled as the three Generals vanished. "Damn..."

A group of assorted military vehicles came rushing towards the dome. Seia leapt off a tank and frowned. "I don't like it when they use those," she commented.

"The Senshi are all in there," Tuxedo noted.

"I know. I'm here to try and free them," the pink-haired woman explained.

"With what?"

Seia produced a rocket launcher out of seemingly nowhere. "With this. " She shot a rocket at the dome, it exploded filling the area with a bright light for several seconds. When the effect passed, however, the dome was still intact. "Fuck. Tomoe needs to revise his numbers, this thing didn't work."

* * *

Zero was, he had to admit, outpowered. He'd managed to take down two of the six youma, but the remaining ones were keeping their distance and shooting blast after blast at him. Well, at least there was no electric or ice youma in the mix. 

"Fire Soul!"

The one youma that looked like a featherless bird turned into a pile of ashes almost instantly. "What took you so long?"

Mars frowned. "Had to get past the security guards outside."

Kunzite frowned as he saw Mars. "Pull back and regroup, everyone."

Mercury run to the others as the Generals all stopped attacking. "What are they up to?"

Mars shrugged. "I don't know, but they're visibly going all out this time."

The white-haired General smirked as the Senshi all gathered as well. "Plan's not really working, so... I suggest a different approach."

"Whatever you're going to do, get them now," Aurite said as she and the last two Generals appeared in the room. "The human army's out there trying to breach the dome."

"Why don't you just get that dome out of the way and let all the kids here go?" Zero asked.

"That's a good idea," Kunzite said.

* * *

Tuxedo produced a rose and frowned. "Let's try this..." 

Seia snickered. "What, you mean that rose's gonna destroy the dome, when that rocket couldn't even scratch it?"

Tuxedo shrugged and tossed the rose at the dome. As it struck, the dome vanished. "..."

Seia tossed her rocket launcher at her tank and growled. "What are those things made of?"

"Magic," Tuxedo simply said, then winced. "But I don't have time to chat. The Senshi need my help."

Seia watched as the masked man rushed towards the school. "Well, now we sit and wait as usual."

* * *

"Zero, next time you give the enemy an idea, I'm going to deep-freeze you," Mercury noted. 

"Uhm... Oops?" Zero muttered. The others looked around them. A miniature version of the dome that had been around the building was now surrounding them. "Maybe we can dig our way out with our attacks?" Jupiter suggested.

Mercury shook her head as she scanned the dome's wall with her visor. "It's a spherical forcefield. And also..."

"Enough of this. Moon Tiara Action!"

"Watch it, moron!" Mars snapped as Moon's tiara bounced off the dome's wall and started bouncing around.

"... Our attacks will probably not be strong enough to destroy it," Mercury completed as Moon caught her tiara.

"So now what, we give up?" Nemesis muttered.

"That'd be good," Kunzite admitted. "If you don't, you'll be destroyed anyways," he added as he snapped his fingers.

"The dome's shrinking!" Mercury noted.

"We can see that," Jupiter said. "And slowly, too..."

"I wanted to enjoy your deaths," Kunzite noted.

"It'd be funnier to kick your asses ourselves, but we're tired of you always managing to escape," Jadeite added.

"You are the ones always running away," Zero snapped.

"Say all you want, but this time around it's game over for you," Luminite said.

Mercury frowned. "Maybe not... Shabon Spray Freezing!"

The attack hit the dome wall and, for a split second, the wall shimmered. "Hah! Not enough." Kunzite snapped. _'Came too damn close to breaking the dome down, though.'_

"Crescent Barrage!"

"Firestorm!"

One of the token youma was incinerated, while the other two were hit by a barrage of thin laser beams. The Generals turned to see three figures walking into the room. "You said you'd killed them," Aurite noticed.

_"Sorry freaks, but you can't kill a Senshi just by dropping a building on her,"_ Venus snapped as she pointed her finger at them. _"But enough of that... Crescent Beam!"_

Aurite swiftly formed a shield, but was still knocked back by the force of the attack. "Damn, she's strong."

"Destroy her!" Kunzite ordered.

_"You may try, but you'll never beat me,"_ Venus taunted.

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, Venus still talks in English. I blame jetlag.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	28. Luminite's Last Scene

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 28: Luminite's Last Scene.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 23, 2007_

* * *

Kunzite rushed forwards, trying to slash Venus in half, The other Generals took the chance to shoot energy blasts at their foe, and Kunzite leapt back, shooting a blast of his own for good measure. 

"Fire Wall!"

Venus blinked as a wall of flames formed right in front of her, absorbing the blasts from her foes. _"Thanks, Ace."_

"V, you don't need to talk in English anymore," Ace noted.

"..." Venus grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm too used to it..." Both the mage and the cat shook their heads at her.

"They're no pushovers," Jadeite commented.

"I know that. Let's get rid of them while the other Senshi are busy getting crushed," Kunzite suggested.

"Geting rid of me? Oh hohohoho!" Venus laughed.

"Why's she laughing like that?" Ace asked the cat.

"She's a basketcase, that's why," Artemis muttered.

"Ahem... Crescent Barrage!"

The Generals all rose their shields, but they were all knocked back by the attack. The Senshi inside the dome all gasped at Venus' display of power."What the _fuck_ was that?" Zero asked.

"An upgraded attack, just like my Freezing tech," Mercury explained, "but her power's higer than mine or Moon's..."

Moon frowned then nodded. "I'll get you out of here, guys," she said before closing her eyes.

"No time to sleep now, slacker," Mars snapped.

"Rei, for once in your life, shut the hell up," Zero snapped back. "Let her focus."

"We have no time for--"

"Mars, he's right," Nemesis said. "If that blonde out there can hit that hard, imagine what Moon could do."

Mars nodded. She hated to admit it, but it was a fact Moon was the strongest of them as far as raw magic power went. "We trust you, Usagi," she said almost in a whisper.

"I know," Moon said as she opened her eyes, a thin white aura surrounding her. "I pity them, they need to resort to this kind of tricks to win... But they fail, once again. Moon Tiara..."

"Hey, you already tried that," Jupiter noted.

"... Boomerang!"

"Huh?" Mars blinked as the tiara hissed by, inches away from her face. It struck the dome and popped it like a soap bubble. "It worked!"

"Well, damn it," Jadeite muttered. "Time to leave?"

"Don't be a coward," Luminite snapped. "Upgrade or not, we can still kill them all."

Kunzite nodded. "Agreed. Let's make this their final battle."

"Round two," Zero said as the Senshi all prepared to fight their foes.

* * *

"We've already evacuated the school, and the surrounding buildings, just in case," Seia said. 

"Good," Kino's voice said through the comm. "How's the situation with the Senshi?"

Seia looked at the building as she heard an explosion. A good section of the front wall had been just blasted to dust. "Getting worse. I think the youma are going all out."

"If things get too bad, retreat."

"Understood," Seia said and cut the call. "Come on, Senshi, I know you can do this."

* * *

Things were even for both sides now, though most of the battle was a brawl. Venus and Ace had chosen Kunzite to fight, while Zero tried to finally get his revenge on Luminite, with Mercury helping him as much as she could. The white Mooncat watched the battle, not sure how to help his protegee. 

"Artemis, is that really you?"

He smiled as Luna and Shade came walking to him. "Long time no see, girls. A _really_ long time."

"You think they need our help?" Shade asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Artemis said. "But we'll have to trust them to win this one."

* * *

"When will you realize you can't beat me?" 

Zero frowned as Luminite dodged his slash, then slashed up to stop her attack. "Not on my own, agreed..."

"Shabon Spray Freezing!" Mercury shot her attack and knocked Luminite back, then fell to her knees. "Out of... Power."

Luminite parried Zero's slash once again and kicked him into a wall, then floated to where Mercury was. "I think this may look familiar to you, Zero..." She commented as she gathered energy, aiming at the Ice Senshi.

Mercury stood up slowly, and started gathering energy herself. However, she didn't have enough left to even use her normal attack. "No... I can't give up." She then saw something else, and rushed forwards.

"Die!" Zero snapped as he rushed at Luminite. The white-skinned General smirked as she turned to him, pointing her blast right at him. _"Oh fuck..."_

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury rushed in front of the attack, shooting her own to try and stop it. The blast was stronger than expected, however, and she was knocked back by it, rolling on the ground and stopping near the ninja.

"Mercury!" Zero kneeled besides the Ice Senshi. "Hang in there..."

Mercury smiled weakly at him. "I'm... Fine. If that attack had hit you... You could've have died."

"Not like you fared any better," Luminite mocked. "That's what you get for helping him. He always lets his girlfriends get killed."

Zero stood up, and even though his eyes weren't visible, the General could feel the full force glare he was giving her. "Enough of you, Luminite. You're not leaving this place alive, even if I have to die to destroy you."

"Nice rant, ninja boy, but you don't have the power you need to destroy me. You never will."

Venus looked aside, forgetting for a moment about Kunzite, and frowned. Mercury was down, and the ninja guy was... Shining? "Ace, can you heal Mercury?"

Ace dodged Kunzite's energy blast and punched him in the gut. "I'm a bit busy here..."

Venus tackled Kunzite into a wall and kicked him where it hurt. "There. Now go help Mercury."

"Aye, sir," Ace said then rushed to the Ice Senshi. What he saw while he run, however, almost caused him to stop and run back.

Luminite was also backing away. Zero's suit was glowing blue, as were both his swords. "What in darkness..."

"You killed Nova, and now you hurt Mercury... You won't walk out of this one, Luminite."

"You keep talking, but what are you going to do? Poke me to death with your pretty swords?"

Zero looked at his right hand sword. "Maybe. Mercury Dragon Power!"

* * *

"Moon Tiara Boomerang!" 

Aurite fell to one knee as the tiara hit her, wincing at the pain from the wound on her right arm. "This isn't working..."

"Crescent Barrage!"

"Fire Soul!"

"Supreme Thunder!"

"Dark Bolt!"

"Firespray!"

The rest of the Generals were all sent crashing to the ground. Jadeite stood up and considered the odds. They weren't looking any good. "Damn it... What in Darkness is going on?"

"It's not possible. They weren't this strong until Venus showed up," Zoicite commented.

"I'm not taking any risks," Kunzite said. "I'll take full responsability, but I want no casualties. Retreat!"

Luminite frowned as she saw the other Generals vanishing. "Cowards... "

"Well guys, seems like there's only one left..." Mars said.

"That bitch's mine," the new Senshi snapped. The others looked at him. His suit was pretty much the same as Zero's, only it was dark blue, and his head wasn't covered. Both his swords had a bluish hue now, and had the symbol of Mercury drawn on their hilts.

"Zero... Dragon Mercury, be careful," Moon said.

Luminite smirked. "So scary... Don't you realize, kid, that you're weaker than Mercury was before she got her upgrade?"

"Like I care," Dragon Mercury snapped and charged towards her.

"Hah!" Luminite leapt up and shot an energy blast while airborn. The Dragon knocked the attack away with one sword, and sliced her leg with the other. "Damn..." The General fell to the ground and winced as blood trickled down her leg.

"I don't need any magic to kill you, bitch."

"Tch. This wound's nothing!" Luminite snapped and formed two energy blades, slashing up at the Dragon. He blocked them both and leapt away. "Running are we?"

"I'm not like you, I don't run away. I'm just allergic to losers."

Luminite frowned then chuckled mockingly. "Says the one who let his beloved friend die."

"Why you..."

"Wait." Dragon Mercury turned at the voice, and saw Mercury standing besides him. "Don't let rage take over... You fight better when you focus."

The Dragon nodded. "You're right..."

Ace walked to the others. "This looks interesting."

"Can't I just blast that witch dead?" Venus asked.

"No," Mars said. "Luminite killed his girlfriend. He deserves to be the one killing her in return."

"Kid needs his new girlfriend to tell him what to do," Aurite taunted looking at Mercury. "Can't fight me on your own? It's not fair if you're going to be two against me."

"I stopped being fair the day you stabbed Nova through," Dragon Mercury snapped. "Icycle..." The tips of his sword were shrouded by a bluish mist, which slowly solidified into small ice shards. "Spray!"

Mercury had moved, while the Dragon and Luminite taunted each other, and had placed herself right behind Luminite. As she noticed Terry summoning her new attack, she guessed what the General was going to do to dodge, and guessed right.

Luminite floated up as the Dragon swung his swords, releasing a large beam of small, sharp ice shards. They looked like they'd hurt, if they'd hit their mark. "Hah! Missed me!"

"But I won't. Shabon Spray Freezing!" The General realized Mercury was behind her a second too late, and was sent falling forwards by her icy attack. She saw Dragon Mercury waiting for her, but had no way to stop.

"Touche." Dragon Mercury said coldly as he stabbed Luminite through.

"Still... Can't... Kill me," Luminite said wincing at the pain, and trying to focus enough to shoot one last blast.

The Dragon stabbed his second sword through her, this time coming close to her heart. "You know, you were right, I couldn't beat you on my own. So I'm glad I had someone I could trust by my side, unlike you."

"This... Isn't... Over," Luminite snapped trying to pry the swords off her chest.

"It is. Icycle Spray!"

The other Senshi gasped as Luminite was blasted to shreds by the attack, turning into dust before what was left of her could hit the ground. Mercury walked to the Dragon but stopped as she saw his face. "Terry?"

Dragon Mercury looked at the spot where Luminite had been a second ago, then at Mercury. "Sorry, I... Need to be alone."

Mercury turned to the others as the Dragon left. "Looks like this battle's over."

"What a mess," Nemesis noted.

Mars looked at the brand new Senshi around, noticing also that Tuxedo Kamen had left while Terry beat Luminite. "And you are...?"

"Sailor Venus," Venus said. "And this is Ace."

"Sure, forget about me," Artemis muttered.

"Oh, and that's my Mooncat, Artemis."

"So, the team's complete now," Moon said.

"We still haven't found the Princess," Luna said, "but we'll need the seven shards for that."

"I wouldn't worry," Mars said. "Even with Luminite gone, I bet the Generals will come back until they get the shards, or we kill them. "

As the Senshi were leaving the building, they looked around at the damage. The front wall of the building was mostly gone, the lunch area was mostly a collection of burnt marks, craters and tables turned into splinters.

"Feels like home," Venus said.

"What do you mean?" Jupiter asked.

"Last time we fought Kunzite in London, he sort of dropped a mall on us," Ace commented.

* * *

"Well, the battle's over," Seia said as she looked at the building from a safe distance. 

"What about the school?" a bald, fat man asked. "Who'll pay for the damage those Senshi caused?"

"Most of the damage wasn't caused by the Senshi, Mr. Satou," Seia noted, "however, don't worry, the army will take care of the repair bill."

"How long will it take?" Principal Satou asked resignedly.

"I'd say two weeks, maybe three," Seia said. Satou promptly fainted.

"He took it quite well," Haruna muttered.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey, the poor girls need a vacation after that battle. Not sure the youma'll be quiet for long, though.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	29. The Calm Before The Storm

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 29: The Calm Before the Storm.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 5, 2007_

* * *

A few hours after the battle, the Senshi were all back to their human forms, and gathering at the Zephyr mansion. Minako and Brad were also there, and had just finished telling the others their story. 

"So you were around before everyone else?" Usagi asked.

"As far as I know..." Minako admitted.

"There's also the U.S. group we heard about, but news about them stopped around one week ago," Brad commented. "Rumors I heard on the net point out they got rid of their enemies there, so they had no reason to stay. It makes sense, as the youma attacks in the States also stopped."

Luna nodded. "We don't really know who they are, or if they're coming here to help. However, the youma are focusing all their efforts here, so we should prepare for another battle like the one you fought today."

"Yay..." Usagi muttered. "This just gets funnier and funnier."

"You're being sarcastic," Luna said. "That's a bad omen."

"We need to polish our melee skills," Naru said, then looked at Rei and Mako. "Well, most of us, anyway."

"I could train you in that one field," Terry said. He wasn't still done dealing with his own thoughts, but he could put them aside for the time being.

"You?" Rei asked. "I doubt we could get good training out of someone who seems to love getting hurt."

Terry smirked as he leapt off the chair he was sitting on and swung his fist at Rei, stopping milimeters away from her face. "This is when you fall."

"Why didn't you dodge that?" Minako asked.

"I... I didn't have any time to react," Rei said. "Guess I underestimated your skills."

"You're not a bad fighter, Rei... But you rely on your magic too much. Same as everyone else."

"But where will we train... I mean, if we want to train our powers too," Naru pointed.

"That'd be tricky," Terry admitted. "Let me see what I can find."

* * *

Back in the Dark Kingdom, meanwhile, Beryl was giving her Generals a death glare after hearing their report. "It's simply impossible," she said. "You've failed, all of you..." 

"I gave the order to retreat..."

"Silence, Kunzite," the Queen snapped. "We also lost Luminite, which means we're weakened."

"That was her own fault," Nephrite pointed. "She was too obsessed with killing that ninja kid, and that obsession was her doom."

"Queen Beryl, I have a new plan," Aurite said.

"I'm listening."

"The Senshi seem to be stronger when grouped. A single Senshi hardly poses a threat, so if we could divide them..."

"And how exactly would we do that?" Beryl asked.

"Easy... We need to target several areas of the city, at the same time, and with enough distance between them, so whichever Senshi decides to go to a single area won't be able to get help from the others."

"There's more Senshi than Generals right now," Kunzite noted.

"I know. So, this time around we'll use more youma, to keep both Senshi and sidekicks entertained."

Beryl fell silent for a minute, before she nodded at Aurite. "I'll authorize the use of as much energy as you need for this. However... We're running out of time, Metallia needs to awaken soon, and for that, we need most of the energy we have. But if Metallia was to come out of her sleep now, she wouldn't be able to face the Senshi. We need to kill as many of them as possible, and get the rest of the Ginzuishou shards. Do not fail again."

"We won't," Aurite said.

"I heard that before," Beryl noted. "But make sure you've recovered from today's battle, I don't want any more casualties."

* * *

Three days had passed since he'd gotten his revenge. He still had to help the others, but he wasn't in the mood to see them. So, he'd spent the last three days mostly in the mansion, thinking about the past and his future here in Japan. 

"Well, well, look who's here..."

Terry looked up at his father from the chair he was sitting on. "Wow. You're not working, that's a rarity."

Jack ignored the jab. "Sam wanted me to check on you, said you were acting like the week after Hana died."

Terry looked down. "You know, I finally got my revenge. I killed the bitch who killed Hana."

"And you realized it won't solve a thing," Jack guessed.

Terry nodded. "Pretty much, killing her didn't bring Hana back. Also, now that I'm done with it... I still have all this rage inside, but don't know what to do with it. I'm scared I'll end up taking it out on my friends."

"Use it against those demons."

"I suppose I could do that."

"And, don't fear falling in love again," Jack said.

"Huh?"

"I've talked to your friends, too. One of them told me about you and Mizuno."

Terry scowled. "Mako..."

Jack laughed. "She also said you'd guess that."

"Ami... She's shy, smart, and nice, but she avoids anything related to love and romance, from what I've seen."

"Your mother had the same traits," Jack noted. "It took me a while to tell her, too."

Terry flinched. "I don't know, it's too soon, I mean, Hana..."

Jack shook his head. "That's good, keep on making excuses."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Do you think Hana would like to see you like this, locked up inside and hiding from your fears?"

Terry fell silent for a minute before answering. "I guess not."

"You've already dealt with that part of your past, son," Jack said as he walked out of the room. "Don't let it control you."

* * *

"Your project was a failure." 

The scientist looked at the woman almost dismissively. "It was not. I did not know of the Senshi's ability to upgrade their own power, and that caused my creature's destruction, but I have learnt something new. And frankly, my pets are easily replaceable. Only thing I need to build a new one is time."

"What about your other project?"

"Her body is ready, but her mind is... Rebellious. Quite a given, considering what her powers are."

"Be careful, I don't want her to go wild and turn against us."

"I wonder, though, what would your boss think if she knew what you are planning?"

"She won't ever know, she's too busy fighting a losing battle to bother checking our loyalty."

"You have done your part in that losing battle, right?"

The woman's glare seemed to pierce through his skull. "Careful, human. You know I could kill you on the spot if I wanted to."

"But you will not, as I am far more useful alive."

"That's true. Just try not to become more of an annoyance than you should."

The scientist turned back to his work as the woman left the room. Indeed, she was right, and he knew it. He'd have no way to escape should she decide to destroy him. But she was financing his experiments, and that was making the risks worth taking.

* * *

Terry had decided to go for a walk, to clear his mind. However, he noticed someone following him, and his stalker kept on tracking him for several blocks. Finally, he stopped and turned to face a very surprised red-haired girl. "I thought I said I didn't want you doing that." 

Chie grimaced. "Sorry, I just saw you and decided to tell you something, but you looked too... Downcast, so I wasn't sure it was a good time."

Terry's face took on a curious hint. "You could say that. What did you want to tell me?"

"I was wondering, I know we all acted a bit crazy the last few days, but... I don't want you to hate me for that. I was wondering if we could start from zero."

"Hate? Don't worry, I've taken care of the only person I hated."p Chie's eyes widened. "You mean you..."

"I know the rumors, and they're mostly right. But now that I'm done with that, I know it won't bring Hana back. 'Downcast' doesn't quite describe how I feel."

"You should tell your friends, if you haven't already. I'm sure they can find a way to keep you out of the gloom."

"Everyone tells me I need to get out of the gloom, but I like the gloom. It's a fun place to be in."

"That grim face doesn't fit you," Chie noted. "Besides, I don't think Mizuno likes the scowly types."

Terry stared at her for a few seconds, then groaned. "Is it that obvious?"

"Not really. Remember I thought Kino was the one at first."

Terry laughed at that, then grimaced. "Well, I have to go now. Just remembered I left something important back at my house."

Chie looked at him as he hurriedly walked away, then started walking in the opposite direction. "Karin was right, no need to hurry things up. Now for..." She stopped as she saw a Senshi flying several meters over the buildings around her. "Strange, didn't know they could fly... On surfboards?"

* * *

Dragon Mercury produced his communicator as he fled. "Guys, I'm picking up several signals. There's youma all around the city." 

"I'm feeling them too," Mars said. "You got their location?"

The blonde nodded. "They're attacking at six different parts of the city, and each attack's far from the others."

"It's a trap. They want us to split and fight them," Ace said.

Mercury nodded. "I noticed something in our last battle. From the moment Venus showed up, we all had a small yet noticeable upgrade in our battle abilities, most likely meaning we fight better when grouped."

"They must've noticed it too," her male counterpart guessed. "So, what'll we do?"

"We go, we fight them, and we make them run away," Moon said.

"Where's ol'scared Usagi?" Mars mused.

"I'm still scared, but I won't let them drain innocent people without a fight."

"You're a bad influence on her, Terry" Nemesis noted.

"Oh, so now it's my fault?" Dragon Mercury muttered.

Mars shook her head. "Let's just go before they get bored of waiting. "

"Brad and me will get Kunzite," Venus said.

"I'll go get Zoicite," Mercury said.

The Dragon nodded. "I'll help you."

"I'll face Nephrite" Nemesis said. "I'll try talking some sense into his thick skull one last time."

Moon nodded. "Okay... Mars, get Jadeite. Jupiter, go for Cardite. I'll fight Aurite."

"Sounds fun," Mars muttered.

"You sure you can handle her?" Jupiter asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be okay," Moon said with a smile. _'I hope, '_

* * *

**A/N:** You could, with a bit of imagination, guess who 'the scientist' is allied with. The scene foreshadows two future arcs of the story, but that's all I'm saying for now.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	30. Divide and Conquer

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 3: Dark Kingdom. **

**Episode 30: Divide and Conquer. **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 5, 2007_

* * *

The mall had been packed full of humans when Kunzite attacked, hence he had a lot of energy to use. But the Senshi were taking their time getting there. He just wished he'd get to face the ones that had stoppedd his draining attempts so many times in the past. 

"Hey there, albino roach."

And it seemed like he'd just got his wish, as he looked up at Venus and Ace standing on the metal fence of the second floor. "You kids should be careful, you could fall off."

"Nah, we're fine here," Ace mused.

"Not for long!" Kunzite shouted and released a barrage of energy blasts that destroyed most of the fence. Venus and Ace fell on their feet a good five meters below. "If you thought that was fun, wait until you see this... Dargoss, come forth!"

"What the heck is that?" Venus gasped as a black shadow-like creature walked out of a wall, it's bluish eyes glaring at them.

"I supposed you'd come fight me, so I'm prepared."

"That's funny... I'll take that thing down now. Crescent Barrage!"

Kunzite chuckled as the beam was absorbed by Dargoss. "You're really naive sometimes, Venus."

"I don't need to fight him..." Venus said looking at Ace.

"I thought about that too, so... Azalex!"

A spider-like youma crawled down from the third floor. "Human flesh tastes great," it announced.

"Damn, now what?"

Ace nodded. "I'll take on the shadow."

"No you won't!" the spider snapped and rushed to Ace. The white-clad hero leapt out of the way, but was ensnared by a web shot. "Little fly fell in my net..."

"Ace!" Venus was about to help him, but the shadow punched her into a wall. "That... Hurt."

Kunzite chuckled. "It's over, V. You have no way to fight me and my youma at the same time, and all your friends are too busy to help you."

Venus leapt aside as Kunzite shot an energy blast at her, then glared at him. "I won't know until I try, now will I?"

* * *

Zoicite looked at the two Senshi flying his way with detached interest. Really, they were so easy to fool. In the highway he'd taken over, they'd have nothing to use against them... And a lot of humans they could accidentally kill were scattered around the area. The perfect scenario for the fight, really. "Welcome, kids." 

"Look, it's Victor Victoria," Dragon Mercury commented. Mercury giggled at that as she leapt off the flying board.

"I was expecting more than one of you, so I'm ready for it. Youma, come forth!"

The Dragon flinched. One of the youma looked like a humanoid ice statue, while the other one was an orb of electricity. It was a good thing he wasn't wearing his Zero suit anymore. "Take care of the androgynous freak, I'll beat his pets," he said to Mercury.

"Well, well... Little Mercury wants to fight?" Zoicite teased.

"Shabon Spray Freezing!"

The General dodged the ice blast and frowned. "Gee, and here I thought you were the pacifist one."

"I don't like to fight, but I can't let you go after what you did here."

"Let's see what you can do, then," Zoicite snapped as his hands filled with energy.

* * *

"Stop it right there!" 

Aurite chuckled as she floated on the exact center of the football field. "I got lucky, I'll be the one killing the leader."

"You better leave before I hurt you."

Aurite shrugged. "You could possibly beat me in a fair fight, but... Who's fair?" Moon gasped as she saw a couple rock-like youma crawl out of the grass, both looked like armadillos with sharp stony claws. "And I won't just stand and watch you fall, either."

A rose hissed by, slicing Aurite's left cheeck with it's stem before embedding itself into the goal post. "Three against one isn't fair, so let's make it even."

"You shouldn't have done that," Aurite snapped clutching her bleeding cheek. "Youma, destroy him!"

"No!" Moon turned as the youma run past her and tackled the caped hero, but she got knocked to the ground by an energy blast.

"Never give your back to me, idiot," Aurite snapped.

Moon glared up at Aurite and reached for her tiara. She'd never liked fighting, but if the gold-skinned youma insisted, she'd have to show her what she could do.

* * *

Jupiter winced as she hid behind a parked car. Cardite wasn't playing soft, and had summoned a couple youma to help... As much as Jupiter liked to think her strength could beat anything, she could use one of Mercury's plans for this fight. 

Problem was, she knew Mercury would have her hands full too. So it was all up to her own 'tactics.'

"Come out and play, Thundergirl," Cardite teased as she floated around a corner, followed by two fox-like, humanoid, white-furred youma.

"Fire!"

Jupiter gasped as Cardite and the youma were knocked back by several explosions. Looking at the far side of the street, she could see a missile truck, and her uncle standing right besides it.

"Fucking... Humans..." Cardite muttered as she staggered up. She was promptly kicked away by Jupiter, and slammed into a tree. "I hate... Humans."

"Thanks for the help," Jupiter said to the army General.

"I'll keep the two underdogs busy," Kino said as he produced a futuristic-looking machinegun. "You go get the boss."

Jupiter cracked her knuckles. "That's what I intended to do from the start."

Cardite floated up and laughed despite the pain. "I'll have fun beating you, and then I'm going to kill that stupid human too."

* * *

In a park far from there, Nemesis was right now facing Nephrite. "So, are you going to attack me?" the General asked. 

"No, I want to try once again... Nephrite, please join me."

"Would you join my army?" Nephrite asked. At Nemesis' sad stare, he nodded. "I can't turn against my Queen, either... It's what I am now, I can't change."

"Then..." Nemesis rose her arm as energy gathered. She stopped, however, as Nephrite didn't move. "... Why?"

"I won't fight you, you won't fight me. We're clearly at a stalemate here."

"Dark Bolt!"

Nephrite smiled as the energy blast hissed by, missing him widely. "See, I told you. Maybe you should go help your friends..."

"And you'd follow me and attack them," Nemesis said. "No thanks, I'll stay here."

"As you wish," Nephrite nodded.

* * *

Jadeite grunted as Mars kicked his side, but took the chance to grab her leg and toss her over a fence. "Stupid girl..." The sound of explosions distracted him as the insane army woman, who was always helping the Senshi lately, blasted one of his youma through a building. "Herken, stop fooling around and fini--" 

Mars smirked as Jadeite went down to the ground, courtesy of a kick to the head. "Pay more attention to your actual foe, you're making this too easy for me."

Jadeite started gathering energy as he stood up. "You asked for it, Mars."

* * *

"Crescent Barrage!" The shadowy youma stared at her as her attack was absorbed. "This is really not good..." Kunzite frowned as he waited for the right chance to strike, keeping an eye on the battle between Azalex and Ace as well. 

Ace had solved his first problem with a fire spell, but he'd soon found his spells did nothing against the spider creature. He dodged yet another string shot, which was apparently the only attack the monster had, and turned to check how Venus was faring.

Venus wasn't doing good, as the shadow kept on charging at her, and was immune to her attacks. Things got worse when Kunzite decided to act, tackling her and pinning her against a wall, clutching her neck as he formed an energy sword.

Artemis jumped at Kunzite's face, slashing down before leaping away. The General staggered back as the pain made him drop Venus. He recovered sooner than expected, however, and shot a blast at the Mooncat, slamming him into the wall besides Venus, and leaving a large dent in it. "Stupid fleabag."

Ace dodged the spider once again just as Artemis got hit. He saw Kunzite heading for Venus again, who was still stunned by his previous attack, and something awakened in him. He turned in shock as the sword he had yet to unsheat started shinning. "What the..."

Artemis recovered his senses as he felt a familiar energy. "How didn't I see that? Ace, that sword's a Dragon sword too!"

Ace turned to the cat and the words hit him. Just like Terry's sword! That meant he could... "Hey albino roach!"

Kunzite turned away from Venus and winced as he saw Ace had a white aura surrounding him. "That wasn't in the plan."

"Boo hoo, whity. Venus Dragon Power!" Ace's transformation was similar to Venus' one, only he ended up wearing an orange suit like the one Dragon Mercury used. "Let's do this quick. I'm Dragon Venus and I'm going to kick your ass."

"Azalex, get rid of him," Kunzite ordered.

"Venus Light Sword Slash!" The Dragon sliced the air in front of him, creating a crescent-shaped blast that shot forwards, beheading the spider youma before it could dodge. "And you're next, Kunzite. "

"You'll have to get through me first," Dargoss warned as he stood between his boss and the Dragon.

"Venus Light Sword Slash!"

Kunzite turned to Venus as the shadow absorbed Dragon Venus' attack. Venus was trying to stand up, so he simply kicked her back down. "Now that your boyfriend's busy, we can finally settle this. Ready to die?"

Venus looked up at him and smiled weakly. "Are you? Crescent Barrage!"

Dragon Venus turned away from his youma foe as a blinding flash lit the area. Venus had shot her attack, but not in the usual way... Kunzite was lying over a bench in a quite unnatural way, and Venus was just where she'd been a minute before, unmoving. "No..."

"You'll join her soon," Dargoss gloated.

"Light won't hurt you..." the Dragon noted, "so I'll have to try something else... Darkweaver!"

Dargoss chuckled as a blast of darkness hit him. "Hah! That didn't do any damage, in fact I feel stronger now..."

"That's the idea," the Dragon snapped and tackled Dargoss out of the building. "Darkness feeds on darkness, but magical creatures like you and me can't hold an infinite ammount of energy."

"Do I care?" Dargoss snapped back.

"You should," Dragon Venus said as he leapt back into the building.

Dargoss growled and went after the Senshi, but realized he couldn't move. Tendrils of darkness were now lashing out of his body, binding him to the ground, and causing him pain like he'd never felt before.

Venus had meanwhile recovered and smiled as she saw the Dragon walk to her. "Where's the shadowy youma?"

An explosion rocked the building, and Dragon Venus shrugged. "All over the place."

"And where's... Kunzite?"

Venus turned to see Artemis crawling to them, and noticed he was right. Kunzite was nowhere to be seen, but then again, after her attack, the General couldn't be in any shape to cause them more trouble. "He's gone," she said as she picked Artemis up. "Let's go help the others."

"Are you okay?" Artemis asked.

"I... I'm exhausted, but if we had this much trouble fighting a General, those who're facing them alone..."

Dragon Venus nodded. "Jupiter's point is the closest one."

"Let's start there, then."

* * *

Dragon Mercury smirked as the ice youma exploded into a shower of icycles. "Okay, who's next?" 

"Shabon Spray Freezing!"

Zoicite crashed down near the Dragon. "Stupid... Kids."

"Icycle Spray!"

"Not today," Zoicite muttered, vanishing a split second before the attack hit.

"Guess we made him run away."

"He was in no shape to fight," Mercury noted.

"Yeah... Didn't think you could fight like that. No offense."

"None taken," the Ice Senshi said. "I guess just because I don't like fighting, doesn't mean I can't do it. In any case, we have Mars' and Nemesis' points as the nearest ones..."

"You go help Rei, I'll help Naru," the Dragon suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Mercury nodded.

* * *

Jupiter winced as an energy blast nicked her left arm. "Damn it... Come down here so I can punch you!" 

Cardite laughed coldly. "Pitiful. Your attacks aren't enough to hurt me, and you can't use your fists from down there."

The lightning Senshi turned as an explosion rocked the area, and saw her uncle had taken care of both youma. Whatever that machinegun was, it sure was useful. As she turned back, she noticed Cardite was floating between two buildings, and an idea formed in her mind. "Well... Maybe then I'll have to get up there somehow."

"I'd love to see you try," Cardite teased.

"Okay," Jupiter said and leapt to the building nearest to her. She kicked forwards, ricocheting off the wall and to the other building, and a second bounce got her up to her foe's height. Before the General could get out of her surprise, Jupiter punched her down to the ground. "And now..." she snapped as she started falling, aiming her legs at Cardite's chest.

"And now, you die," Cardite snapped, then shot an energy blast up. The airborne Senshi had no chance to dodge, and slammed into a building's side wall, falling a good ten meters down, unmoving. "Stupid girl, all brawl and no brain..."

Her musing was interrupted by a barrage of bullets that exploded all around her, knocking her down near Jupiter. "You youma tend to underestimate humans, and that's a mistake you always regret," Kino commented as he stood in front of the General, his weapons aimed at her head.

"And you humans tend to forget we have magic," Cardite said then vanished.

"What the..."

"Supreme Thunder!"

Kino turned back in time to see Cardite slam through a tree, her body cracking with electricity. He turned back and saw Jupiter standing there, her body surrounded by a thin white aura. "Thanks. "

"You saved me too," Jupiter said. "Now leave that hag to me."

"Hah!" Cardite snapped, staggering up. "You still can only hit me by surprise, and I'm not falling for it again."

"So be it..." Jupiter said. "Jupiter... Supreme Thunder..." Electricity gathered in her antenna, just like in her normal attack, but it spread through all her body, creating arcs of lightning that shot out of her arms and legs constantly. "...Dragon!"

The new attack was quite a show, as all the gathered energy formed a sphere in front of Jupiter, which slowly turned into a dragon-shaped construct. "What is that thing?" Cardite said as she backed away in fear.

"Attack!" Jupiter shouted, and the electric dragon shot forwards, swirling around Cardite and zapping her several times before entering her body. The General gave a shriek as the electricity gathered released inside her, frying her almost instantly.

"Now, that's what I call an attack," Kino said.

"Smells like she's dead," Jupiter muttered, then fell to her knees.

"You okay?" Kino asked.

"I'm fine, just... Tired."

"Well, guess we're late."

Jupiter turned to see Venus and... A new Dragon, running to her. She turned to look at the now disappearing corpse of Cardite and shrugged. "You missed the show, but yeah, you're late. You killed your foe?"

"No... Kunzite escaped, though he was barely alive," the Dragon said.

"And you are?" Jupiter asked.

"Dragon Venus, formerly known as Ace," the Dragon announced proudly.

"Should we go help the others?" Venus asked.

"I'm too tired to be of any use," Jupiter said, "but you two should go if you still got some power left."

Venus nodded and the two Light Senshi left the scene. Kino turned to Jupiter and frowned. "You kids... Every time I turn my back on you, there's one or two new Senshi around. How do you do that?" Jupiter just shrugged.

* * *

**A/N:** For those who read before the edit, yes, this used to be episode 29. There'll be at least one more episode added before I reach the old episode 42 again.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	31. Moon Princess

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 31: Moon Princess.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 5, 2007_

* * *

Jadeite had to admit, Mars wasn't an easy target, even alone. She'd managed to keep him within meelee range so far, completely ignoring the youma that were now busily trying to fight that stupid army girl. "You won't live through this battle," he gloated at the Fire Senshi. 

"As long as you don't make it out either, I won't mind," Mars snapped back.

Jadeite was about to retort when an explosion knocked him down. As he staggered up, he noticed two things. One, Mars had been knocked down as well. And two, his youma were no more.

"Guess Tomoe's toys work," Seia commented outloud as she held her still smoking rocket launcher over her shoulder. Where the two youma minions had been, now was a small crater in the sidewalk. She turnedto aim her weapon at Jadeite, then blinked as he vanished. "What..."

Jadeite reappeared right behind Seia, ready to attack. However, something unexpected stopped him. "Shabon Spray Freezing!"

Mars nodded at Mercury as Jadeite was knocked sideways. The Ice Senshi fell on her knees, most likely tired from her battle against Zoicite, and Mars frowned. With her actual power, she had little chances to defeat Jadeite, but...

Jadeite stood up and paled as he saw Mars' body was surrounded by a thin red aura. "Oh, not you too!" He charged at Mars, but was stopped as something heavy hit his head from the side, knocking him down yet again.

"As we say in the army... Stay down," Seia snapped, then looked at the broken launcher near Jadeite. "This guy's a blockhead, seriously. "

Mercury looked at Mars with her visor. Her power was rising, and fast. "I can guess Jadeite'll be in a world of pain soon," she commented.

Mars drew a circle in the air with her finger, and a fire ring appeared as it moved. "Let's see if you can take the heat, Jadeite. Mars... Fire Soul..." The ring grew thicker, slowly expanding into a man-sized fireball that hovered in front of Mars. She put her palm behind the ball and smiled coldly at the General. "... Bird! Attack!"

Jadeite almost fell back from the surprise, but decided he'd already been on the ground too much today. However, the attack was impressive, and the energy it radiated wasn't giving him much hopes of surviving. The fireball had turned into a car-sized flame bird, which was now flying towards him. "Not enough!" he snapped as he shot most of his energy at the bird, but the blast was ignored by the construct. "It's not..."

Mercury covered her eyes as the bird hit Jadeite with explosive results. As the light dimmed, she could see the General kneeling on the ground near the point he'd been hit, blood flowing rapidly off his mouth. "She got him."

Jadeite looked up as Mars walked to him, and sighed. "At least... It wasn't that blonde airhead," he said, then fell to the ground, his body disintegrating fast.

"... Lame last words, seriously," Mars muttered.

Mercury and Seia walked to her as she fell to her knees. "That was quite a lot of firepower," Seia said. "Pun intended."

Mars chuckled at her, then turned to Mercury. "What about the others?"

"Most groups are already done fighting," Mercury noted looking at the data in her visor, "Moon and Nemesis are still fighting their foes."

"I'm too... Tired," Mars said, "but we have to go help Moon."

Mercury nodded. "Agreed."

"I'll take you there," Seia commented.

"Where'd you get that weapon?"

"Tomoe's been busy lately," Seia explained. "He's insane, but also a genius."

* * *

Beryl frowned as she looked at Zoicite. Kunzite had been a mess when he'd returned from his mission, it was amazing he'd lived through whatever hit him. Zoicite was in a somehow better shape, having already undergone healing. "I want details. Are the Senshi dead?" 

Zoicite shook his head. "They... Upgraded again. We lost Cardite and Jadeite."

"So only Aurite and Nephrite are left in the battlefield..."

"The other Senshi are far from those two points and they'll all be tired after their battles, however... Nephrite isn't fighting, from what my spy spell's shown me."

Beryl was surprised. "He's not?"

"It's happened before, remember his past human form was Nemesis' lover... I think some of that's resurfaced."

"If he doesn't kill her, he's a traitor. Go there, and kill them both if you need to."

"I'll be glad to," Zoicite said as he bowed and vanished.

Beryl frowned. Her Generals had proven themselves quite useless after all. Maybe soon she'd have to unleash her best youma.

"We're ready whenever you want us to do it," a voice said from the shadows.

Beryl nodded, a smile creeping into her face. "Not yet, girls. Not yet..."

* * *

Nemesis frowned. "This is getting tedious." 

"Moon's the only one left fighting," Nephrite commented. "Shouldn't you go help her?"

"I think Aurite's the one that'll need help," Nemesis snapped.

"A pity we can't make up our minds and fight, huh?" Nephrite mused.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Nemesis said, "I still love you. Even after your betrayal."

"The feeling's mutual," Nephrite said, "though it shouldn't be like this. I guess Metallia's power didn't turn me completely to the Darkness."

"What's stopping you from switching sides?"

"Frankly, energy," Nephrite said. "As a youma, I need life energy to live."

Nemesis frowned. "I'm a Senshi. I could spare some magic, if that's all you need to..." She gasped as something hit Nephrite from behind. As he fell to the ground face-first, Nemesis could see Zoicite standing there, his hand still shinning. "No..."

"Blah blah blah, all you lovebirds do is talk. See, there was an easy solution for your stupid problem after--"

Nemesis didn't really see the airboard that'd just struck Zoicite from behind, knocking him over Nephrite's body. She didn't hear what Dragon Mercury said, or what Zoicite snapped back. Her mind was clouded by something she'd never felt before. Rage. And she knew exactly how to use it.

Dragon Mercury leapt back, dodging an energy ball, and Zoicite chuckled. "What's wrong ninja boy, tired already?"

"No, I just don't want to get hit by whatever Nemesis is preparing for you."

Zoicite turned to Nemesis and saw... To a normal human, it'd be downright frightening. To him, it was still quite disturbing to witness why Nemesis was called the Senshi of Darkness. A thick, black aura surrounded her, tendrils of it lashing out, as if looking for victims. "Not tod--"

"Gotcha!" Dragon Mercury shouted as his gas spheres exploded right under Zoicite, making him lose focus. "All yours, Nemesis."

Nemesis had her eyes set on the cloud, her glare would've been strong enough on its own to kill Zoicite right now. "Thanks," she said, her voice warm, then her face turned serious. "Nephrite was mine to love or to kill, Zoicite," she said, her tone dead cold. "But since you took that from me, you won't leave this place. Nemesis... Darkness..."

Dragon Mercury blinked in shock. The darkness around Nemesis had grown, and the tendrils were now at least one meter long, and still whipping all around her. "Amazing." He didn't need his visor to know her power had skyrocketed.

Zoicite blasted the cloud apart, and was about to snap something at the Dragon, but then paled. Looking at the darkness, he felt like quite the rabbit in the headlight. "Sorry, Kunzite, I failed..."

"Strike!" Nemesis finished. The dark energy rushed at the General, not as beams or blasts, but as shapeless threads. It ensnared Zoicite, turning into a cloud that covered him completely. As the cloud vanished, the General was nowhere to be seen.

"You... Got him?"

Nemesis felt very tired, but she ignored that as she kneeled besides Nephrite. "Yes."

"Good... At least I didn't go unavenged," Nephrite said.

"Don't say that, you can recover..." Nemesis pleaded, her eyes watering.

"Don't worry, Naru," Nephrite said. Both Nemesis and the Dragon gasped at that. "I knew it, all along..."

"You didn't..."

"I didn't tell Beryl or the other Generals."

"Why? It'd helped your cause," the Dragon noted.

"My human side... Still feels something for her," Nephrite explained. He looked down and winced at the hole in his stomach, from the blood he was losing, he knew he didn't have much time left. "You were right, I could've lived off your energy. You were always the smart one in our couple."

Nemesis smiled at him, wiping her tears. "I won't forget you."

Nephrite smiled back. "I'm just... Glad I met you."

Dragon Mercury turned away as Nephrite closed his eyes and vanished. Nemesis sat there, crying, while he waited.

"Terry," Nemesis said after a few minutes, her voice shaky.

The Dragon turned back. "Naru?"

"Let's go."

"Are you okay?"

Nemesis' face turned sad for a second. "No, but Usagi still needs help. I'll have time to cry after we're done."

The Dragon nodded somberly as his flying board floated to them. "I know the feeling."

* * *

Beryl frowned. Zoicite was dead, she could feel that... And so was Nephrite. Now she had only two Generals left, and one of them was badly wounded. But she wasn't worried, not yet. She had the seven Rainbow Youma, as well as her girls... And also, Raishiku. 

The massive lizard-like youma stood in front of the Queen, his face unphased by her power. "My Queen, I can feel my power's diminished. This long slumber must've..."

Beryl waved the explanations off. "You'll have time to recover, all I want you to do is kill the Moon Princess. The others, I can deal with."

"So, you already know who she is?" Raishiku asked.

"Not her human identity, but it's clear it's Sailor Moon."

* * *

Moon dodged yet again as Aurite unleashed a barrage of energy blasts. "This is getting repetitive," she noted. The fight had moved outside the stadium, and she was now fighting Aurite in an usually busy area. Apparently, everyone had already heard of the battle and abandoned the zone, which was a good thing for Moon. 

Aurite frowned. If not for the caped freak keeping her youma busy, she would've killed Moon easily. She risked looking at the two rocky creatures, and saw they were both trying to slash Tuxedo down. "I agree. Why don't you stand still so I..." She stopped as she sensed something. Beryl's message was short and clear, all the other Generals except for Kunzite were dead, and he wasn't in any shape to fight. "Impossible..."

"What is..." Moon started, the gasped as a couple missiles hissed by, knocking Aurite to the ground. She turned to see the rest of her group, except for Jupiter, rushing to help her. "Wow... You guys won?"

"We... Did," Nemesis said in a monotone. Moon looked at her and nodded knowingly.

"Always the same slacker, huh?" Mars teased.

Seia looked at Aurite and frowned. "Can you handle her?"

Venus nodded. "We'll take care of her, don't worry."

"I'd worry if the area hadn't been evacuated yet," Seia said mostly to herself as she walked away.

"Icycle Spray!"

"Light Sword Slash!"

Aurite cursed under her breath as her two youma were destroyed. "No way..."

"Give up, Aurite," Venus said. "You're the only one left."

Aurite chuckled. "That's bad, huh? Luckily, unlike the other Generals, I didn't waste my time following Beryl's orders blindly, and did some research of my own..."

Dragon Venus frowned as the two shards of the Ginzuishou the youma had appeared floating besides Aurite. "That looks bad."

Aurite whispered a few words, and the crystals shone for a few seconds before sending wide beams of energy straight into her body. "That looks worse," Dragon Mercury noted.

"Stop that," Mars warned.

The gold-haired General now had a thick dark aura around her. "I've learnt to use the crystal's power... Added to all the energy I've gathered today, it makes me way stronger than you all."

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

Aurite turned to see a dragon-shaped electric construct heading her way. "Cute, thundergirl got a pet," she said before blasting the dragon apart.

Jupiter fell to her knees. "Gee, she's no pushover."

"You okay?"

Jupiter nodded at Moon. "I'll live."

"You won't," Aurite snapped. "Now let me show you what power means. Die!"

A gold ring of energy shot out from Aurite's body, knocking all the Senshi to the ground. "_Shit_, that hurt," Dragon Mercury muttered.

"Let's show her," Moon said, "that no evil being can defeat us." The others nodded, getting what little energy they had left to fight and preparing to attack in unison.

Aurite laughed. "Stupid girl... Okay, kids, do your worst."

"Don't mind if we do... Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

"Mars Fire Soul Bird!"

"Mercury Shabon Spray Freezing!"

"Mercury Icycle Spray!"

"Jupiter Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

"Venus Crescent Barrage!"

"Venus Light Sword Slash!"

"Nemesis Darkness Strike!"

Aurite rose an energy shield, and most of the attacks bounced off it. However, Moon's tiara, along with Venus' barrage and Nemesis' dark energy punched through it, knocking the gold-skinned woman down yet again. "No damn way..."

"We can beat her," Moon said.

"You can't!" Aurite snapped and shot another energy ring.

"Is that... The best she has?" Jupiter asked as the group once again was knocked down.

"I hope so," Dragon Venus muttered weakly.

"And now, time to say goodbye, Senshi," Aurite mused as she gathered energy for one last attack.

Tuxedo Kamen rushed from the side, slamming his cane on Aurite's side with all his might. Aurite staggered for a second, but then turned to him and punched him in the guts, knocking him back several meters. He fell face-first with a grunt, and didn't move.

"Enough!"

Aurite turned to see Moon staggering up. "What is it with you, girl? Is your brain so disconnected to reality, you just can't feel pain?"

Moon ignored the insult, smiling at her foe humorlessly. She was as tired as the others, but she could also feel something else, in the back of her mind. "If you want the Ginzuishou's power so much... I'll give it to you."

Aurite gasped as the two crystal shards appeared in front of her, floating to Moon's side. "What? How can you..."

The three Mooncats were watching the scene from atop a tree. "She's the one..." Luna said.

"We should've guessed it," Shade added.

"The Princess finally awakens," Artemis whispered.

Moon's friends had started staggering up as they felt Moon's energy rising. She now had five shards with her, and an unexistant wind seemed to be ruffling her skirt and hair. She looked back at the fallen Tuxedo and smiled. "Your mission is complete, Endymion," she whispered as the last two shards fled to her side.

"What's going on?" Venus asked.

"She's Princess Serenity, the Moon Princess," Luna said as the cats joined the group.

"No! This can't be happening, not now..." Aurite muttered.

Moon smiled as the seven shards gathered, fusing into a fist-sized crystal. Her suit was replaced by a long, white silk gown, as Tuxedo Kamen's outfit changed too, his hat and mask vanishing as his suit turned into an uniform that somehow resembled the ones the Generals used. "You don't look so confident anymore," she said in a calm tone.

"Hah! I'll kill you, Princess, then your friends!" Aurite snapped, shooting a golden energy beam at her.

The Princess just stared at her as the beam hit an invisible barrier right in front of her. "Impressive, but useless. I'm not fond of fighting, but if I let you go you'll come back to hurt my friends. "

Aurite glared at Serenity and produced a sword, charging straight at her with a battlecry.

"I expected that," Serenity said in the same calm tone, and unleashed her crystal's power. The shockwave knocked Aurite through several buildings, and the last one she pierced collapsed.

"No way she'd survive that," Mars noted.

"Princess..." Luna and the other Mooncats bowed to Serenity.

"Stop that, Luna," Serenity said. "It's still me."

"Only stronger and prettier," Dragon Mercury commented.

"Thanks," Serenity said, then walked to the still unconscious Tuxedo. "Wake up, Endymion..."

"What...?" Endymion stood up and looked at her. "I remember now... You're my Serenity..." Serenity smiled at him.

Serenity looked at the other Senshi. "Time for you to remember, too..."

The two Dragons looked on as their friends were surrounded by a thin aura. "What's going on?" Dragon Venus asked.

"They're getting some of their memories back," Luna said.

"Good for them, but what about us?" Dragon Mercury muttered.

"We could fill you in with what we remember," Artemis said.

"That'd be a start."

The girls all opened their eyes and looked at each other confusedly. "That was... Strange," Mars noted.

"But we remember now... At least, what happened that night," Jupiter said.

Serenity frowned. "I... Can't stay in this form for long. Guess my body's not adapted fully to my powers yet." Her gown reverted back to her Senshi suit and she fainted.

Tuxedo, who'd turned back to normal as well, caught her before she fell. "She'll be okay."

"Who are you anyways?" Artemis asked.

"An ally," Tuxedo said.

"Not what I meant," the mooncat muttered.

"Is there anywhere we can go that's not so... Exposed?" the caped hero asked.

Moon opened her eyes and looked up at him, then blushed. "Uhm..."

"Should we trust him?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"We're on the same side... And I've found the Princess now."

Moon shrugged. "What about the mansion? We can speak there."

The Ice Dragon frowned. "But..."

"I trust him," Moon said.

"Yeah, you've got that birth defect, you trust everyone," Mars muttered.

* * *

"Sir, the Senshi took care of their enemies." 

Kino looked up at Seia and nodded. "Good. Anything else to report?"

"No. We'll keep an eye in the city, just in case..."

* * *

Pluto frowned as she felt the energy ripple. The Princess had finally awakened, so it wouldn't be long until the Dark Kingdom came to an end. She knew there were stronger foes out there, but if help was really needed, she had two soldiers to send to the front. 

"What are you up to, Setsuna?"

Pluto looked at Kage, her face as unreadable as ever. "Our Princess is back. The Dark Kingdom will soon be gone."

"Won't we help?" Hotaru asked as she walked to them, in her usual monotone voice.

"They don't need your help now," Pluto said. "But it won't be long until you have to join them."

* * *

**A/N:** Nemesis killing Zoicite seemed to me like plain old justice. For those trying to figure how this'll work, nope, there won't be a Tokyo Tower episode.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	32. Prelude To Darkness

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 32: Prelude to Darkness.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 6, 2007_

* * *

Tuxedo Kamen's true identity was, to say the least, a surprise for the Senshi. Usagi stared at him in shock. "You?" 

"Well, ain't that a surprise?" Terry mused.

Mamoru shrugged. "I'm suprised about you too, Odango."

"Don't call me that," Usagi snapped. "Don't make fun of my hair."

"But it fits you," Mamoru said. "And I think that hairdo looks cute. "

Rei chuckled as Usagi blushed. Terry looked at Naru, who was silently listening to the others, and frowned. "You okay?"

"I... I'll miss him, even though he was our enemy."

"He... Was _our_ enemy," Terry said. "If he ever attacked you, it was only to keep the act. It's amazing Beryl and her minions bought it for so long."

"I think Terry must be the only one here that knows how you're feeling, but... We're all here for you, Naru," Usagi said.

"I know. Thanks, guys."

"We have the Ginzuishou, we know who the Princess is, and the only General left is Kunzite," Artemis noted. "I'd say we're on the winning side."

"They still have Metallia," Luna said. "And the seven Rainbow Youma. We can't let our guards down."

"Metallia?" Usagi asked. "If she's still around, wouldn't she come and beat us?"

"Queen Serenity put some extra info in our minds, though it was locked until you became the Princess again," Shade explained. "What you didn't see that night... Serenity herself fought Beryl and Metallia, and banished them both."

"Why not destroy her and save us the trouble?" Rei asked, then looked at Usagi. "Sorry, didn't mean to..."

"Just like you, I only have flashes of my past life, mostly centered in Endymion," Usagi said. "And I agree... The Queen could've destroyed all the youma easily."

Luna nodded. "But she had reasons to do what she did. One of them being that, despite all the pain and suffering the youma had caused, she couldn't fall to their level, she wouldn't become a genocide like them."

"And the others?" Mako asked.

"We don't know," Artemis said.

Shade nodded and continued her own story. "The magic shockwave was so strong it wrecked all the artifacts that kept most planets inhabitable. Only the Earth was able to sustain life without them. And the Ginzuishou's power was so strong, it put Metallia into a comma, and she was also drained out of energy by the battle. As for the Earth, it was left with almost no magic, with only three zones of the planet being mana wells."

Ami nodded. "Japan, the States and England?"

Luna nodded. "Yes. Focusing in what are nowadays Tokyo, London and New York."

Terry frowned. "Makes sense... So any magic user would be attracted by them, either consciously or unconsciously."

"Tokyo seems to be the biggest mana well," Shade noted.

"Mana well?" Minako looked at the mooncats with a blank face.

"You could consider them escape valves. Magic generates in the center of each planet and star, and it moves up to the surface slowly, but it must do so through certain 'escape valves.' If those valves were all closed, well... Think of the Earth as a balloon being filled constantly with magic..."

Terry flinced. "I see your point."

"So, to sum things up," Artemis added, "youma have been running low on energy for eons. They've been gathering lots of it since we started fighting them, but with a bit of luck, it's not enough to awaken Metallia."

"And... What if that thing does awaken?" Terry asked. From the mooncats' story, she was strong enough to rival the Ginzuishou.

"We would be quite screwed," Artemis said. "Moon may have recovered her crystal, but she's... Untrained. As she said herself, her body's not used to the crystal's magic, hence she's weaker than she should be."

"So, where do we go to stop that from happening?" Minako asked.

"I'm working on that," Ami noted. She'd been typing commands into her computer for the last few minutes, trying to figure out the last pieces of the puzzle. She stopped typing suddenly, and gasped. "Uhm... Terry, could you check this data, please?"

Terry took the computer and looked at it's screen. "Seems correct to me," he noted. "But really, the gateway is _there_?"

"Where?" Mako asked.

"From my analysis, the entrance to the Dark Kingdom is in the North Pole."

"Nice. How will we get there?" Rei asked.

"By plane?" Terry suggested.

"There's a faster way to go there," Shade said. "The Sailor Teleport. "

"Say what?" Usagi muttered.

"Sailor Senshi could use a group teleport skill," Luna explained. "You can go anywhere you want with it, but you need several Sailors to power it up."

"So if we want to go to the North Pole, we just need to focus in that location?" Rei asked.

"Yeah."

"What about us?" Terry asked.

"You'll tag along, don't worry," Luna said.

"That's good and all," Usagi said, "but right now, we need to recover."

Rei nodded. "I agree, today's battle was too tough."

"Take a break," Artemis said. "Beryl's pretty much out of options now that most of her Generals are gone."

* * *

As much as she hated admitting it, Usagi missed both school and fighting youma. A whole week had passed since the battle against the Generals, and she was downright bored. That was, partially, why she was at Crown right now. She also had guessed Terry would be there, since she hadn't found him in his 'humble house.' 

"Hey there, _Rabbit_."

"Good to see you're back to your normal self," Usagi muttered.

"Not really," Terry admitted, "but I'm trying not to think about it much. Speaking of which... How's Naru?"

"Haven't seen her much lately," Usagi noted. "I thought maybe she would be here?"

"She's not."

Usagi looked at Umino, who'd done his usual popping up between them. "You know, you're not surprising anymore."

"Eeh... In any case, do you guys know what happened to the Senshi? They're not showing up much anymore. And there's also no reports of monster attacks."

"You're the one with the rumors, if you don't know..."

Umino nodded at Terry. "You're right. Well, I'll go check on Naru. "

"At least he's not saying I'm one of them anymore."

Usagi turned to Chie. "Yeah, I don't know why everyone thinks Sailor Moon is clumsy. She looks quite awesome to me."

"You ever seen her?" Chie asked.

"Uh... Yeah, I was around in practically all her battles."

Terry laughed at that. "You mean you run and hid while the monsters were around?"

"I did not," Usagi snapped.

Chie giggled. "As if anyone sane would stand against one of those monsters..."

"Why, am I insane then?"

Chie looked at Karin. "Maybe."

"How can someone so cute be so mean?" Karin mused.

"You taught me," Chie countered.

Terry stared at the two. _'Are these two... Nah, no way.'_

"Karin, I thought you were going to the gym today."

Usagi looked at Mamoru and smiled. "Hi."

Karin grinned. "Hmmm... You two aren't arguing anymore... Just what's going on here?"

"The youma kidnapped Usagi and replaced her with a youma clone," Terry joked.

"She looks as cute as the original," Mamoru noted.

Karin shook her head. "Whatever works."

Terry looked away from the group, and saw Luna standing outside. He walked to the window as Usagi noticed the cat too. "Hey, _Rabbit_, I thought you had to study?"

"No, I..." Usagi started, then caught the hint. "Oh, right. Mind walking home with me?"

Chie looked at them as they walked out of the building, her face unreadable. "Those two... Always together."

"Uh huh," Karin said, noticing her brother was nowhere to be seen. _'Weird.'_

"I wonder if..." Chie started, then walked to the door.

"Chie, what are you up to?"

"I'm just going to make sure there's no other rivals around."

"Rivals?" Karin muttered. "Why is everyone around me insane?"

* * *

"Are you sure, Luna?" 

"I sure am. There'll be an eclipse today."

Terry looked at his watch and pressed a few buttons. "Damn, that's right. So, you say that eclipse's bad?"

"The power of darkness will be greater during it. I bet Metallia will awaken, and will feed on the darkness that it'll cause."

"So, we gotta go there and kick her rear before the eclipse starts," Terry said. "Sounds easy."

Luna looked up at the sky, and the Moon could be seen slowly moving towards the Sun. "Our main problem will be time."

"I can see that," Terry said. "I don't think we have more than a couple hours before it happens."

Usagi nodded. "Let's tell the others. We have to go there and stop Beryl before it's too late."

As the trio run off, a very surprised redhead was staring in shock. "That's not possible..."

Karin looked at Chie. "I should've guessed it. Luna is Sailor Moon's cat, I don't know why I didn't realize she was also Usagi's cat."

"And that day at school, they weren't around while the Senshi fought those youma..."

Karin nodded. "Do we tell them?"

"They looked quite busy right now," Chie noted. "Let's wait for them to be back."

"Hey girls!"

"Stop that!" Both Chie and Karin pushed Umino back, sending the nerdy guy sliding on his back a few meters. "Weirdo," Karin muttered.

Umino smiled as the two girls walked off. _'Too bad I didn't do that earlier.'_

* * *

Several minutes later, all the Senshi were gathered at the mansion's backyard. "What's with those holes?" Brad asked looking at the few small holes spread through the backyard of the Zephyr mansion. They were hard to spot, hidden along the grass. 

"That's the APSS, as Sam calls it," Terry explained.

"APSS?" Ami asked.

"Anti-Paparazzi Security System," Terry said and snapped his fingers. The holes all started cracking with electricity.

"Holy light?" Brad joked. The others all shook their heads at him.

"Isn't that a bit too extreme?" Mako asked.

"The shock's not lethal, and it's effective. Once the word spread about the mansion's security system, no reporter ever tried sneaking in to take pictures. Well, a few did, but they desisted once they woke up in a hospital bed."

Mako frowned. "Weird."

"What?"

"I can actually feel the electricity."

"You're the Senshi of Electricity, aren't you?" Terry noted.

"Well, yeah..."

"Okay, now how do we do that teleport thing?" Usagi asked steering into the real problem they were facing.

"Wow, you're eager to go there and fight the big bad boss?" Rei mused.

"No, but the sooner we get there, the sooner we can come back and slack off."

"... I had to ask," Rei muttered.

"Girls, form a circle and transform," Luna instructed. "The guys will have to transform too, and stand in the center of the circle. "

As the others did as instructed, Artemis nodded. "Now, close your eyes, and concentrate in where you want to go, everyone."

"Girls, take each other's hands and let the energy flow," Shade added.

After several seconds, Luna saw a thin white line around each Sailor. "It's working. When you're ready, you must call upon the technique out loud."

"Ready when you are, girls," Dragon Mercury said. Moon nodded. "Let's do it."

"Sailor Teleport!"

The auras around the Senshi grew wider for a few seconds, then they all vanished, the magic shockwave ripping several chunks of grass and dirt off the lawn. "There they go," Artemis said.

"Good luck, Senshi," Luna said looking up to the sky.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm going the anti-Dic way here, adding episodes to the Dark Kingdom arc instead of murdering them and hiding them under the carpet.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	33. Knocking On Hell's Door

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 33: Knocking on Hell's Door.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 6, 2007_

* * *

"I guess we didn't miss," Venus said looking around at the endless white plains. 

"This is the North Pole," Jupiter noted. "Shouldn't we be freezing cold by now?"

Mercury shrugged. "Our suits protect us from extreme temperatures. "

"So, where to now?" Mars asked.

"A few miles north, there's a cave entrance," Dragon Mercury explained. He was using his visor, which much like Mercury's one let him scan the sourroundings.

Mercury nodded. "The gateway to the Dark Kingdom is about two miles into that cavern."

"Let's hurry, then," Moon suggested.

"Lead the way, oh fearless leader," Dragon Mercury joked.

* * *

Several minutes later, the Senshi were inside the cold, icy tunnel that would lead them to the Dark Kingdom. The tunnel was actually wide enough to fit several trucks running side to side. As the Senshi walked, the two Mercuries were scanning the area for enemies. 

"Any welcome party around?" Mars asked.

Mercury shook her head. "Not ye-- Oh crap."

"What?" Nemesis asked.

"Oh crap," Dragon Mercury repeated.

"Whatever it is, they both agree," Dragon Venus mused.

"Oh crap," Mars muttered.

"Okay, this is getting silly," Moon complained. "What are you all o-crapping about?"

"'O-crapping'?" Mars repeated. "I'm feeling several powerful entities ahead of us, they're all youma."

Mercury nodded. "They're no normal youma. Remember our friends the Rainbow Youma? They're all back."

"Yay," Venus said. "We'll get a rematch."

"We already did, kind of," Mars noted, "but they were weakened. I bet by now they've rested enough to kick our rears."

"Here they come," Mercury warned.

Dragon Venus shrugged. "There's seven of them and nine of us. This will be easy."

Draguel snarled at him, then shot a fire blast right over his head, which turned most of the icy wall behind him into water, which quickly froze as it touched the ground.

"Were you saying?" Tuxedo muttered.

"Okay guys, let's get them!" Moon said.

"She's acting like a leader," Mars muttered. "We're doomed."

* * *

"They're _where?_" Kino asked, not sure he'd heard it right the first time. 

"The north pole," Luna said. "It's the only place from where they can reach our enemies' world."

"Darn, just when we finally managed to get weapons that could hurt those youma," Seia mused.

"Can't be helped," Shade said. "Besides, Beryl must have a few youma there that are stronger than anything we've seen here."

"What if they can't win?" Kino asked.

"We'll know they lost when we see a legion of youma coming towards Tokyo," Luna said with a poker face.

"... Don't joke like that," Seia muttered.

"Wasn't joking," Luna said, her tone dead serious.

* * *

Nemesis leapt back as Arakel tried to stab her with it's massive spider legs. However, the spider shot a string that wrapped around her waist. "Gotcha." 

Nemesis smirked. "Actually, I got you. Darkness Strike!"

The spider was caught in the darkness wave, but could, before it hit, pull the string and send Nemesis flying into a stalagmite.

Moon gasped. "Naru!"

Nemesis tried to stand up but fell to the ground with a wince. "I'm okay, just... Hit my leg."

Draguel tried to blast Moon with a fireball, but she dodged leaping up. "Moon Tiara Boomerang!" The attack knocked Draguel back, but the dragon didn't look too affected otherwise. "I guess they're stronger than last time."

Jupiter and Mars were taking on Tigrel, but the feline youma wasn't an easy target either. It leapt over Mars and kicked her down, then blocked Jupiter's punch. It took the chance to slash at her, leaving four deep cuts on her forearm with it's claws.

"Time to die, zapgirl," the tiger snapped as it rose her clutching her neck.

"I... Agree," Jupiter snapped back. "Thunder Dragon!"

Mars couldn't help but feel sorry for the tiger, as it was almost instantly fried by the massive lightning construct. The energy backlashed, however, sending Jupiter slamming into a wall. "Mako, you okay?"

Jupiter groaned then shook her head. "I'll need time to recover." Her arm was bleeding, but she quite didn't care right now, the pain from her back was blocking the pain from those slashes.

Moon looked around and felt a bit helpless. Things were complicated, with Naru and Mako out, their current battle would be hard. And she was sure this wasn't the only group Beryl had waiting for them. She looked up at the dragon youma as Dragon Mercury tried to slash its face and her face changed. No, she couldn't think about defeat, she wasn't going to let the youma win this time around.

* * *

Kunzite frowned. He was fully recovered now, but he wouldn't rush into battle. From how things were looking, there would be several Senshi injured or dead before they reached the Dark Kingdom. He just had to wait and welcome whichever Senshi made it there himself. 

A thought crossed his mind, and he smiled. "Venus, don't you dare losing before you get here. I want to be the one killing you and your stupid boy toy."

* * *

"Fire Soul Bird!" 

Venus gave Mars a thumbs up as Serpel was roasted by her attack. "Three down, four more to go."

The two Mercuries were taking on Chamel, as they were the only ones who could see through his camouflage. "Shabon Spray Freezing!"

Mercury's attack hit the chameleon dead on, and the Dragon leapt at it swords-first. "Icycle Spray!"

"They're not that tough," Tuxedo commented as the chameleon was shredded to pieces.

"Says you," both Jupiter and Nemesis snapped.

Dragon Venus frowned. "I can help you, girls."

"Good idea," Moon said as she dodged a blast from the dragon youma. "We may need their help."

"Heal!"

As her male counterpart healed her friends, Venus turned to the three remaining youma. Tuxedo and Mars were keeping the mantis busy, and Moon and Dragon Mercury did the same with Draguel. That left the speedy dinosaur youma to her and Mercury. "Ami?"

"I'm on it," Mercury said.

Good, all Minako had to do was to distract the dinosaur while Ami found a way to destroy it. "Hey Barney! Yes, I'm talking to you, ugly lizard. Come on, try to get me."

The youma growled at her and charged. Venus shot her attack at it, but it dodged to the left. Her second attack was dodged as the creature skidded to the right, and then it went back to the center.

Mercury watched the dinosaur's charge. Venus's second barrage was dodged the same way, and the blue-haired Senshi smiled to herself. Venus barely avoided being slashed in half, and she decided to test her theory. "If she's too hard to hit, why don't you try me?"

Saurel growled and charged at Mercury. Venus paled. "Ami!"

"I can handle this," Mercury said. "Shabon Spray!" She waited a split second and used her real attack aiming to the left. "Shabon Spray Freezing!" The dinosaur dodged straight into it, and staggered back. "Now, get him!"

"Crescent Barrage!"

The blast knocked the dinosaur to the ground, but it stood up. "Shabon Spray Freezing!"

"How did you guess where it was going to jump to?" Venus asked walking to the Ice Senshi as the monster vanished.

"I simply observed its pattern."

"And that's why you're the team's genius. Okay, you go help Usagi, I'll help Rei."

"You'll need someone with a sword to kill that mantis."

"I know, but same goes for that dragon," Venus said. "Once Terry's done beating that thing down, you two can beat the insect down too. "

Mercury nodded. Minako wasn't as airheaded while fighting as she seemed most of the time.

* * *

When Venus reached the mantis, she saw Mars and Tuxedo had forced it into a stalemate. "Need help?" 

Rigale swung his scythes, creating a couple energy blasts. Venus leapt over them. "There's no way you idiots can win with your magic attacks."

"Crescent Barrage," was Venus' answer. However, the insect slapped the attack away. "Damn..."

Mars leapt from behind and kicked the mantis down. It fell into a puddle of water that had been created by her many attempts to kill the bug. "Hah! Try all you might, but..." He dodged Tuxedo and knocked him aside. "You won't defeat me."

Venus frowned. _"You'll need someone with a sword to kill that mantis."_ Mercury's words were the key, she knew it, but just how... She looked at Dragon Venus, still busy healing Mako and Naru, and frowned. She was the Venus Senshi, maybe she could...

"Mina, what are you up to?" Mars asked as she saw Venus concentrating. A few seconds later, Dragon Venus' sword appeared floating in front of the blonde, who grabbed it. "Nice trick..."

Rigale chuckled. "Hah! What are you gonna do with that, girl, slash yourself?"

Venus rushed forwards, slashing sideways, and catching the mantis off-guard. As the insect staggered back looking at the wound on it's side, Mars kicked him from behind. "Thanks," Venus said as she made another sideways cut, way higher this time, and the mantis' head rolled on the ground.

"Since when do you know how to use a sword?" Mars asked.

"Brad gave me a few pointers in case I ever had to use one," Venus explained.

"Worked for that monster," Tuxedo noticed. "Now, let's help Moon and the others."

Venus shrugged "I'll go in a minute." She walked the opposite way, up to her counterpart and the two wounded friends. "Done with that yet?"

"Almost," Dragon Venus said. "Had fun with that sword?"

"You knew it was gone?"

"It's linked to me, hard not to notice it's gone."

"Well, I really needed it, but... Here."

The Dragon took the sword and smiled. "Guess that bit of training wasn't useless after all."

"Less talk and more healing," Jupiter muttered.

"If you weren't so careless, I wouldn't have to heal you."

"Touche."

* * *

Moon leapt aside, dodging a fire blast that turned a section of the ground behind her into a water puddle. The youma wasn't quite hitting them, but no matter how many attacks they threw at it, it just shrugged them off. 

"Fire Soul!"

Draguel countered Mars' blast with one of his own. "Okay, this is just annoying," Moon commented.

Dragon Mercury nodded. "And I'm fed up with this big lizard."

"What are you planning?" Mercury asked. _'Something that'll involve him getting hurt, most likely,'_ she thought with a sigh.

"Simple, legendary dragons' skins were resistant to magic, not their stuffing."

Before anyone could figure out what he meant, he'd already rushed towards the massive youma, leaping up as it tried to fry him, and slashing downwards, leaving a visible wound near it's right arm. As the Ice Dragon fell, however, Draguel slapped him away, knocking him into a wall.

"Terry!" Mercury exclaimed worriedly.

Moon glared at the dragon youma. "You hurt him, I'll return the favor. Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

The others gasped as Moon's tiara dug into the wound, and the dragon's skin glew eerily for a few seconds before it let out a scream of agony and vanished. "Guess Terry's theory was right," Mars commented.

Mercury checked on her counterpart. "Terry, you okay?"

The Dragon opened one eye and smiled. "Yes, nothing like getting knocked into an icy wall to make me feel peachy."

Mercury sighed. "In any case, the portal's near, we should get through it soon, as the eclipse's almost here."

Moon nodded. "Let's go before..."

A loud growl could be heard, and a massive lizard-like youma appeared. Unlike the dragon, however, this one looked human-like. It looked at the Senshi and let out a gutural chuckle.

"... They send something else to greet us," Moon finished with a grimace.

Nemesis' eyes widened. "Girls, is that who I think it is?"

Mercury nodded. "I remember him, Raishiku."

The youma growled again. "That's right. I defeated you girls in the past, and I intend to do it again."

"He's got double Moon's power," Dragon Mercury noted as he tried to stand up, and failed miserably. "Ami... Here."

Mercury frowned as she took the Mercury Dragon sword. "I don't know how to use--" She stopped as she felt a wave of energy run through her body. "It still upgrades my own power?"

Venus nodded. "I felt the same when I used Brad's sword."

"Well, we're just done healing and we may have to get beaten up again," Jupiter muttered walking to the others.

Nemesis frowned. "Ugly thing."

Raishiku stood there, arms crossed and waiting. "It'd be too easy to blast you all while you talk, but it also wouldn't be fun at all."

Moon glared at him. "Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

Raishiku grabbed the tiara and examined it. "Hmmm... This is really amusing. Is this what you call power?"

"Damn it, I'm not going to let that freak win," Mars growled. "Fire Soul Bird!"

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

Both constructs started circling Raishiku as the youma tried to knock them away. "Well, at least he's distracted," Nemesis noted.

"Brad, stand back," Venus said.

"What? I won't watch while you..." his counterpart's look stopped him. "Mina... Just be careful."

"What are you two up to?" Moon asked.

"Brad's the only one who can heal us. If he wastes power or gets injured himself, we'll be in trouble."

Mercury nodded. "Smart." He turned to Dragon Mercury. "Need help?"

"No, I'll just stay here until the pain knocks me out," the other Dragon muttered.

Moon turned back and dove aside as Mars' firey construct was sent gliding at her. "Girls, your pets couldn't stop it."

"Let's just beat him senseless," Jupiter said, "if it's even a 'him. '"

* * *

**A/N:** Cliffhangers, how I love them. Originally, the Dark Kingdom saga ended in episode 34, but seeing how there's still a few important battles left, I think it'll be stretched out to episode 36.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	34. Last Stand

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 34: Last Stand.**

_ By Razor Knight _

_Last update: February 8, 2007_

* * *

"Any news on the Senshi?" 

Seia shook her head. "Nothing yet, but our satellites are detecting large ammounts of magic being used at the North Pole."

"Whatever they're fighting there, must be quite tough," Kino noted. "Think they'll win?"

"Why not, they always do."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

"Darkness Strike!" 

Raishiku growled as the attack hit. "Don't you see it's hopeless?"

"Fire Soul!"

"Shabon Spray Freezing!"

"Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

The first two attacks distracted the youma, and the third hit him, knocking him down to the ground. "So that's why he grabbed the tiara before," Mercury whispered.

Tuxedo was feeling pretty useless right now, even as a distraction. But what could he do, he was no Senshi...

"Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

Raishiku got hit again, but sent an energy blast at Moon, hitting her before going down. "Moon!" Mars shouted.

"I'm... I'm okay," Moon said as she staggered up.

The youma was about to attack again, but something hit his head. He turned and saw Tuxedo Kamen holding a rose and glaring at him. "You... You're the most useless of them all."

"I may be, but I'm also the Earth prince." The others gasped as a sword appeared floating in front of him. "Now let's see if you like this. Earth Dragon Power!"

Raishiku laughed. "No matter how many of you are there, you'll still die."

The new Dragon looked just like the other two, only his suit was completely grey. He didn't bother talking, instead he leapt at his foe as his sword lit up. "Earth Sword Blast!" A thin energy beam shot from the sword as he pointed it at the youma, punching a small hole near his right arm. "Gotcha."

"Still not enough."

Dragon Mercury stood up and growled. "I'm fed up with this bug. Let's shut him up for good."

Mercury nodded. "Try not getting hurt again."

The youma tried to slap the Dragon away as he jumped, but he used its arm for support, coming right in front of its head. "Icycle Spray!"

"Shabon Spray Freezing!"

Both attacks hit, and the youma staggered back. It recovered fast, however, and shot an energy beam off its mouth, which knocked the Dragon down and straight at Mercury. The beam didn't vanish, instead dragging them both back and slamming them both into the cave's wall.

"We have to stop him," Mars said.

"Let's do it," Jupiter nodded. "Supreme Thunder... Dragon!"

"Fire Soul... Bird!"

The two constructs fled at the youma, crashing into him with explosive results. Raishiku, however, staggered up after the light dimmed. "Stupid... Senshi... You can't..."

"Earth Sword Blast!"

Nemesis winced as she saw a hole between the youma's eyes. "That's gotta hurt."

"Im...Possible..." the creature whispered before slumping to the ground.

Dragon Earth went to check on the two Mercuries as Raishiku's body started disintegrating. "Guys, are you okay?"

Dragon Mercury sat on the ground and winced. "Not really."

"I think I'm out of the fight for now," Mercury noted. Her whole body was aching from the impact.

Dragon Venus sighed. "And here I go again. Heal!"

Venus shrugged. "Well, at least now we got rid of that monster. What could be worse than him?"

"I'm glad you asked, Venus," Kunzite said as he materialized near her.

"You again?" Jupiter muttered.

"I'm here to destroy you all," Kunzite warned.

"Let's beat him senseless so we can..."

Venus shook her head at Mars. "Girls, this goon's mine."

"But..."

The orange-skirted Senshi looked at Moon. "I'll take care of him, I'm used to beating him senseless. And in the meantime, you girls can rest and recover."

Dragon Venus tossed his sword at her. "In case you need it."

Venus nodded. "Don't worry, Brad, I can handle this."

The Dragon nodded. If she couldn't, he was ready to step in and knock the freakshow around for her.

"This will be amusing, indeed, but I must warn you: I'm stronger than ever before," Kunzite gloated.

Venus held her sword with her right hand and smiled coldly at him. "That's good, our last battle will be something to remember."

* * *

"I don't want to sound mean or anything," Karin said, "but I bet the Senshi have something to do with that." 

Chie looked up at the sky and nodded. "Or maybe their enemies." Daylight was giving way to darkness as the Moon started to slowly cover the Sun. "It's weird, though, I had a crush on a Senshi and didn't know..."

"You sound like you're giving up..."

"Maybe I am. It's not like I can compete against Mizuno. She's smart and has those superpowers."

"And she's cute," Karin said.

"Like any of them?" Chie asked slyly.

"I'm not a 'first sight' person, and I haven't seen a lot of them other than at school or when they're slacking around in Crown."

"Should we tell them we know about them?"

"No need for that," Karin said. "If they don't want their secret to be known, then let's keep quiet about it."

"What are you planning?" Chie asked.

"Nothing," Karin lied.

* * *

Venus blocked Kunzite's first strike with her sword, and both grappled. The rest of the Senshi watched the fight, but some weren't happy just watching. 

"I think we should blast him down while he's distracted," Nemesis said.

"Naru, we let you have fun with Nephrite, this is Minako's battle. "

The Darkness Senshi turned to Dragon Mercury, glaring at him for a second before nodding. "Guess you're right."

"Well guys, you both are ready," Dragon Venus said. "And Terry, can you try not getting knocked around like that? I'm running out of energy here."

"I wasn't the only one," the other Dragon muttered.

"Crescent Beam!"

Kunzite had barely dodged the blast, and it sliced his arm. "Damn it..."

"Did that hurt?" Venus teased. Kunzite growled and vanished.

"Huh? He left?"

Mercury shook her head at Jupiter's question. "Not likely."

Venus sensed something behind her and dove aside just as Kunzite tried to stab her. She kicked up as she fell, knocking his sword away. Kunzite vanished again, reappearing next to his sword and picking it up before glaring at Venus.

"You may be stronger, but not smarter," Venus said. "You tried to backstab me a few times in London."

"So I did," Kunzite muttered. "Maybe it's time to stop fooling around."

"Oh crap," Mercury muttered.

"Not again..." Mars winced. "What's wrong now?"

"Kunzite's power is increasing. But the _good_ news are, there's a group of youma coming this way, all as strong as him."

Dragon Venus frowned. "I'll help Mina... You guys punch whatever's coming our way senseless."

Venus was meanwhile waiting. Kunzite wasn't moving, but she could feel the energy he was gathering. "Gonna be done with that anytime soon, or should I just kill you?"

Kunzite chuckled coldly as his eyes turned pitch black. "I don't think you will as much as touch me, Venus."

Venus lunged forwards, slashing down at her foe. The white-haired General grabbed the sword as it descended on him and shot a wave of energy through it, knocking her down to the ground, and sending the Dragon sword flying away. "What the heck...?"

"Simple," Kunzite said, "My Queen is getting ready to awaken Metallia right now, but she told me to use all the extra energy we had to destroy your group."

"She must not trust you, as she's sending more monsters in," Moon pointed.

"Those are the Queen's spawns, and also her personal bodyguards. They may even be stronger than me, but I'm not worried about that. Now, Venus, ready to die?"

"Are you?" Venus snapped back.

"Light Sword Slash!"

Kunzite grunted as Dragon Venus slashed his back. Even with the extra power, the weakling had managed to hurt him. "Good, you want to die first."

"Just try."

Meanwhile, the others waited for the unknown youma to reach them. "Here they come..." Mercury said.

The creatures came into view. They were all female, humanoid, and had wings, but other than that, they didn't look too similar to each other. Their skin tones ranged from green to purple, and they all seemed strong enough to take on a few Senshi. "Well, well. _these_ are the mighty Senshi?" the one with orange skin asked.

"They're just a bunch of kids," the one with green skin noted.

"Yeah, but remember what mother said, they're stronger than they look," a third one said.

"And two of them are facing father alone," the first one added.

"_Father?_" Mars noted.

"So Kunzite and Beryl... Eww," Moon muttered.

"Okay, let's see what these girls can do," Jupiter said. "Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

The dragon construct headed straight for the purple-skinned youma girl, but she simply kicked the dragon away. "Come on, you must have something better..."

"Fire Soul Bird!"

Mars' firebird got knocked to the ground by the green-skinned youma. "This will be boring."

Mercury still had the Dragon sword, and wasn't about to stand there and watch. "Try this one then... Shabon Spray Freezing!"

The attack hit the blue-skinned one, sending her staggering back. "What was that?"

Dragon Mercury looked at Mercury. "The power boost is making your attacks stronger."

Mercury nodded. "Girls, focus. We can win if we work together."

"Darkness Strike!"

The attack hit the green youma and she frowned. "Mercury's stronger, but why?"

The blue one frowned. "No idea, Borax. Maybe it's the sword."

"Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

The purple-skinned youma leapt up and floated in mid-air. "That stupid thing won't ever--" Her gloating was cut short as the tiara hit her from behind, knocking her down with a thud.

"Darax, stop fooling around," the red youma snapped.

"Am not, Eirax" Darax snapped back. "Arax, should we use it yet?"

The blue-skinned one nodded. "It's the fastest way to get rid of them. DD Girls, get ready to strike."

"_DD Girls?_" Mars muttered as the five youma fled up and formed a circle in the air.

"Maybe it's their bra size," Dragon Mercury mused.

"Die, Senshi!" The five youma shouted and unleashed a large wave of energy over them. The cavern shook as the blast hit the ground, sending all the Senshi flying back.

"We got them," Borax said.

"But they're still alive," Arax noted.

"Good, we can torture them before killing them, right Cerax?" Darax mused.

Cerax, the one with orange skin, nodded, then smiled as she looked back at the Senshi. "Oh look, those two still want to play."

"Let's humor them," Eirax suggested.

"Our power's not enough," Mars said.

"But Mercury could hurt them..." Jupiter noted. She looked back and saw her friends were struggling to stand up. "And Venus seems stronger than us too."

"She is..." Mercury said weakly, "it's the swords."

Mars frowned and looked up. The five youma were waiting for them to attack, apparently they liked to play with their prey before killing them. "The swords... There's one for each planet, right?"

"I suppose," Dragon Mercury said, "that's what Luna said."

Jupiter nodded at Mars, and both stood there, concentrating for several seconds. By the time they were done, their friends were already up, albeit battered. Mercury gasped as two swords similar to those Terry, Mamoru and Brad had appeared in front of her two friends. Their hilts, however, were red and green, respectively. "Interesting..."

Arax paled. "Girls, hit them before they can attack!"

It was too late, however. Mars and Jupiter grabbed the swords and glared up at the airborne youma. "Mars Fire Soul Bird!"

"Jupiter Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

Both constructs fled up, and the youma tried to hit them. This time, however, they both wrapped around two of the DD Girls, knocking them down to the ground as they fried them with magic energy.

Borax backed away as the two vanished. "Damn it... They're too strong."

Arax looked down at the two Senshi who were now kneeling on the ground. "But they're out of energy now. Borax, Cerax, let's avenge our sisters!"

"Arax, behind you!" Borax shouted.

Dragon Earth had rushed past Mars and Jupiter while the three youma girls talked, leaping up and ricocheting off the cave's wall, and that had left him a few meters above Arax. By the time Borax's warning came, he had already stabbed her back. "Earth Sword Blast. "

"No!" Cerax winced as Arax vanished. "Die, human!"

Moon had been about to attack the remaining youma, but she froze as Dragon Earth was knocked down to the ground by an energy blast. She then walked forwards, glaring up at the two evil beings. "Hey you!"

Borax looked down. "Guess she wants to die first."

"I'm not dying, none of my friends are. We will stop your Queen, whatever it takes."

"Brave words, girl, but you have no energy to back them up with," Cerax snapped.

Borax paled. "Wait, she... How did she do that?"

Mercury scanned Moon as she heard those words. True, Moon had been as out of power as the rest a moment ago, but now... She had more than enough power to take those two birdgirls down. "It's amazing. "

"You would never understand, youma," Moon snapped. "Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

Jupiter winced as she saw the tiara slice through both youma, and they fell to the ground. "Even without a sword, she's stronger than us."

"Mother... We failed you," Borax said before vanishing along with Cerax.

"Anyone's got any energy left to help Venus?" Mars asked looking back at her friends as Moon went to check on the fallen Dragon.

"Not a bit," Mercury said scanning the others. "We should rest if we want to stop Beryl. Problem is, the eclipse's almost here."

"Are you okay?"

The Dragon looked at Moon. "I'll live."

"Guys, stay here," Moon said turning to the others. "I'll go stop Beryl before she can summon Metallia."

"But..."

Moon shook her head at the Dragon. "I'll be fine, I'll call you if I can't handle her."

Mars stood up and sighed as Moon walked away. "How can she keep going?"

Dragon Mercury walked to her. "It's simple. She's stronger than us... But her strength isn't from magical power or raw physical force."

"Huh?"

"Rei, your attacks were stronger than Moon's," Mercury noted.

The Dragon nodded. "It's something simple. She's as out of energy as we are, but she's not giving up. Her will is what makes her stronger. "

"I'm not giving up either," Mars muttered.

"Out of stubborness, not will," Dragon Mercury noted.

"Then why stay here?" Mercury asked before Mars could snap at her male counterpart.

"She wants us to help Venus if things get dire... I guess she wants no casualties on our side," Dragon Earth said walking to the group.

"Doesn't look like those two need help," Jupiter commented.

"Go help Moon," Dragon Mercury said.

"But..."

"Mamoru, you think that Beryl will be any easier than these five bitches from hell we just fought? Go help her or I'll knock you down and drag you there."

"You're right."

"Crescent Barrage!"

The group turned to the battle still raging as Dragon Earth followed Moon. Venus was jumping around, dodging Kunzite's blasts, as her male counterpart waited for the right time to attack. "Guess they have him under control."

Kunzite frowned. "Your friends killed my girls, I guess I underestimated your group."

"You youma always do," Venus snapped.

"Maybe we do. Time to end this."

Venus sighed as Kunzite vanished, and turned around to punch him. However, Kunzite wasn't there. "Wha--"

Kunzite appeared behind her and knocked her down with an energy blast, then materialized his sword. "I'm going to enjoy this..."

"Light Sword Slash!"

Kunzite flinched, but resisted the attack, turning and punching the Dragon in the face, and before he could react, knocked him away with an energy beam. "There, he won't be bothering us..." As he turned, he noticed two things. First, Venus was up again, and second, she was shining. From his past experiences, he knew it was never a good omen when a Senshi started shining. "Die, Venus!"

Venus leapt aside dodging the blast, and glared at Kunzite. She was tired and her whole body ached from the battle, but she wasn't going to let him live after he'd hurt Brad. "Sorry, but I'm not the one dying today. Venus Twilight Power!"

Kunzite backed away as a column of light surrounded her, much like when she transformed normally, but as the light dimmed, everyone could see her suit was different. She had a Venus' symbol right under her front bow, and transluscent elbow pads appeared over her shoulders. The small jewels in the center of her bow now had small feathery wings. "What the fuck?" Dragon Mercury muttered as he got a reading on her power.

"What's wrong?" Nemesis asked.

"Her power used to be around two hunderd and fourty before," Mercury commented, "but now it's near a thousand and a half!"

"Kunzite's fried," Mars mused.

The white-haired general had reached the same conclussion. He gathered all of his power and shot a wide energy beam. "Die!"

Venus stood through the beam, showing no damage as it ended. "I've already told you, it's not my turn today. I guess you'll be able to see your girls again."

"You can't defeat me."

Venus smiled coldly. Besides giving her a power boost, the transformation had also given her energy to make one more attack, and she knew it would be more than enough to bring the last General down. "Venus Twilight V-Laser!" She moved much like when she used her Crescent Beam, but the result was a way larger beam, which smashed into Kunzite dead on, crushing him into the far wall of the cavern. "Guess I could," she mused as Kunzite turned to dust.

Mercury checked on Dragon Venus. "He's okay, just unconscious."

Venus nodded. "Good, I..." She fell on her knees just then, her suit reverting back to normal. "Damn..."

"We have to go help Usagi," Mars said.

"Agreed," Mercury said. "But we're tired and out of energy, we won't be a lot of help..."

"Don't you give up on me, Ami," the Ice Dragon said.

"Am not, just stating the facts."

"I know that. I'm still going," Mars said. "I'll help Usagi even if I have to fight Metallia barehanded."

"Let's go," Dragon Venus said as he stood up.

"You're okay?" Venus asked.

"Not really, but I can't sleep with all the noise you kids are making."

Mercury looked around. "Okay, the portal is still open, what we'll find once we get there, I can't tell."

"Can't be worse than what we fought out here," Nemesis said.

"How can you be so sure?" Jupiter asked?

"Simple. Beryl knows the human armies stand no chance against her youma, but we could defeat her."

Mercury nodded. "Makes sense. Okay guys, let's go."

"Who died and made her leader?" Mars muttered as the others followed the Ice Senshi's lead.

* * *

**A/N:** You guessed right, next episode's the end for the Dark Kingdom saga.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	35. Metallia

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 3: Dark Kingdom.**

** Episode 35: Metallia.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 8, 2007_

* * *

Moon wasn't sure where she was, but for what she could see, it was some kind of fortress or castle. However, it was devoid of living beings, and without Mercury's guide, she was pretty much lost. 

There was something else she always counted on, and was just why she hadn't turned around and returned to the portal. For some reason, she had often been able to be at hearing range when youma attacked, so she just had to trust her instincts. And said instincts led her to a large, black stone door. She pushed it open and walked into the room.

It was quite large, Moon guessed at least a hundred meters. The walls and floor were the same as everywhere in the building, grey, roughly finished and dull. Looking up to the roof, she could see a single light source pouring light right over the only furniture that she'd seen so far in her tour: A stony throne. The throne looked like a monster head, giving the sensation it'd eat whatever dared sitting on it. Moon pondered just how demented Beryl was, if she could stand sitting in such a throne.

"I suppose I should say something like 'welcome to my humble house,' but you, Moon Princess, aren't welcome here at all."

Moon turned to the voice. She remembered that voice, from her past. "Beryl," she growled as she came face to face with the pale-skinned youma queen.

"This is just perfect. I'll have a chance to kill you now, then I'll deal with the others."

"The Earth won't ever be yours."

"Right now, that's not my goal. I want to destroy those who killed my children."

"I won't let you do that, either."

Beryl laughed. "You really think you can defeat me?"

"Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

Beryl slapped the tiara away and frowned. "You're weak, indeed. However, I should thank you for one thing."

"And that is?" Moon asked. She knew she couldn't beat this enemy on her own, so she had to keep her talking until help arrived.

"You got rid of Aurite. I'm sure if she was left to roam, she would be a threat to me. "

"Earth Sword Blast!"

Beryl growled as the attack hit, and turned to Dragon Earth. "You... You were a weakling too, in the past, and you still are. You'll always be a slave to your petty Moon Princess."

"Let's finish this," the Dragon snapped.

"I agree," Beryl said, then shot a darkness wave at both her foes. The two fell to the ground, unconscious, and she nodded as she walked away. "That'll keep them from nagging me for now, but I'll need Metallia's power to win this battle."

* * *

Several minutes later, the rest of the Senshi team were walking around the stony corridors of the castle. "Are we there yet?" Venus asked. 

"Pretty close," Mercury said. "From the power readings I'm getting, either Usagi turned into the Moon Princess and is giving Beryl a, mind the pun, royal beating, or..."

"Beryl is calling her big bad demoness friend," Dragon Venus guessed.

They reached the large stone doors and walked in. First thing visible to them was the throne, and also... "Usagi!"

Mercury checked on both fallen Senshi and sighed. "They're alive."

Moon groaned and stood up. "That was pathetic."

"What happened?" Dragon Venus asked as the Earth Dragon also stood up.

"Beryl knocked us both down in one hit," Dragon Earth explained.

"Why didn't she kill you?" Jupiter asked.

"Maybe she wanted to wait and kill us all in one blast," Mercury said.

"Don't joke," Mars muttered.

"Who's joking?" Mercury asked. "If the energy readings I'm getting are right, we better hurry and stop Beryl. This way."

"And again, I repeat... Who died and made her leader?"

"Leave that for later," Moon snapped.

The others nodded and run after Mercury.

* * *

"Finally, after all these eons..." 

Beryl looked at the black, shapeless form floating a few meters away from her, its glowing yellow eyes seemed to pierce through her skull. "Metallia, I need your help to defeat the Senshi."

"Senshi... Yes, I can feel the Ginzuishou near."

"Give me power to defeat those humans."

"I don't think so."

"What? We made a pact, demoness."

"And that pact led me to unconsciousness for a _very_ long time. If Serenity's daughter is as strong as her mother, that could happen again. I'm not going to take risks."

"Fine then, I'll destroy them, then you," Beryl snapped.

"You will destroy them, indeed... At least your body will."

"What are you--" Beryl gasped as Metallia's misty form floated into her nose and mouth, then she screamed.

The Senshi walked in just as the last of Metallia was absorbed by the youma queen's body. "That's Beryl? She's not that ugly," Dragon Venus commented.

"Beryl is no more," the woman said, her voice deep and booming. "I am Metallia. And you, pitiful humans, will bow to me soon."

"Guys, let's give her all we have!" Moon said.

"I don't think so," Metallia snapped. Her body suddenly grew up to a looming thirty meters and she laughed as she looked down at her enemies.

"Berylzilla. Freaky," Dragon Venus muttered. The others glared at him. "Okay, I'll shut up."

"Die, Senshi!" Metallia growled and unleashed a wave of darkness. The Senshi were all knocked down to the ground by it, and the demoness laughed again.

Moon staggered up. "We... Won't lose."

"You already did, the moment I awakened," Metallia gloated.

Mercury looked up at 'Beryl' and gasped. "50,000 BPs. She's pretty much invincible."

Moon sighed. "She's _not_. I won't lose this battle."

"Why, want to go slack off?" Mars teased.

"Shut up," Moon snapped, and the others looked at her in shock. "You think I don't know what's in stake here? If we lose, the whole world's going to suffer."

"Thanks for the encouragement," Dragon Venus muttered.

"It's true," Mercury said. "We can't lose."

"Amusing," Metallia's voice boomed. "Are you kids so naive you don't see the reality of your defeat?"

Moon glared up at her, and the Ginzuishou appeared floating over her outstreched palm. Her suit changed into her princess gown and she held the crystal with both hands. "Moon Prism Power!"

Metallia didn't stand there and let the attack hit, instead unleashing a beam of darkness that clashed against the Princess' one. "Still useless, little Princess!"

* * *

Kino was standing besides Seia and Tomoe, waiting for a report. "Well, this isn't good," the scientist said. 

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what the Senshi are doing, but look at this."

The screen changed to a view of icy plains, and lightning was cracking around the area, seemingly focusing in one exact point. "What the hell's that?" Seia asked.

"That's raw magical energy, leaking out of the linking point between the Earth and wherever the Senshi are right now."

"And why is it... Leaking?"

"I guess they're throwing all they have at their foes right now, and their foes are countering."

"The numbers seem a bit... Low," Seia noted.

"That's just residual energy. The real output of energy could be a thousand times bigger."

Seia flinched. "Damn."

"What if the Senshi lose the battle?" Kino asked.

"Then you should ask your friends from the States to nuke the area and hope one of the bombs passes through."

* * *

"Been a while, Moment." 

Pluto smiled at Artemis. "I haven't been called that for eons. But I'm not here to socialize."

"What for, then?"

"I have little doubts on the outcome of this war. But it won't be the last enemy the Senshi must fight."

"When are your protegees going to show up?" Luna asked.

"They're almost ready to help," Pluto said, "but I have my doubts about teaming them with your group."

"They'll have to, eventually," Shade noted.

"I know, but one of my protegees isn't... Friendly."

"Usagi could befriend a rock," Luna muttered. "But have we found all of them?"

"No, there's at least one missing Senshi."

Artemis frowned. "You should know for sure."

"Nothing is sure with timelines," Pluto said. "However, I must leave now, my students need to be ready before they arrive."

"And who are 'they'?" Luna asked.

"You'll know that when the time's right," Pluto said before vanishing.

"Well, that helps a lot," Shade snapped at the now gone Senshi.

* * *

Serenity staggered back as she struggled to keep her beam stable. After all the fighting and beating she'd been through, she was almost out of energy. But if she gave up, it would mean her friends' struggle had also been in vain. "Guys, I need your help. Lend me your power." 

Mars nodded. "Let's do it. Mars Planet Power!"

"Mercury Planet Power!"

"Mercury Dragon Power!"

"Jupiter Planet Power!"

"Venus Twilight Power!"

"Venus Dragon Power!"

"Nemesis Planet Power!"

"Earth Dragon Power!"

Serenity smiled as a wave of energy started flowing from her friends and into her body. Metallia's dark beam started to slowly shrink back. "This war ends now. Moon Prism Power!"

Metallia screamed as Serenity's beam blasted through hers, and washed over her massive body. The onslaught took several seconds, but in the end, the demoness vanished. The Senshi were all wondering the same thing as they looked around. They weren't in the castle anymore, but in a scorched, icy valley.

"Well, that solves having to find a way back to Earth," Jupiter commented.

Mercury scanned around and frowned. "We are exactly where the portal was."

"What happened to it... Or to the cavern, for that matter?" Dragon Earth asked.

"The portal, no idea. The cavern... Maybe our little magic struggle destroyed it."

"That's good and all," Venus said, "but how the heck are we going to go back? I don't think we can pull that Sailor Teleport thing as low in energy as we are."

Dragon Mercury smirked. The lightgirl was right, he was barely standing after all that fighting, and he knew his friends were as tired as him, if not more. "Sam, you can pick us up now," he said talking into his communicator.

"I'll be there in a minute, sir," Samuel's voice said through the comm.

"What are you up to?" Dragon Venus asked.

"You guys want a vehicle to go back home... Ask and thou shalt receive." As he said that, a fair-sized plane descended near them.

"A VTOL plane?" Mercury asked admiring the vehicle.

"Don't drool, or your mouth'll freeze," Mars joked.

Moon sighed. "Okay, let's get outta here before we start growing stalagmites."

"You know what those are?" Mars asked as the group entered the plane.

* * *

A couple days passed and the group recovered from the battle. Most of them were at Crown, enjoying the peace they'd earned. 

"So, where's _Rabbit_?" Terry asked as he played Street Fighter 2.

"Out with Mamoru," Ami said.

"Does he know what he's getting into?" Rei muttered.

"You could try to stop being mean to her for a day," Terry noted.

"But she makes it so easy..." Rei mused. Terry and Ami rolled their eyes at her.

"Hey, isn't that Mamoru's sister?" Mako said pointing at one of the arcades in the far side of the room.

Terry nodded. "Yeah, that's Karin. Why?"

"She sort of looks like my ex..."

Ami and Rei both stared at her wide-eyed. Terry chuckled. "If you mean she looks like a guy, I hope she doesn't hear you."

"She looks tough, but it's not like I'm a weakling," Mako noted.

"Agreed," Terry nodded.

* * *

"Any news on the Senshi?" 

Seia shook her head. "They did win that last battle, but after that, they haven't been seen anywhere."

"I suppose they have no reason to use their powers now. Think we'll see them again?"

"No idea. Let's wait and see if there's any other alien invasion fleet around."

* * *

"So, I have to help them?" Hotaru asked. 

Setsuna nodded. "Yes. They'll need help when the next wave arrives. "

"I hope you realize I'm not a social person. Why not send Kage?"

"Kage'll have to check on something I've sensed in China. And I'm not asking you to be their friends, just help them in battle."

"To that, I can agree," Hotaru said. Setsuna smiled, she was quite sure she'd change her mind about being their friend before the dust settled.

* * *

**A/N:** There wasn't much to edit for this episode, I liked how it looked before. What's next? A small interlude and then the Dark Moon saga.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	36. Mantis Antics

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 4: Dark Moon Rising. **

**Episode 35: Mantis Antics.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 8, 2007_

* * *

Three weeks passed without any signs of evil, and the Senshi enjoyed their break from fighting. The school had been repaired, however, and it was time for their lives to fully return to normal. 

"I don't get it. We defeated that demoness, and still have to come to school?"

Terry smiled at Usagi. "Stop complaining, _Rabbit_, you were saying you missed school a few days ago."

"Hey guys!"

Terry grabbed Umino by the collar and put him in his seat. "There. Now be silent, mortal."

"That was uncalled for," Umino snapped.

"I stopped Usagi from hitting you in the head or shout in your ear. Remember what I said before, brain damage's critical in you."

The thick-glassed boy shrugged off the verbal jab. "Thanks, I guess. "

Naru walked in next, along with Mako. "Nothing new, I can see. But be careful, Terry, or Ami'll be jealous."

"And why would I be?" Ami asked popping right behind Naru.

"I see my ancient ninja secret tech's been copied," Umino mused.

"What are you doing here?" Naru asked.

"I was told this would be my group from now on," Ami explained. "Guess Terry's father has some influences."

"Nah, that was all me," Terry admitted. Just then, Minako walked in. "Yay, two airhead blondes for the price of one."

Minako glared at him for a second. "You're quite a jerk sometimes, you knew that?"

"I've been told so," Terry admitted.

Ami sat besides Terry and giggled. "Don't mind him. And it's good you're finally out of that scowly face, Terry."

Just then, another girl walked into the classroom. She was pale, with short purplish-black hair and matching eyes, and her face was neutral as she looked at the group. "Wonder who she is?" Naru pondered.

"Hotaru Tomoe, daughter of that mad scientist that works for the JDF. From what I heard, she's not too friendly."

"You got that right," Hotaru said from behind Umino.

"Aaah! What the heck?"

"How did you do that?" Terry asked.

"You were all distracted," Hotaru said in her usual monotone.

"I don't think so," Terry insisted.

"Well, if I told you how I did it, I'd have to kill you."

Terry smiled as Hotaru turned to return to her seat. "See, she's friendly. She's already joking with us."

"I never joke," Hotaru said. As she sat on her place, however, she frowned. That Zephyr guy wasn't as easy to fool as the others, so she had to be careful with him.

* * *

Later that day, the group was walking down a quite packed street. "So, million boy, what are we here for?" 

"Patience, earthling," Terry said.

"Just asking," Brad muttered.

"Here we are," Terry announced as they stoped in front of a martial arts dojo.

"Here? This is just a dojo."

"Well, I asked Sam to find a place where we could gather and train. This dojo was going bankrupt so the owner was easy to convince."

As they entered the dojo, they saw it was nothing special. "So, this is it?"

Terry smiled at Mako. "Not at all. Follow me." The group did as prompted, and they ended up in a small room in the back of the building. Terry touched a wall and whispered something, and a section of the wall slid sideways, revealing a hidden corridor.

"Cool, we're in the Men In Black headquarters," Brad joked.

They stopped in front of an elevator door. "I thought this was a one-story building," Usagi noted.

Terry smirked as they walked in. The elevator was large enough to fit at least a dozen people. "Never said we were going up," he commented as they started descending.

After a minute or so, the trip ended, and the doors opened, revealing a very large room with several mats and benches. "What the hell is this?" Mako asked.

"This will be our meeting place, we can come here whenever we want to discuss Senshi matters, or train our powers and skills."

"But we already defeated the youma," Minako noted.

"True. But there has to be other evil beings out there," Terry said. "Never read any comics? It's rare that a group of heroes has only one nemesis."

"Well, we do have one," Rei said looking at Naru.

"Not what I meant," Terry muttered. "In any case... You're free to explore the room."

Mako went to one of the walls, several weights were perched in it. She grabbed one of the smaller, yet heavy-looking, ones and smiled. "Well, I think this place could be funnier than the gym I usually go to."

Brad walked to a weapon display in the far side of the room. He picked a wooden sword and smiled. "Seeing how some of the girls got swords now, I think they should train using them."

Terry nodded. "I agree. A weapon's only an advantage if you know how to use it. Otherwise, it hinders your movements, but don't worry, you'll have a real master here to teach you."

"Who?"

"Me."

"Hah!" Brad exclaimed. "I don't think you can teach them. I'm older than you, I bet I could beat you to a fight."

Terry grabbed one of the wooden swords. "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet."

The two walked to one of the mats. "Poor Terry, he's gonna get beaten," Minako said.

Ami smiled. "I think Terry'll be fine."

"Stop defending him, you sound like his girlfriend," Mako noted.

"Uhh... I don't..." Ami blushed and fell silent.

Brad charged first, swinging down at Terry, who met his blow and responded with a kick to the knee. Brad staggered back and Terry took the chance to leap back, then charged. He tried a sideways slash, but Brad blocked it.

"They're both good," Mamoru said.

"What about you?" Usagi asked.

"I had never used a sword before our trip to the youma world," Mamoru admitted.

Terry rolled aside as Brad tried another downwards slash, kicking out and knocking his opponent off-balance. Brad fell back, but stood up fast enough to parry Terry's next slash. The two went on for a while, neither getting any hits in.

"Bah. I still don't see why we should waste time training," Usagi said.

"We barely made it out of our last battle," Ami noted. "I'm not ashamed to admit I have no melee skills whatsoever, but they can be useful sometimes. Besides, if we train we'll be stronger, and I guess we could even learn to control our magic better."

Minako nodded then smiled as she saw both swordsmen were kneeling on the ground. "Guess that was a draw."

"You bet," Terry muttered gasping for air.

"Could anyone detect us down here if we use our power?" Minako asked.

"Usagi could go into her Princess mode and start shooting energy blasts, and people up there wouldn't notice. This base is completely shielded from the outside world."

"Must've costed a damn lot of money," Brad noted.

"You call it that, I call it candy money," Terry mused.

"Don't go snob on us," Rei groaned. "Hey Mina, what are you up to?"

Minako was looking around the room. "Just wanted to see one thing. Venus Twilight Power!" Nothing happened. "Huh?"

"Try transforming normally first," Brad suggested.

"Venus Planet Power! Venus Twilight Power!" This time, she turned into her Senshi form, then into her new form. "Cool. Good thing it wasn't a one-time power-up."

"But what's with the suit change and power difference?" Mako asked.

"When you girls used those swords, your power doubled. But Minako's power multiplied several times," Ami explained.

"Which means?"

"Don't you remember that last battle, first time we faced Beryl?" Ami asked.

Mako's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah... We were in a different 'level' back then. So that Twilight thing is a level up?"

Ami chuckled. "You could say that. From the transformation phrase, I guess we should call it the Twilight Senshi form."

"Twilight Venus..." Venus mused. "I like the name." Just then, her suit reverted to normal. "Darn..."

"Your body isn't adapted to that yet," Terry explained. "But I bet with time, you'll be able to hold it for as long as you need, or even transform directly. It's only a wild guess, though."

Suddenly, there was a beeping sound and Terry walked to one of the walls. "What's going on?" Usagi asked.

The wall opened as Terry walked to it, and a computer console appeared, complete with monitors. "I also installed a scanner."

Ami walked to the computer. "This computer looks amazing."

"Yes, but the AI is primitive right now."

"I could help with that."

"I wouldn't mind the help."

"Get a room," Rei muttered.

Terry turned to the others. "Well, there's an alien form attacking Crown right now."

"Everything happens in Juuban," Mako muttered.

"Not really, but most of it will," Terry admitted. "At least statistically, that's the case."

"Cut the chatter and let's blast whatever's out there to dust," Usagi muttered.

"She's acting like a leader, we're doomed," Rei joked.

"You said that before," Naru noted.

"And it's still true."

* * *

As the group reached their target, they could see the monster had made a nice work at wrecking the place. "Darn it, it's really going to suffer now," Moon said angrily. 

Problem was _what_ the creature attacking the place was. A grey-skinned mantis-like humanoid monster that had been relentlessly sending crescent-shaped energy blasts at the building until it saw the Senshi. "You'll be the ones suffering, Senshi. My name is Vigale and I'm going to avenge my kin."

"Just how many of these things are out there?" Mars asked.

"Must have escaped before we destroyed the portal," Mercury guessed.

"Hah! We're not youma, idiots. Let's see if you can make this battle fun."

"Can I?" Venus asked.

Mercury was scanning the monster, and nodded. "Believe it or not, that thing's just too strong for us. Only Venus or Moon could deal with it."

"Grim Edge!"

A dark energy blast came from behind the creature, knocking it to the ground. The Senshi saw a girl standing there, wearing a Twilight Senshi suit, only hers had dark purple where Venus' one had orange. She was holding a strange glaive, it's blade shape resembled a G.

The girl looked at the creature with a dismissive stare. "Creatures like you are hardly a challenge. Leave now before you regret it."

Vigale snorted. "Oh, I see... Sailor Saturn, I suppose?"

Saturn didn't look surprised at all. "That's me, yes. Ready to die?"

Vigale laughed as it shot a couple blasts at Saturn, but stopped as Saturn deflected them with her glaive. "Impressive."

"And that's not all. Challenging death itself wasn't wise, insect. Death Bolt!"

The second death energy blast was too fast for the mantis to dodge. It punched through its chest and Vigale looked down at the wound in shock before turning to dust.

"Wow, she's strong," Jupiter noted.

"She stole my kill," Venus complained.

"Who are you?" Moon asked.

"Sailor Saturn, that's my Senshi name, and that's all you need to know for now." After saying that, she vanished.

"What? She can teleport?" Nemesis asked.

Mercury nodded as she looked around. "She isn't anywhere near."

"So we have a new Senshi around, and she's already Twilight," Dragon Mercury commented. "Think the cats will know about her?"

"I'll ask Luna when I get home," Moon said.

"Saturn..." Nemesis said.

"The Senshi of Death, from what she said," Dragon Venus noted. "Scary."

"Oh well, the enemy's gone, let's go back to the base," Moon said.

"'Base'?" Mars muttered.

"It's what it is, technically," Dragon Mercury admitted. "Should we go there through the sewers, through the back of the grocery next to it or... From the alley behind Crown?"

Jupiter's eyes widened. "You even had secret entrances built into that thing?"

The Dragon shrugged. "Thought it'd make it easier to go in and out unnoticed."

"Everyone inside Crown's unconscious," Mercury noted.

"We'll take care of that."

The group turned to Seia who came walking from one of the surrounding buildings. "Hey there, army girl."

Seia glared at Dragon Venus but said nothing about the nickname. "My brother was in that building, and he called me when that thing started attacking. I have a group of ambulances coming to pick the crowd up."

"Good, now if you excuse us, this was a hard battle so..."

Seia chuckled. "I watched the battle. You didn't do a thing, that Saturn girl killed the monster."

"Yay, we have witnesses." Mars muttered.

"Should we brainwash her, or just kill her?" Dragon Mercury joked.

"Let's do both," Jupiter suggested.

Seia shook her head as she walked away. "Teenagers."

* * *

**A/N:** Why choose Saturn as the first 'Outer' to show up? Uranus and Nepture are out of question (as they _will_ meet the other Senshi in the Death Busters arc of this fic,) and Dragon Sun has other things to worry about right now (which may be revealed later on.) Besides, it'll be fun to see how the grim Saturn will react when Moon tries to befriend her.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	37. Mecha Senshi?

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 4: Dark Moon Rising.**

** Episode 37: Mecha-Senshi?**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 27, 2007_

* * *

"She looks really lonely," Usagi noted. 

"Who?" Naru asked.

"Hotaru," Usagi said pointing at one of the other lunch tables. The dark-haired girl was sitting alone in a corner of the classroom.

"Maybe she wants to be alone," Mako said.

Usagi sighed. "Why would she want that?"

"Guess someone like you would never understand, _Rabbit._" Terry said seriously.

Usagi sighed again and looked out the window. Ami got a thoughtful look for a second, then looked at Terry. "Think that mantis was the last enemy we'll see?"

"Not likely," Terry said. "For starters, I bet there's more of its 'kin' out there."

"Hi guys!" Umino exclaimed popping in-between Ami and Terry.

"Target acquired. Initiate elimination protocol," Hotaru said in a cold, monotone voice from behind him, making him jump.

"How the heck do you do that?"

"Do what? I'm just deadly silent," Hotaru said keeping her neutral face, then walked back to her seat.

"Anyways," Umino muttered, "did you guys hear the news?"

Ami nodded. "A meteorite crashed in Juuban Park, but when the army went to investigate, it was gone."

"Think someone stole it?" Naru asked.

"What for?" Terry pondered.

"One of my sources said he saw a couple floating energy spheres flying over Juuban minutes after the crash," Umino noted. "Maybe the meteorite wasn't just a rock. It's weird, I think someone should investigate the matter further."

Ami and Terry looked at each other, and they knew they were thinking alike.

Just then, two more students walked in. Both had brown hair and eyes, were sligthly taller than the rest of the class, not counting Mako and Terry, and were chatting animously as they sat near Usagi and her friends.

"Natsumi and Seijuro Ginga," Umino said before anyone could ask. "Not a lot about them is known, but they are said to..."

Natsumi coughed a bit too loud. "We're here and we're hearing you, you know?"

Seijuro smiled. "Lots of pretty girls, I'm already liking this school." Natsumi glared at him for a second then shook her head.

"Tough luck, my friends are mostly taken," Terry said.

"And I'm not interested," Mako added.

"Uh... Same," Ami said shyly.

"A pity," Seijuro said. _'Humans are amusing,'_ he thought.

_'Indeed,'_ he heard Natsumi's voice in his mind. _'It's a pity we'll probably have to drain them to survive.'_

* * *

Mako crashed to the ground and flinched. Terry didn't laugh, his friends noticed he was quite serious when training. "You really need to learn how to use that sword, Mako." 

"I could just punch things down like I always do," Mako said staggering up.

"What's the fun in that, when you can chop them to pieces?" Brad mused.

"Besides," Terry said, "the swords give you an upgrade in power. It'd be foolish not to use that advantage in combat."

"You have two swords, how come you're not stronger than us?" Naru asked.

"Easy, I'm the Mercury Dragon, Saturn is not my planet. While I know I could be stronger using it's power too, I'm not sure what would happen if I tried."

"Don't risk it."

Terry turned to see the three Mooncats standing near the practice mat. "Well, I was starting to wonder if you'd just vanished."

"We've been busy," Luna said. "We have some clues on that meteorite crash, and most likely we'll be facing a new alien enemy soon."

"'We'?" Terry muttered.

"We did our part, we're not the warriors," Artemis noted. "Anyhow, Luna's right, don't try to use both your Mercury and Saturn swords' powers... If you're not compatible with both, you'll be lucky to be alive afterwards."

Shade nodded. "I can remember one case of someone that tried, one of the Nemesis Dragons who tried to use the sword of his fallen love, the Mars Senshi of that epoque."

"And what happened?" Rei asked.

"He did gain access to Mars' power for a short time, more than enough to fry the enemy that had killed Sailor Mars. But he only lived long enough to see his enemy vanish, then fell to the ground and never stood up."

"I'll pass, then," Terry muttered.

Mako tried attacking while he was distracted, but Terry saw her coming and backstepped, tripping her with his sword and sending her crashing to the ground. "Ow."

"Predictable," Terry noted. "Though that was actually a good try."

The brown-haired girl growled and tossed the wooden sword at him like a spear. Terry dodged aside and turned, then gasped as he saw the sword stab into the wall. "That better?"

Terry blinked. "You're strong. And that's quite a way to use a sword. Maybe we should start calling you the Jupiter Kamen?"

Ami winced. "That was dangerous, what if he hadn't dodged?" She was working on the computer console, as a swarm of numbers and symbols kept on randomly appearing in the screen. "Well, I'm sure with a few weeks of work, we could come out with a pretty good AI for the base. "

"I'm glad you like messing with computers," Terry mused. "Two minds think better than one."

"One's Ami, the other is..?" Rei asked.

Terry was about to say something, when the base's alarms flared to life. "There we go again."

"Unknown entity detected near the Tokyo Tower," Ami said.

"That's a bit far from here."

"Hmmm... The scanners also pick up a second entity. Sailor Saturn. "

"Cool, let her handle that thing," Usagi said.

"We can't. She could need our help," Minako noted.

"If the scan's correct, she _will_," Terry said.

Usagi nodded. "Okay, let's go then, and I hope it's not another mantis."

* * *

Saturn looked at the creature waiting patiently from atop a nearby building. "I see whoever sent that robot wasn't happy with just one test." 

The cyborg looked up. "So you decided to show up, Sailor Saturn."

A one-eyed visor slid down from Saturn's tiara. The cyborg was smarter than the first one she'd faced, and also stronger. "And you are?"

"Omega-2. The cyborg you and your friends fought before was the Omega-1."

"Friends?" Saturn shook her head. "Merely allies. In any case, let's end this quick. Death Bolt!"

"Death Bolt."

Saturn realized her mistake. There was a reason for her to like short battles, and that was because her energy reserves weren't high enough to stand more than a few minutes of combat. "I think we've reached a stalemate, however, I have an advantage over you."

"And that is?" The Omega asked.

"Numbers," Saturn said just as the Senshi reached the scene. "Took you long enough," she added turning to them.

"She's blunt. I like bluntness," Dragon Mercury commented.

"Be careful, my glaive's sharp and deadly," Saturn said as emotionlessly as usual.

The Dragon turned to look at the robot. "Okay, I'll bite. Let's see what that thing can do. Icycle Spray!"

"Icycle Spray."

"What the fuck?"

"I second that," Jupiter said.

"It's quite simple," Saturn said, "this 'Omega' creature somehow can replicate our attacks."

Mercury was scanning the creature, and stared at it in shock as the readings appeared in her visor. "That... It has our DNA!"

"DNwhat?" Moon asked.

"Whoever built it, used samples of our skin, blood, hair or whatever, to create a cyborg that..."

"Fire Soul."

Dragon Mercury dodged the fire blast. "... Can use our attacks."

"Who cares?" Venus said. "Let's see him handle this. Venus Twilight Power!"

The Omega stood there while Venus transformed. "I don't have your power in my database."

"Too bad for you, then. Venus Twilight V-Laser!"

The Omega staggered back as the blast hit. Saturn frowned. _'She's stronger than even me...'_

Dragon Mercury charged at the robot as Venus kneeled on the ground, flinging one of the swords at it like Mako had tried on him before. "Hey robbie, dodge _this_!"

The Omega leapt aside as he saw he sword spearing towards him. He didn't, however, guess what the Dragon's strategy was, until he had been stabbed through by the sword. "Ow."

"This is when you die," Dragon Mercury noted.

"I'm a machine, kid. I don't have a heart. Supreme Thunder Dragon."

"No!" Mercury shouted. As the Dragon fell near her, she saw his sword bouncing and stopping next to her feet. "Terry..." she whispered.

Omega looked at Mercury. "Interesting, her power is..."

"Mercury Twilight Power!"

Saturn rose an eyebrow. _'Wonder what caused her upgrade?'_

Before the cyborg could attack, Mercury was already summoning her new attack. "Mercury Snow Spray!" She moved just like when she used her Shabon Spray, but this time, a shower of ice and snow hit the cyborg, paralyzing it. "All... Yours, Moon," she said as she fell to her knees, her suit fading back to normal.

"Moon Tiara Boomerang!" The light disc hit the cyborg, and it exploded into a shower of metal and ice. "Guess we got him."

"That we... Did," Mercury said tiredly. She then walked to the Dragon and gasped as she scanned him. "Oh no..."

"What's wrong?" Jupiter asked.

"If we don't get him cured soon, he'll die." She sank to her knees again.

Saturn had been about to leave, but overheard what Mercury said. She phased near the fallen Dragon and looked at him. "I can help."

"How?" Mercury asked.

"I'm the Senshi of Death, but I can also give life," Saturn said in her usual monotone. She put a hand on the Dragon's chest. Her hand lit up, and for several seconds, the others could see energy flowing from her hand into his body. As the light faded, she stood up. "It's done."

"Wait," Moon said as Saturn stood up. "Who are you?"

"I already told you that."

"We could be friends," Moon said, "but you have to trust us."

"I don't need friends, just allies. It's got nothing to do with trust," Saturn said then vanished.

"Gee, what a cold-hearted bitch," Venus muttered.

"She..." Dragon Mercury said as he staggered up. "She healed me, she's not cold-hearted. But I don't think she wants us to know who she is, for whichever reasons she may have."

Moon sighed. "You girls keep on leveling up, and I'm still a weakling."

"You killed the monster, what are you complaining about?" Mars muttered.

"I don't know, I thought being the leader and all, I would be the first..."

"Saturn can keep her Twilight form longer than me," Venus said, "even though she looks physically weak. That must mean she's been a Twilight Senshi for longer than any of us."

"Your point being...?" Mars asked.

"I guess it's not about ranks or about who was a Senshi first. Both me and Mercury powered up in extreme situations."

"You mean we gotta risk our hides to power up?" Mars asked. "That's just great."

"Either that, or get your boyfriend beaten up," Venus joked.

"Mina!" Mercury hissed.

* * *

"Your second robot was a failure too." 

The scientist nodded. "I must admit, I did not think those Senshi would power up. But we now know Saturn has joined them."

"Make the Omega the backup plan."

"Why?"

"I have the feeling our other soldier will cause a lot more damage just being there, than the Omega could ever cause with their magic. "

"I see your point. You have faced them directly before, though... Think her powers will be enough?"

"She's not a magician, her powers are different. If she takes the Senshi by surprise, they'll have no time to react before she gets them all."

"It will still take me a while to finish the adjustments."

"I know that. But something tells me the Senshi will be too busy fighting their newest foes, to bother looking for us."

* * *

"It's time we start gathering energy," Seijuro said. 

"Yes, we must if we want to survive," Natsumi admitted. They were both sitting in a large room, but the place looked like it hadn't been cleaned or repaired for years. "Guess we should do something about this place first."

Seijuro nodded. "It'll only take a bit of energy. But what will we do about those 'Senshi'?"

"We can't hesitate if we want to survive. If they get in our way, we'll use our pets against them."

* * *

**A/N:** Ever heard about filler episodes? You can consider these two to be fifty percent filler.  



	38. Pinkhaired Mistery

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 4: Dark Moon Rising.**

** Episode 38: Pink-Haired Mistery. **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 9, 2007_

* * *

The man looked at the four women in front of him. "Ayakashi, you know your mission already." 

One of them, who had black, short wavy hair and a strange, form-fitting pink suit, took a step forwards. "We've located the Princess. She's in Tokyo right now, as we supposed."

"Well done, Cooan. Go there and kill the Rabbit, she's a threat to our master's plans."

"At once, Rubeus," Cooan said and vanished.

* * *

Usagi was watching Mako and Rei play a fighting game, while Minako took a turn at beating the Sailor V arcade 'or die trying.' It was a good thing she wasn't the only bad player around anymore, but... 

"Hey, Usagi!"

Her brooding interrupted, Usagi turned to the voice. "Hi, Karin."

Mamoru's sister walked to her. "You know what Mamoru's up to lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's been weird for months, disappearing suddenly without any explanation, leaving to 'meet some friends' I never see, and so on. I'm worried he's doing something dangerous."

'You don't know half of it,' Usagi mused to herself. "I don't know, but I'll try finding out what he's up to."

"Thanks," Karin said with a smile. She then turned to the other girls. "I see you're only missing the blonde joke today."

"Nah, she's right here," Rei noted.

"Can it, Rei," Usagi snapped.

"Terry and Ami were babbling about computers and stuff like that, then they left," Mako commented.

"Hey guys!" Umino said as he appeared between Mako and Karin. They both grabbed one of his arms and tossed him back. "You girls aren't nice."

"You think?" Karin mused. "That was nice, if I hit you like the others do you wouldn't be conscious to say whatever you were about to say."

"Uhm... Nevermind. I heard rumors of several spaceship sightings this week."

"There's usually a lot of those, mostly bullshit," Karin noted.

"Strange thing is, all witnesses described the same thing, even though they were never in contact with each other."

"A coincidence, perhaps?" Rei pondered.

"With the Senshi around, I don't really think that's a coincidence," Umino admitted.

"What, think they got a new vehicle?"

"No, most likely those are their new enemies."

Mako and Rei looked at each other as Umino left. "Don't mind him, girls, Umino's always been weird like that," Usagi said. But maybe he was right, and that spaceship meant they'd have another evil force to worry about.

* * *

"Strange..." 

Ami looked up from her computer as Terry muttered something. "What's wrong?"

"The base's computer's detecting something, but it's energy's weak enough not to be considered a threat."

"We should check it, just in case."

Terry nodded and his board appeared out of thin air. "I love these space pockets..."

"Can you make more of those?"

Terry looked back at Ami. "Possibly, the Zero is relatively easy to produce, once you know what it's components are. Why?"

"I was thinking, maybe the team could use those boards to save time. "

"Good idea. I just gotta find a way to adapt them into my other project..."

Ami stopped and looked at him curiously. "What project?"

"You'll know about it soon."

"Keeping secrets from me, huh? I'll have to punish you."

"Is that a promise?" Terry asked as he leapt on his board. Ami just shook her head and leapt behind him.

* * *

Usagi had left Crown a few minutes ago, and was now walking home, thinking about what Umino said earlier. That was the only reason she didn't notice someone was following her until her stalker decided to act. "Stop right there!" 

The blonde looked at the little girl in front of her. She was eight at most, wearing a blue dress and with a hairdo similar to her own, albeit the buns were oval-shaped and the girl's hair was pink. But the strangest thing was, she was holding a gun. "Kid, put that thing away, you could hurt someone."

"Give me the Ginzuishou."

"Wha... Who are you?"

"My name's Usagi Tsukino, and I'm here to get the Ginzuishou."

_'Usagi Tsukino?'_ Usagi was lost for words. This kid knew about her crystal and was trying to steal it from her. She was about to transform and call the others when she noticed a certain couple flying their way. "Hey guys, a little help here?"

The girl looked up at the two Mercuries and her eyes widened. As they both leapt off the board, she took a step back, her gun vanishing as if it had been just an illusion. "Wha... Senshi?"

Dragon Mercury glared at the girl. "Even if you're just a kid, I don't like anyone threatening my friends."

Usagi saw the kid dashing away, and as the Dragon moved to chase her, she stopped him. "Let her go."

"What? But..."

"She's after my crystal, I don't know why, but... She'll probably be back."

Mercury nodded. "Be careful."

Usagi smiled. "I'll be. I'm going home, hopefully that girl won't be back for a while."

* * *

Back at Crown, Natsumi and Seijuru were preparing their attack. _'This place's full of energy.'_

_'Let's start the draining.'_ They walked out of the building, and suddenly, a flute could be heard. "Hey, what's that music?" Karin asked.

Before the others could answer, a humanoid bull crashed through the front wall, and started draining everyone. "I thought music soothed the beast," Minako muttered.

"I don't like bullies," Karin said then charged at the creature. To everyone's surprise, she managed to dodge a jab from it, and kick it out the window.

Mako looked around and noticed everyone was knocked out. "Darn... Mina, Rei, go look for help."

"What about you?" Rei asked.

"Hey, if Karin can punch that bull's face in, so can I." Rei nodded and the girls dashed out the back door. As Mako turned back to the monster, she saw it was choking Karin. "What's with evil monsters and necks?" she muttered.

Karin tried to kick the creature, but she was rapidly running out of air. She saw something hitting the monster form the side, and fell on her butt. "Thanks..."

Mako nodded. "You okay?"

Karin stood up after recovering her breath, and kicked the bull back. "Takes more than a chokehold to beat me."

The creature was getting angrier by the second. Its masters had told it the only resistance it'd find would be Senshi, but these two human girls were being an annoyance. It decided to stop playing soft, and use its real skills.

Karin and Mako dove aside as the bull shot energy beams from its eyes. "Laser eyes, so cliche," Mako muttered.

It decided to focus in one target only, and started shooting at Karin. The girl dodged as well as she could, but one of the creature's shots hit a parked car. The explosion was enough to knock Karin down, and as she stood up dizzily, the monster chuckled coldly.

Mako frowned. She couldn't stop the bull in her normal form, but transforming would mean... She saw its eyes light up with energy again, and took the risk. "Jupiter Planet Power!" She dove in front of Karin as another pair of energy beams fled her way, and summoned her attack. "Supreme Thunder!"

Jupiter's attack sent the bull flying back, but Jupiter herself was knocked to the ground by the monster's blast. Karin looked down at her and grimaced as she saw her suit was smoking near her left arm. "Thanks."

"I couldn't let you... Die," Jupiter said as she kneeled on the ground. The monster hadn't been killed by her lightning blast, however, and was charging up for another blast, this time aimed at Jupiter. It never had the chance to shoot, though.

"Mars Fire Soul Bird!"

The bull vanished, and a blackened card was left in its place, turning to dust as it hit the ground. "Smells like steak," Karin said.

Jupiter winced as she stood up. "Those eye beams weren't soft at all. "

"You okay, Mako?"

Venus and Mars both gasped at Karin's words. "She..."

Jupiter nodded. "Sorry, had to think fast and she was about to get pierced through by that bull. But... You didn't seem too surprised. "

Karin smiled. "I've known for a while. Both me and Chie saw Usagi talking to her cat, a weeks days ago. It was right before that eclipse..."

"The day we fought Beryl," Jupiter noted to herself.

Mars groaned. "It's Usagi's fault, as usual."

"I'm not telling anyone, Rei."

"Good... Guess," Mars muttered.

"Easy one, as Mako sent you both for help."

"Okay, let's get out of here before..."

"Long time no see, Senshi."

"... Too late," Mars muttered as she saw Rakurai walking to them. "Late as usual, huh?"

"We didn't know how strong that monster was," Seia noted.

"It was quite a sissy, since I gave it a beating," Karin commented. "In any case, I'm outta here."

Seia rose an eyebrow as Karin left. "Who's that girl?"

"An innocent bystander, sort of," Mars simply said.

Venus produced her communicator. "Uhm... Hi Moon. Where the heck were you guys?"

"We just fought an evil woman here," Moon explained. "Come to the base and I'll... Hey wait, where were _you_ while we fought?"

"Fighting a bull monster that kinda wrecked Crown."

"Again? Well, you'll tell us about it when you get here."

* * *

Several minutes earlier, Usagi had walked into her house to be greeted by an unexpected visitor. "Hi, Usagi." 

"You? What are you doing here?" The blonde almost snarled at the young girl.

"Usagi, that's your cousin, ChibiUsa," Ikuko Tsukino said.

"Cousin?" But how could that be, her parents had no siblings... She saw the girl was holding a black, ball-shaped artifact that looked like a cat head, and its eyes shone as she looked at her. "What did you do to them?"

The girl blinked at her. She couldn't use her magic in her? But that'd mean she was... "Can you take me out for a walk?" Usagi nodded, giving the small girl a meaningful glare, and both walked out of the house.

When they were far enough, Usagi stopped, her glare not lessening at all. "Okay, first you point a gun at me, now you brainwash my parents... Who are you?"

"I already told you that," ChibiUsa said. "And I didn't brainwash anyone, I just inserted fake memories into their minds. It won't hurt them at all."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I need the Ginzuishou."

"I can't give it to you."

"Well, well, I guess finding you was easier than I thought."

Usagi turned to the voice and saw a woman wearing a strange pink suit. "Not another one..."

"Girl, just give me the rabbit and I'll let you go."

"The ra..." Usagi looked at ChibiUsa and blinked as she saw her hiding behind her. "I don't think she wants to go with you."

"Last warning, blondie."

"Grim Edge."

Cooan leapt aside, barely missing the death blast. "Who the hell..." She looked up and saw Saturn standing on a rooftop. "Sailor Saturn, I suppose."

"That's true."

"I'll let you know, that attack wouldn't have harmed me at all."

"I guessed that. I just wanted you to forget about your real target. "

"What do you..." Cooan turned to see Usagi and ChibiUsa were gone. "Damn!"

"Grim Edge."

The second blast hit its mark, and Cooan staggered back. "Leave before you make me angry."

"I don't think so," Saturn said. At least, not while she still had energy left to fight.

Usagi was observing the battle from around the corner. "ChibiUsa... You should've told me someone was after you. I can help you."

"What?"

"I guess I'll have to return Saturn's favor. Moon Prism Power!"

ChibiUsa gasped as Usagi transformed. "You're Sailor Moon?" _'But that'd mean she's... No, that can't be.'_

Moon nodded. "Now excuse me while I go deal with that woman."

ChibiUsa watched the scene in awe. Moon used her tiara to knock Cooan down, and as she stood up she noticed two more Senshi were there, Sailor and Dragon Mercury.

"I'd love to stay and fight, kids, but I know when I'm outnumbered." And with that, Cooan vanished.

As the Senshi walked back to where the girl was, they noticed Saturn had left the scene, as usual. "So that woman was hunting her?" the Dragon asked.

"Her name's Cooan," ChibiUsa said, "and she's one of four woman they sent after me."

"Who sent them?" Mercury asked.

"I can't tell you that, but they're evil."

"Okay, let's tell the others about this," Moon said as her communicator appeared out of thin air.

* * *

Two figures walked out of the shadows. They were human-like, but their skin was a pale green color. Also, their hair color was quite unusual, the guy had blue hair with pink highlights, and the girl had pink hair with blue highlights. They were inside an abandoned house near Juuban, their base in their new planet, and their place to hide from humans. 

The girl walked into a dark room and looked at the tree. The Makaijuu, the tree that kept them alive... And also, the tree that they had to feed with life energy. The girl had a quite large energy ball in her hand, and as she pressed her palm against the tree's trunk, the energy was absorbed by it. The tree instantly grew new leaves and looked healtier, but soon it withered again.

"It's not enough, Ali."

"Then we must gather more."

"What will we do about those Senshi?"

"We'll just use a stronger Cardian next time, Ann. We can't afford to fail."

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, Ali and Ann show up at the same time the Ayakashi do. Stay tuned for a few more surprises in the next two hundred and thirty or so episodes. ;)

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	39. Icy Troubles

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 4: Dark Moon Rising.**

** Episode 39: Icy Trouble.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 9, 2007_

* * *

"Okay, here we are," Mako said as the last of the Senshi group walked into the base. 

Usagi turned to the younger Usagi. "So, will you tell us what that woman wanted?"

ChibiUsa looked down. "I can't tell you all of it, but I can tell you who they are. The Black Moon Family, they want to take over the planet."

"And for some reason, you're important to them."

The girl nodded. "That's all I can tell you."

"I don't know, should we trust her?" Terry asked.

"She's just a little girl," Usagi said. "Besides, that woman was evil, I could tell."

Rei looked at the small girl and nodded. "And she's not evil, I can feel that."

"What happened at Crown?" Naru asked.

"The usual, a big bull monster appeared, we defeated it, Karin saw Mako transform..."

Mako nodded. "But she said she knew beforehand. She saw you and Ami talking to Luna during the eclipse."

"If you girls keep that up, the whole city'll know in a few months," Terry noted.

"Maybe that would be a good thing," Usagi said.

"You sure? Think about something like my fan club, only city-sized, chasing you around all the time."

Usagi cringed. "Maybe it wouldn't be so good."

Just then, Karin and Mamoru walked in. "Hmmm... Interesting place you've got," the girl said.

"Don't let the computer console fool you, this is just a normal gym. "

Karin laughed. "Sure it is. So, where are the giant robots?"

"I'm working on them," Terry joked. He looked at his watch, then up and down at Karin. "Hmmm..."

Ami rose any eyebrow "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just... Her power's around seven."

Mako nodded. "Not surprising, I saw her fight and she's good."

Terry turned to the console and noticed something in one of the external cammeras. "Chie?"

Karin chuckled. "She knows about you too, guys. She was with me when we saw Usagi talking to Luna."

Terry walked to a wall, tapped it, and a part of it slid sideways, revealing a hidden tunnel. "I'll be right back."

"So, you guys train here, or just slack around?" Karin asked as the wall sealed itself.

"We could be training," Mamoru said, "but the teacher just left the building."

"Did he leave before Terry?" Karin asked.

Rei laughed. "You beat me to it."

"Who's the pinkhead?"

"Short story is, she's Usagi's cousin," Naru said.

"And long story?"

"Well..."

* * *

"What are you up to?" 

"Karin's inside, isn't she?"

Terry looked back at the dojo, visibly empty. "Of course not, the building's empty."

"So, you won't let me in."

"Didn't say that," Terry said. "Why are you here?"

"I was curious about this place."

Terry nodded. "No harm in letting you see the base, I guess."

The two walked behind the dojo. "So, are you out of the gloom now?" As Terry stopped and sighed, Chie grimaced. "Sorry, didn't mean to... "

"I'm not mourning Hana anymore, but I won't forget her, either."

Chie shook her head as Terry walked into a concealed hole in the wall. _'Great, had to ask that kind of things. Just great.'_

* * *

As the two walked into the base, they saw their friends hadn't wasted any time. Karin was right now dodging as Rei tried to knock her down. "She's being chased by a girl, that's a new one," Chie commented. Terry looked at her amusedly, but said nothing. 

Karin ducked as Rei went for a high kick, kicking out herself and knocking her other leg off balance, thus making her fall to the ground. Rei stood up and nodded. "You're good."

"You should still stay away from any monster," Terry noted. "I know some attacks we've been hit with would kill a normal human instantly. "

"Wish I could be like you," Karin said.

"Worrying about monster attacks all the time, having your dates interrupted by some magic-throwing goon, and risking your life fighting things that you should be running away from?" Rei asked.

"When you put it that way, it doesn't sound so cool," Karin admitted. "But I've never liked bullies, even if they're the laser-throwing kind."

"Maybe Terry can lend you his suit," Mako joked.

"I'd rather not have my little sister running around fighting monsters," Mamoru noted.

"Spoilsport," Karin muttered.

* * *

"Since your sister failed, I want you to go down there and deal with the Senshi and the Princess, Beruche." 

Beruche looked up at the man, her blue eyes fixing in his face for only an instant before she nodded. "I'll take care of them."

The man chuckled as the gray-suited woman vanished. "I wonder how long the Princess can keep on running before we catch her?"

* * *

Next morning after school, Usagi was walking home, thinking about her 'part-time job.' With Ami and Minako able to use that Twilight form, and Saturn being around, she felt pretty useless. "Maybe I should ask Luna about it." 

"About what?"

Usagi stopped and looked down at Luna, who'd been following her unnoticed. "Uhm... About that Twilight form. Why can Ami and Mina use it, but I can't?"

"From what I can remember, Senshi have two ways to gain new power levels. Either by months of combat traning and discipline, something you girls don't quite have..."

"Won't say you're not right," Usagi muttered.

"... Or, as shown several times before, sometimes, when you find yourselves in a no way out situation, you can force your body to use attacks stronger than those you currently have."

"So Mina and Ami were right, it was because of..."

"Of course, it's dangerous, as you'll be able to use that new attack once, at most, for several battles, until your body adapts to it."

"So that means Saturn is stronger than me?"

"Stronger than Minako and Ami, too," Luna said. "But from what I've seen and heard, she doesn't stay around too long. That may be because she can't hold her form for more than a few minutes."

"I feel so useless..."

"Don't," Luna said. "You're not useless. You're the leader."

"But why? I'm weak."

"Attack power isn't everything. All your friends met each other because of you, and you've pulled them through some rough battles just by refusing to give up when everyone else was ready to do just that."

"That's true, but..."

"Don't worry about being the weakest, I'm sure you'll reach it when the time's right."

"And I could help a bit."

The two turned to see Terry smiling at them. "Uhh... We didn't notice you following us."

"A Ninja is silent and deadly, a ninja is unseen, a ninja never reveals himself until the time's right."

"You're not a ninja," Luna muttered.

"That's besides the point. Anyway, Usagi... I have something for you. Here."

Usagi caught the small white disc Terry tossed at her. "A frisbee?"

"Uhm... Not quite. That's the CyberDisc, first of the CyberWeapons, a small project of mine to improve our Senshi powers."

Usagi looked at the small disc and nodded. "I can feel it... This thing can channel my energy."

"I thought it'd be only fitting that the first person to get one of those would be the leader."

"You don't know what kind of weapon to make for everyone else, do you?" Luna asked.

"That, too," Terry said. "Wait until you try that in battle, I'm sure you'll like it."

"And speaking of battling..." Luna looked away. "I feel something evil, and near."

"Near?" Usagi flinched. They were near her house by now, and she had the feeling that was exactly where the enemy was.

* * *

ChibiUsa dashed out of the house and looked around. "Usagi's not home yet, this isn't good..." 

A very angry Beruche walkedo out of the house, her hair and suit covered by a purple goo. "You brat, I'm going to enjoy killing you. "

"I don't see why. Purple's always an improvement."

The woman looked up to see Saturn standing on a rooftop. "How do you manage to be around whenever we show up?"

"I can smell a roach from a mile away."

ChibiUsa saw the woman distracted and took her chance. "Luna-P, change!" Her ball-shaped toy appeared, turning into a strange violet gun, and she grabbed it, shooting a jet of purple liquid at Beruche.

Beruche spat some of the liquid and growled. "Would you _stop that_?"

"Grim Edge."

Beruche leapt back, dodging the blast. "Nice try."

"Icycle Spray!"

The woman turned to the newcomers with a chuckle. "Ice magic. That's so going to hurt me."

"Death Bolt!"

Again, the woman dodged. "So, three weaklings against me? This will be fun."

"Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

Beruche punched the attack away. "Seriously, you're supposed to be Sailor Moon?"

"Use the disc," Dragon Mercury said.

Moon nodded and the small, white disc appeared floating right above her open palm. "Moon... Disc..." The weapon started shining just like her tiara did, and she grabbed it, feeding yet more energy into it as she reeled her arm back to throw it. "Spiral!"

Dragon Mercury used his visor to scan the disc as it fled forwards, in a spiral form, right to Beruche. "No way... It wasn't supposed to do that..."

Beruche laughed. "Another useless tech? Oh well..."

Saturn shook her head as Beruche prepared to punch the disc away. "Underestimating your enemy can be fatal."

Beruche flinched as the disc knocked her palm back, slicing her skin a bit, before continuing on it's spiral path and hitting her right in the stomach. A small energy explosion and a few meters away, she tried to stand up, wondering what had just happened.

"Guess we weren't so weak after all," Dragon Mercury noted. "Now, leave while you can."

"Fools should... Not leave the prey open for attack," Beruche said. "Dark Ice!"

Moon realized what the woman meant a bit too late, and watched as a dark, cold beam hissed by, heading straight for the little girl. "ChibiUsa!"

Saturn leapt in front of the girl, spinning her glaive fast to deflect the attack. "Not today, icegirl."

"Damn you..." Beruche stood up and considered her options. Three Senshi against her, and she was sure the rest of the crew would arrive soon. "You won this time, but I'll be back."

As Beruche vanished, Moon turned to Saturn with a smile, but it turned into a worried face as she saw Saturn's suit was stained with blood near the shoulder. "You're wounded."

"Don't worry about me," Saturn said. "If that attack had hit this girl, she'd be dead now."

"Thank you," ChibiUsa said.

Saturn nodded and put a hand in her shoulder, the wound closing in only a few seconds. "Goodbye."

"Gone again," Dragon Mercury said. "She's not too sociable."

Moon was looking at the disc. "I have questions about this weapon. "

"Me too," Dragon Mercury said. "And a certain cat can answer them. "

"Maybe I can," Luna said. "Let's go to your base and we'll talk there."

* * *

Dragon Sun rushed past one of the creatures, slicing it's side and stopping only for a second to watch it fall. The other two creatures thought he was distracted, and attacked from behind. 

"Gravity Hold." The Dragon turned around and saw the two roach-like monsters snarling and grunting at him. "Just because I'm not looking at you, doesn't mean I'm not aware of your presence. Let that be the last lesson you'll ever learn. Solar Bolt!"

These roaches, or Ank'ur as they called themselves, always attacked in a row formation, which too often made it easier for him to defeat them. As the two creatures fell, Sun turned to leave, only to stop as he saw the quite large crowd that had watched the battle.

_"I've taken care of the problem, but I won't rest until I find their nest,"_ he said before leaping up to a rooftop, and he vanished from view in only a few more leaps.

* * *

**A/N:** Just in case you were wondering what Dragon Sun was up to. I'll go back to his side of the world (China,) in a few episodes.

Edit: Only one minor change to the episode, don't worry if you've already read it before.


	40. Secrets

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 4: Dark Moon Rising. **

**Episode 40: Secrets.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: March 27, 2007_

* * *

"All right, iceboy, what was so important you had to call us all here?" 

Terry ignored Brad's jab. "Just to show you what I've been working on lately."

"Working on?"

"I hear an echo," Terry said at Mako's question. "Yes, I've been working on something, so far I've only finished Moon's one, but I will create more of them for all the group."

"Airboards?" Ami guessed.

"That's gonna take me a while to finish," Terry admitted. "In any case, Usagi, care to show them your new toy?"

Usagi nodded and summoned her disc. "Here."

"Wow, a frisbee. Never thought I'd see something like that," Rei said with a fake awed face.

"Can I hit her with it?" Usagi asked.

"Nah... Aim for the far wall of the room. Use your normal attack first."

"You sure?"

Terry nodded. "The wall should resist. And if it doesn't, all you'll break will be rocks."

"Moon Prism Power!" After transforming, Moon grabbed her tiara. "Moon Tiara Action!"

"Two hundred and sixty points," Ami said as she looked at her computer. "Her power's increased a bit since last time I scanned her. "

The tiara fled back to Moon's hands, leaving a small dent on the wall, and Moon prepared for the next test.

"Now use the Cyber Disc."

Moon smiled. "Here goes. Moon Disc Spiral!"

After the spiralling flight, and making a quite visible and large crack on the wall, the disc returned to Moon's hand. "So?" Terry asked.

Ami gasped. "That attack... Six hundred points."

"Big deal," Minako said. "My attack is way stronger. Even Mercury's one..."

"Disc Spiral!"

"Wha..."

"Disc Spiral!"

Rei's eyes widened. "She can use it several times in a row?"

"Yes, unlike the Twilight attacks that need time to get used to, the weapon just boosts her own attack power, without needing a lot more energy."

"That could, in some situations, make her technically stronger than me or Minako," Ami noted.

Terry looked at Luna and the other two Mooncats. "Have any idea why Moon got a _new_ attack out of that, and not only a boost?"

"From what I recall, each new generation of Senshi had differences with the last," Luna said.

Artemis nodded. "Let's take the Mercury Senshi, for example. Most were calm, focused and liked to stay in the defensive, but the few Mercury Senshi that weren't that way had attacks that instantly froze their enemies, or even turned the area around them into icy fields."

"It also depends on how strong said Senshi was," Shade added. "If there was ever a mystery, was how these powers worked. I'm not surprised Moon's power changed with that disc."

"So, you mean we all will get new attacks?" Rei asked.

"That's a very good guess," Luna admitted.

"Cool. Where are our weapons?" Minako asked.

"Uhm... I'm only starting the project, Moon's weapon's a bit of a beta test item. Also, I have no idea what kind of weapons you guys like."

"Good point," Rei said. "Well, if you ask, I took archery classes years ago. I think I could still use one."

Terry nodded. "Okay, anyone else?"

"I like staying in the defensive," Ami said, "so I'd want a weapon to help the others, rather than taking down foes."

Terry considered her words for a few seconds then nodded. "What about a net?"

Mako chuckled at the pun on Ami's name. "I have the sword, but I'm not really one to use weapons."

"I'll see what I can think of," Terry said. "Anyone else?"

"I've always liked whips," Minako said. She then blushed as the others looked at her questioningly. "As weapons, I mean," she corrected herself.

Naru had been thinking about what kind of weapon to use, and finally decided to speak up. "I would like something that can be used to both attack and keep enemies away. A spear, I guess."

Terry nodded. "So, what about you two, guys?"

Mamoru shook his head. "I've already got my sword, but could you make a shield that worked like that disc?"

"I'll never know until I try," Terry said. "What about the fellow rich bastard?"

Brad rose an eyebrow. "The shield idea is good."

Terry checked the list and smiled. "It will take me a while to build all these things, but you will like the results."

* * *

"So Setsuna wasn't wrong. There's something strange in that building. " 

Haruka looked out the window. "And I bet our teachers have everything to do with it." She turned back to look at Michiru. "But I wonder why she sent us here. We could be helping the others right now."

"I'm sure they'll fight off any enemy that shows up. We should focus on defeating this one menace before it grows stronger."

"That, too. We could use their help."

"Ruka, just let it drop. Whatever they're facing, I bet it's way bigger than the Mugen Gakuen group. Otherwise, Pluto wouldn't have only two Senshi here."

"Guess you're right," Haruka said. "Think Mrs. Ruru would answer a few questions?"

"I don't think so. Let's just keep our eyes peeled for whatever they're planning."

* * *

"Oh, guys, I've also been thinking about telling uncle Taichi who I am." 

Luna frowned at Mako. "It may not be a smart move."

"I trust him, and the army's kept civilians safe whenever possible," Usagi said. "I think we could use the help, too, as we're facing two separate enemy groups now."

Terry turned back to the console he was working on as it's screen lit up. "I guess they beat us to it, Mako. Mercury Dragon Power."

"Hey, what do you mean?" Mako asked.

"Hush," the Dragon said and looked at the monitor. "Hello there, General. What brings you and your secretary here?"

Kino's voice could be heard from the console, along with some random insults from a familiar voice. "You should work on your stealth, Senshi. However, I was almost thrown off by how empty this place is. "

The Dragon turned back to his friends. "Should we let them in?"

"Usagi's the leader," Rei said.

Usagi nodded. "Do it."

"Yes sir," Dragon Mercury joked. "General, please follow the yellow brick road."

"His sense of humor makes no sense," Luna commented.

A minute later, the General and an angry-looking Seia walked out of the elevator. "Well look at this place."

"Tomoe would have throw a fit if he saw those computers," Seia commented.

"Hi, uncle," Mako said.

"You're one of them?"

"Yeah. You helped me beating that grey-haired freakshow, remember?"

"Oh, that was you. It's good to see you're doing something useful with your free time."

Seia walked up to Dragon Mercury, and somehow managed to loom over him. "Listen, kid, I don't care who you are, you call me a secretary again and you'll be kissing a rocket."

Terry turned back to normal and nodded. "Wouldn't like to be the test subject for whatever rocket type Tomoe's researching right now. "

"Now that's a surprise. Jack Zephyr's son, one of the Senshi?"

"That explains this base, though," Seia admitted.

"So... We've noticed the new aliens attacking seem to always show up in two places at the same time."

Usagi nodded at Kino. "That's because there's two separate forces. "

"You owe Tomoe two hundred yens," Kino noticed.

Seia looked around, ignoring her boss. "So, what's this place for?"

"We gather here and wait for something to happen," Minako said.

"Sometimes we train, too," Naru added.

"No you don't, and I've been nagging you all about that constantly," Terry snapped.

"Just tell me you don't have giant robots hidden somewhere," Seia joked.

"No, I'm still building those," Terry said keeping a straight face.

"Good to see you're a serious group."

Kino nodded. "Okay, so now we know where to send the repair bills to. In any case, we have to go back to our own base before Tomoe wrecks it."

"He can't be that bad."

"You'd be surprised," Seia said before she and her 'boss' walked into the elevator.

* * *

Hotaru sat boredly, watching people walk by. She wasn't a social person, but she also didn't like to stay home all day. However, today was a really boring day at the mall, she almost wished something would attack the building so she'd have something to do. 

Her interest was piqued as a couple of familiar figures walked by. "The Ginga," she whispered. Though the way they were holding hands, she would think they were _very_ close friends, not siblings.

She could, also, notice something else about them. They both were giving her mind alarm signals, and she was surprised she hadn't sensed their power before. Maybe at school they kept the power down, much like Senshi did when not transformed.

As the couple entered a shop, she could already guess who they were. "As the saying goes, be careful of what you wish," Hotaru scolded herself.

* * *

"Guys, guess what?" Terry asked as he looked at the console. 

"One of those alien critters is attacking somewhere."

"Good guess, Mako, but it's actually two spots in the city."

"Why would the Ayakashi attack?" Minako pondered. "We have their target right here."

"Means they can't detect this place, and want to lure us out."

"What Ami said," Terry mused. "The Ayakashi of the day is in a stadium, while there's another monster in a mall near here. Saturn's taking care of that one."

"She could still need help," Usagi said. "Let's split."

ChibiUsa looked around the base boredly as the others left. She knew she was safe in there, even though she knew someone else was there as well. "Puu?"

Pluto appeared in front of the small girl. "Is there something wrong, Small Lady?"

"You didn't tell me who Usagi was. Why?"

The Time Senshi looked down at the girl and smiled. "So, you know?"

ChibiUsa nodded. "It's hard to believe, but then again, me being here is also incredible."

"I didn't tell you because you had to understand it on your own."

"That doesn't make sense, Puu."

"It will, someday. Trust me, Small Lady, I've seen it."

ChibiUsa blinked. "So, what do I do now?"

"Just don't tell them a thing. They must not know who you really are until she's ready for the trip."

"My lips are sealed," ChibiUsa said.

Pluto nodded. "I'll come back when timing's right."

* * *

**A/N:** Foreshadowing! Well, not for anyone who's watched Sailor Moon R. 

For anyone wondering why it took me this long to update, I have one word: Flyff. If you know that game, you'll know what I mean. Otherwise, check it out. Just make sure it doesn't take your time away. It won't give it back.

* * *

**_Disclaimer:_** Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about. 


	41. Nightshade

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 4: Dark Moon Rising.**

** Episode 41: Nightshade.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 28, 2007_

* * *

She knew someone, or something, was following her, and at first ignored it. Monsters didn't bother stalking people, and any of her friends would've called her name by now. Karin stopped walking, and looked back at the grey cat who had been following her for a few blocks, then shook her head. "You're one of those Mooncats, aren't you?"

Shade nodded. "I'm Shade, I'm Naru's guardian."

"Yeah, I've seen you around. So, what's the stalking for?"

"Stalking?" Shade muttered. "Mooncats can sense magical energy when it's close, and also feel when a human's got a certain kind of power..."

"Mamoru explained some of that to me," Karin said, wondering why the cat was telling her that. Then it hit her, harder than an energy blast. "No way..."

The feline smiled. "It's a pity the memories of our past lives are blurry. I can now remember Endymion, the Prince of Earth, had a sister. Princess Karen."

Karin shook her head. "But I... Well, I've wanted to help him ever since I found out he was one of the Senshi, but... Me, one of them?"

"Look into your own mind, and you'll see the truth."

Karin felt something stirring in her. An energy rush, something she'd never felt before. Yes, Shade was right, she knew it now.

* * *

Chie looked at the monster as it crawled around. A purple, bloaty toad, it had drained everyone in the mall in a matter of minutes. She'd been lucky enough to find a hiding place, but she knew sooner or later it would find her.

Apparently it would be sooner, as the creature was now moving her way. She leaned into the bookcase she was using as a refuge, and whispered some choice curses as it started leaning back.

The bookcase fell into another one, which in turn toppled the next one, starting a domino effect, which ended in a quite ironic way, as the monster had enough time for a surprised croak before the last bookcase fell on it, trapping it underneath.

"Well, that's what I call good luck," the girl whispered.

"Grim Edge."

The monster was destroyed by the attack, along with most of the books around it. "About time one of you showed up."

"Thank me later," Saturn snapped at the girl, "you should get out of here before the ones that sent that monster..."

Right then, a pink energy blast hissed by, exploding near Saturn and knocking her into the mess of books and wood created by her own attack. Ann walked in, looking quite angry. "That was one of my best Cardians, you know?"

"If that's one of your best, then I don't think we need to worry about you," Saturn noted. She looked at the alien girl, sensing something amiss. She leapt back just in time to dodge a blue energy blast. "I was wondering where the other one was."

"How did you know we were two?" Ann asked.

"I have my sources."

Chie had taken her time to hide behind a magazine display, and looked on as Saturn and the two aliens stood waiting for the right moment to attack.

* * *

"Guess they knew we were coming."

Moon nodded at Nemesis' comment. Two women were standing in the parking lot right outside the stadium, boredly looking at them. "I thought you kids were faster," one of them noted as the Senshi finally reached them.

"Weird, they're not inside the stadium, using the civilians as shields," Dragon Earth commented.

"Don't give them ideas," Jupiter said.

Petz chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. Those humans were useful for us already."

"What do you... Oh shit."

Moon looked at Dragon Mercury. "What?"

Mars grimaced. "Their energy is... Amazingly high."

"They've drained everyone in that stadium," Mercury explained. "They must be using that energy themselves."

"Mercury, always the smart one in your group," Karaberas mused. "So, kids, are you ready to give us the Rabbit?"

"No. I don't care how much power you have, you won't defeat us," Moon snapped.

"Okay then. Dark Thunder!" A black electric arc shot from Petz' hands, knocking Moon back a few meters. "You're still standing? Impressive."

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!" Jupiter used her strongest attack, and smiled as Petz was slashed by the dragon several times. "Did that hurt?"

Petz slapped the dragon away, and it vanished. "Not in the least." Thanks mostly to the extra energy the two sisters had, but she wasn't about to give them such information.

Dragon Mercury rushed at the two women next, going for a different approach. Karaberas produced a whip as black as all the other Ayakashi's attacks, and wrapped it around his legs, making him fall. "Well, that didn't work as expected."

"You kids are pathetic. I don't know how Cooan and Beruche lost against you."

"Vine Whip!"

Everyone looked past the two Ayakashi, as Karaberas hit the ground hard, her legs trapped by some kind of vine. "Who is that?"

Jupiter answered Mars' answer with something obvious. "A Senshi."

"No, really?" Mars muttered.

"Sailor Earth," the girl said. Her suit was pretty much like the others, except her skirt, bows and boots were dark gray. "And you guys know me."

Karaberas growled as she tried to pry the vines off her legs. "Stupid copycat."

"We know her?" Moon pondered.

Dragon Mercury had, by now, sliced Karaberas' whip off his legs. He knew who Earth was, and from the look in Mercury and Dragon Earth's faces, they also did. "Okay, welcome to the team, sorry if don't throw a welcome party right now."

Petz wasn't wasting time talking. "Dark Thunder!" However, she didn't expect the newcomer to leap over her attack. "What?"

"Earth Quake Punch!"

As Earth landed, she punched the ground with all her might, and the concrete in front of her was pushed up by an unseen wave, which headed straight for the oldest Ayakashi. "Dark Thunder!"

As expected, Karaberas' attack blocked Earth's one. But both she and her sister had almost forgotten the other Senshi. Unfortunately for them, the Senshi hadn't forgotten them.

"Disc Spiral!"

"Fire Soul Bird!"

"Shabon Spray Freezing!"

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

"Darkness Strike!"

"Icycle Spray!"

"Earth Sword Blast!"

However, the attacks did little more than knock the Ayakashi a few meters away. Petz stood up, while Karaberas resumed her tugging of vines. "Now, kids, that wasn't polite."

"Don't want us to do that, don't give us your back," Mars snapped.

Earth leapt over the women, landing right next to Dragon Earth. "Now I see this isn't all fun and games."

Mercury looked at the two women with her visor and sighed. "Well, I've got both good and bad news."

"Go ahead," Jupiter prodded.

"Good news are, their energy is not infinite. And they're getting hurt, but they heal with said energy."

"And the bad news?"

"We would need more power than we have as a group right now to beat them out of power."

"Good, I would be quite disappointed if things were easy for us," Mars muttered.

"It's time to stop playing with them, sister," Karaberas said as she blasted the vines to dust.

Petz nodded. "Dark Thunder!"

Karaberas swung her whip at the lightning arc, and her weapon absorbed it. She then lashed out at the Senshi, sending a wave of electricity that knocked all their foes down to the ground.

"That hurt..." Mars said as she tried to stand up. Tried being the key word.

"I feel like someone threw a stadium's worth of energy at me," Jupiter commented, not feeling much better than the others.

Mercury managed to get a reading of the two evil women. "Their energy went down a lot with that stunt. We could beat them..."

"If we could stand up," Dragon Mercury noted.

Moon struggled to stand up. The pain from the electric shock was still very present in her mind, but she wasn't giving up. "They never understand, do they?"

Mars stood up and nodded at her. The rest of the group followed suit, fighting the pain. "Mercury, show them the door."

The Ice Senshi didn't need any prodding, as she was quite angry at the women for using their victims' energy against them. "Mercury Twilight Power!"

Petz chuckled. "Oh, that's funny. Think a little upgrade will beat us?"

"Mercury Snow Spray!" The attack did, indeed, send the two women crashing into the stadium's wall. But that was just the first part of her plan. "Your turn, Jupiter."

Jupiter nodded. "Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

"That looks painful," Earth noticed.

Mercury realized she hadn't turned back to normal yet. "I'm getting used to Twilight... Okay then... Snow Spray!"

"Dark Thunder!"

Petz' attack not only managed to knock Mercury's one back, but also showed them how bad it was to mix water and electricity. The group was, once again, knocked down.

"_Fuck_, that hurt."

Mercury ignored her male counterpart's language, and focused on their foes. "They... They're almost out of energy. If I could..." She tried to stand up, but only managed to kneel on the ground, her suit turning back to normal. "Not now, darn it."

Moon staggered up again, causing the two evil women to gasp. "How. How can you be standing?"

"Same could... Be asked about you," Moon snapped. "Disc Spiral!"

Karaberas used her whip to knock the disc away. "Not going to work. "

Mercury smirked despite the pain. "Stop bluffing. You had to use up most of your remaining energy to stop that disc." Now, if Moon had any energy left...

The Ayakashi were thinking along the same lines. Fortunately for them, Moon fell on her back seconds after her attack was deflected. "Well, kids, I think we won this one. Now..." Nemesis was the reason Petz fell silent. Not because of the glare she was giving them as she stood up, but because of the black aura surrounding her. "I'd laugh at the irony if it wasn't about to kick our rears," she noted.

"Nemesis Twilight Power!" The aura around the Darkness Senshi engulfed her, turning into a black, misty bubble. As it dimmed, it was clear she was at Twilight level, as the usual changes could be seen in her suit. "You like to use darkness against others, let's see how you like it being used against you."

"How can she... She was out of power a moment ago," Karaberas said.

Moon smiled. "This battle's over."

"Nemesis... Nightshade!"

Petz stepped back in shock, or fear, as a large shadow fled out of Nemesis' body. She could've sworn the shadow had eyes. Empty, lifeless, glaring eyes. The shadow wrapped around the two, as it was easily twice as large as Jupiter and Mars' constructs, and the group could hear the screams of pain inside the dark dome.

The shadow was gone as swiftly as it had appeared, and what remained was two very unfighty women. Even if they'd wanted to fight, that shadow had forced them to use all their remaining power just to stay conscious. "I'll get you for this," Petz snapped at Nemesis as the two women disappeared.

"Yay, we won," Earth said.

"If I could stand up, I'd be jumping in glee," Dragon Earth muttered.

Nemesis' suit went back to normal and she fell to her knees. "That shadow..."

"What's wrong?" Shade asked.

"The shadow, I channeled all my anger into it... It's like my darkest emotions created it."

"A Senshi's version of stress release," Dragon Mercury said.

"That's not funny. It creeped me out."

"I wasn't trying to be funny," the Dragon admitted.

"I feel like I'm going to fall asleep right here, right now," Moon complained.

"That's not hard to believe at all," Mars said.

"Let's just leave before the fans wake up," Jupiter said.

* * *

Saturn dove to the side, barely missing the pink energy ball. Admittedly, the two aliens were weaker than her. But they kept on throwing energy blasts at her, making it hard for her to attack. And given her endurance wasn't good, she needed to find a way to end the battle, and fast.

She saw an opening as Ann charged up, and her brother was about to shoot one of his blue blasts. "Death Bolt."

Ann saw Ali fall to the ground and turned to give Saturn a death glare. Something Saturn didn't flinch at, but then again, she wasn't one to show emotions in combat. The blast she was gathering swiftly became a ball as tall as Saturn's glaive. Saturn trusted her skills, but really, if that ball hit her, she'd be in a world of pain, and she knew it.

Chie, meanwhile, was looking for a way to leave the mall without being spotted. She had managed to get close to the stairs, but just as she was about to take the risk and run downstairs, she spotted a small dog looking at her.

"Uhh." The dog yapped at her, and she grimaced, then rushed down the stairs without looking back.

Chie's bad luck had, however, been good for Saturn. The noises distracted Ann, who briefly turned to check for attackers. The Death Senshi took the chance to throw her glaive at the energy ball the alien girl was holding over her head.

"What the heck?" Ann looked up as the ball started pulsing. The glaive had disrupted it, and it was about to blow on her face. "Fetch!" she shouted as she threw the unstable energy blast at her foe.

Or, at least, that's what she meant to do. There was a shout of "Twilight V-Laser," and next Ann knew, she saw the ball explode right in front of her face.

The two Venus rushed to check on Saturn. "You okay?"

"They're not that strong," Saturn said. "But the help is appreciated. "

"Careful, don't turn human on us," Dragon Venus joked. If Saturn found his words fun, or annoying, would be hard to guess as she didn't even blink.

Ann stood up, her suit ragged, and her arm bleeding. She didn't say a thing, just shot a quick glare in Saturn's direction before vanishing along with Ali.

Venus's suit turned back to normal, and she pouted. "Damn, wish I could keep that form for longer."

"It takes some time to get used to it," Saturn said. "Goodbye."

Dragon Venus shook his head as Saturn vanished. "She needs to work on her social skills."

Venus just looked around. "This place must be cursed. It keeps on getting wrecked."

"Maybe it's because you girls come here often. Just like Crown. Maybe you just need to stop going to either place."

"Don't even joke about that," Venus said, her tone dead serious.

* * *

Saturn appeared inside her bedroom. As soon as she took a step, her suit vanished, replaced by her usual clothing. "It's good the battle didn't last any longer."

But the battle was something she didn't expect. Her enemies... Ail and Ann, she knew since they'd used their names during the battle, weren't evil. She could see that in them. But why were they draining civilians?

Maybe she should ask Ail and Ann, or rather Seijuro and Natsumi, what she couldn't answer herself.

* * *

Chie was leaning on a wall a few blocks away from the mall. "Damn it, that was too close."

As she started walking away, she noticed someone walking her way. "Karin?" Karin looked like she was out of a fight. "What happened to you?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"I technically killed a monster a few minutes ago, so I don't think you could go much weirder."

"You what?"

Chie smiled. "Well, you see, I was at the mall when this toad-like thing showed up, and..."

As the two walked away, Shade looked at them from the branch she used as a perch. "Not bad for her first battle."

* * *

**  
A/N:** Yep, Earth didn't keep her secret ID for long. The mystery Senshi thing is so last arc... :P

For those wondering, there's only one more Sailor and one more Dragon to go before the team's complete... For Chronicles, at least. I'll let you guess who they are (not counting the Asteroid Senshi and the Sailor Stars, that is,) but both are already around, only not as Senshi (yet.)


	42. Burning Soul

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 4: Dark Moon Rising. **

**Episode 42: Burning Soul. **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 2, 2007_

* * *

Hotaru looked around the classroom. She knew who the Senshi were, even in civilian form. She also knew about Earth, even though she wasn't in the same group as them. She knew her place in the group, she was an outsider, in both her human and Senshi form. And she liked being the outsider. That position sometimes let her realize things the others didn't. 

She stared at the 'twins' as they walked into the classroom. Natsumi and Seijuro Ginga. Or rather, Ali and Ann. She knew who they were, but why were they draining innocents? What did they need the energy for? She hadn't felt a trace of evil in them. So why-

"Hi, Hotaru."

Usagi's sudden appearance had surprised her, but she wouldn't let her know that. "Hello."

Her rather unemotional tone had always failed to scare the blonde away. "Always so grim, don't you ever smile?"

"Never found a reason to."

"That's a pity. I bet you'd look nicer if you smiled."

"Why aren't you with your friends?" Hotaru asked.

"I'm trying to be your friend," Usagi explained.

"I don't need friends."

"Everyone does," Usagi insisted.

"Just leave me alone, please." A bit of her irritation crept into her voice, even though she tried to sound as unemotional as always.

Usagi looked at Hotaru, but the pale girl didn't look at her, instead turning to look out the window. That had almost worked, at least she'd sounded a bit upset. But Usagi still didn't understand why Hotaru was so cold, so unfriendly, so like... No, that was just a coincidence.

Wasn't it?

* * *

Several hours later, Hotaru was patiently waiting outside a certain mansion. A mansion that had been abandoned weeks ago, but now was restored. She saw Ali and Ann fly out of the building, and shook her head. "Those two should work on their stealth. But now, let's see what is it they're up to." In a blink, she was gone, and a second later, she appeared inside the house. 

What she found inside wasn't quite what she thought she would. A tree? But she was pretty sure she'd never seen a tree like this one.

* * *

Rei looked around the temple. Her chores were done for the day, so maybe she could go and see if any of the others were busy. "Yuichiro, I'm going out." 

"Have fun, miss Rei." The man said politely.

She was about to tell him to drop the 'miss' for the hudredth time, but she saw someone walking up the stairs. "Oh, maybe I won't leave yet."

"Hi Rei."

Rei nodded at Usagi. "What brings you here?"

"Boredom, mostly," Usagi said. she'd brought ChibiUsa along, as it'd be a risk to leave her home with those women around. "Can we talk in private?"

Rei nodded. "Let's go into the temple." She spared Yuichiro a stare, and the man got what she meant. She didn't like to be bothered when she was with her friends, and he knew it.

Once they were in her room, Rei turned to Usagi. "So, what's the matter?"

"One of my classmates, Hotaru Tomoe..."

Rei had seen the girl before. Pale, unemotional, and from what she'd heard, not friendly. "I know her. Not too friendly, is she?"

"She's cold, unfriendly, pale... Doesn't that remind you of someone?"

ChibiUsa, who was listening to them, was one of the few people that knew who Saturn really was. Still, she listened on, as she knew it was better to not give any hints on her real origins.

Rei thought about it for a few seconds, before nodding. "Sailor Saturn."

"I'm going to ask her about it tomorrow."

Both felt their communicators in their minds, and reached out their hand, the comms appearing out of thin air. The face in their screen wasn't something they expected to see. "Uhh... Saturn?"

Saturn didn't seem surprised at all the faces she was seeing in her own screen. "Don't worry, I already knew who you all are. In any case, the aliens attacking Odaiba are mine."

"Who made you the leader?" Karin snapped. Rei blinked in surprise, she didn't know Karin had a comm too.

"Nobody. But I need to speak to those two alien 'twins.'"

"I don't trust you," Rei said.

"Guys, let's do as she says," Usagi suggested.

"Why?" Karin asked.

"I agree she hasn't earned our trust," Usagi admitted, "but I'll have a talk with her soon about that."

"Whatever you say, boss," Brad said.

"Just tell us why, will you?" Usagi asked Saturn.

"I have my reasons to believe the two aliens aren't evil." Saturn said, "but I need to speak to them myself. Having a dozen Senshi around won't look too diplomatic."

"I see..." Rei frowned. "Guys, Moon's right. Let her talk to those two. And guys, come to the shrine as soon as possible, there might be some action here." After everyone agreed, Saturn's comm turned off. Usagi looked at Rei for a few seconds before the black-haired girl gave in. "What?"

"You said you didn't trust her."

"That's true. But I'm feeling an evil aura near, and we might need all the help we can get. So I'll let Saturn play with the other aliens."

The shrine was rocked by an explosion, and Usagi groaned. "Guess they won't give up."

"That wouldn't be fun at all," Rei noted as the two run out of the building.

* * *

Ali and Ann had decided to try their luck in a fashion shop. As the two appeared, however, they saw Sailor Saturn waiting for them. And no victims anywhere. "How did you know?" 

Saturn stared at Ann. "I've been watching you two, Ann... Or should I call you Natsumi?"

Ann glared at Saturn. "She knows..."

Ali looked around at the empty shop. "How did you do this?"

"I'm full of tricks. I'm not here to fight you two, so don't worry. "

Ali nodded. "Then we're leaving."

Saturn didn't bother moving. "You shouldn't fight the Senshi. They're only fighting against you because they think you two are evil."

"We aren't evil, we are just survivors."

The Grim Reaper nodded. "I saw the tree you're hiding inside that mansion... It's not from the Earth, and it seems to be almost dead. I suppose it's linked to you somehow?"

Ann nodded. "If the Makaijuu dies, we'll die too. So we need to give it energy."

"I bet the Senshi could find a way around that," Saturn say.

Ali was confused by Saturn's words. "Why do you talk about Senshi like you're not one?"

"Because I'm not, at least not one of their group," Saturn said. "By the way, don't worry about not getting energy today. I gave it some energy myself, it should keep it alive for a few more days."

"Why did you do that?" Ann asked. What was the catch?

"Because I can sense you're not lying. You need that energy to survive. However, if you keep on draining civilians like you've been doing so far, I'll go there myself and chop that tree to logs."

Ali laughed humorlessly. "That's quite reassuring."

"How can we talk to the Senshi?"

"There's an evil group of women attacking constantly, if you can get there while they're around, you could talk to my allies. You could even help them."

The two aliens looked at each other, then back to Saturn. "All right, we'll talk to them. Thank you."

Saturn just nodded, then vanished. The two aliens took a second to look at each other, then also disappeared.

* * *

"I am having problems with the project." 

"Problems? Is she resisting the control?"

The scientist nodded. "Nova's powers are not easy to control. I do not think I could keep her in check if she had her full powers active."

"Find a way around that, Onara. I want her ready by the time the Senshi deal with their enemies."

"Maybe they will not. My sources showed me they had trouble fighting two of those women. And there seems to be four of them."

The woman nodded. "And from what we've seen, they're only the weakest of their race."

"Hopefully, we will not have to worry about the Senshi."

"But, if there's anything out there that can kill them, we should have means to fight it."

"Agreed, Lady ..."

The woman glared at him, causing him to stop. "Don't use that name. I was never really one of them."

"Just like Nephrite?"

"Nephrite kept a bit of his humanity because of Nemesis. I wanted what Beryl wanted, so I played along. But you know what happened to her and the others."

The scientist nodded. "That I do. It is a pity only one of you survived."

* * *

"You two again?" Mars snapped. 

"We could say the same thing," Beruche snapped back.

"Give us the Rabbit," Cooan prompted.

Mars saw Yuichiro lying unconscious near the building and glared at the two. "Leave or die."

"Dark Ice!"

The two Senshi leapt out of the way, and the attack froze the ground where they'd been standing. "Moon Disc Spiral!"

"Dark Fire!" Cooan's attack deflected the disc. "That attack is useless." She then sensed some movement and turned around, just in time for her cheek to be sliced by a projectile. "What?"

Mars looked at the projectile. A rose, and it'd cracked the ground where it hit. "Back to his old tricks."

Dragon Earth landed right besides Moon. "They said your attack is useless."

Moon smiled. "They should know better."

Beruche realized what she meant a second before her sister did. That second, however, was what saved her from the disc. Cooan, however, was hit by the disc, the energy released caused a small explosion that sent her face-first to the ground.

Mars had observed it all in a mix of shock and surprise. Moon had been training on her own, apparently, since she'd learnt to control the disc. When Cooan had knocked it away, she had it fly around her target, and come from behind. Dragon Earth's rose stunt was merely a distraction for the real attack to work.

Cooan, however, wasn't too happy. "Stupid girl, now you'll be the first to die. Dark Fire!" Moon leapt aside, and Cooan chuckled. "Fool."

Dragon Earth grimaced as Moon was hit by the fire wave, which had corrected it's course to catch up with her. "Moon!"

"Dark Ice!"

Mars looked back. Moon and her guy were out, so it left her to fight these two alone. Given how she fared the last few times she fought these women, she didn't think she could win. If only the rest of the group was here...

No, they probably weren't close enough to get there in time. If she fell now, she knew the two would wreck the place lookin for ChibiUsa. She had to protect her, to protect her 'leader,' to protect her grandfather who was probably sleeping through all this.

"Oh great," Beruche muttered. "Are you seeing what I see?"

Indeed, Cooan could see the ball of flames that had engulfed Mars. The fireworks lasted only a few seconds, and when they faded, Mars was obviously at Twilight level. "Not another one..."

"Dark Ice!"

Mars' fist was blurred by flames, and she used it to cancel Beruche's attack. "My turn. Mars..." She clapped her hands together, into a prayer, as fire started running up her arm into them.

"I'll get her," Cooan said. "Dark..."

"...Burning..." Mars closed her eyes, and the fire swirling around her hands vanished.

"Get her!"

"...Fire!"

"...Soul!"

As Mars shouted that last word, she opened her eyes, and a thin wave of fire shot forwards from her hands. It grew wider as it traveled, blasting Cooan's attack, and hit the two women, sending them skipping back and down the stony stairs.

The Fire Senshi run to check on the two, as her suit turned back to normal. Beruche was trying to stand up, but Cooan wasn't moving, and she could see her skin had been burnt. "You better leave before my friends arrive," she warned them.

Beruche glared at her, and both women vanished. As she went back to check on her friends, she saw Saturn sitting on the temple's roof. "I seem to be late to help."

"I scared them away," Mars said dismissively. She noticed Moon stirring and smiled. "Wake up, slacker."

Moon rose quickly and looked around. "What? Where are they?"

"I took care of them," Mars explained. "And now I can go Twilight too."

Moon looked up at the roof. "Oh, you helped?"

"No."

"You really should stop hiding, Hotaru."

Saturn, for the first time, let surprise creep into her face. She had expected Ami or Terry, or even Umino, to figure that out before Usagi. "Guess I should."

"You were right?" Mars asked.

The Death Senshi leapt off the roof, landing near the others as Dragon Earth finally woke up. "She is. If you want me to explain why I hid, we could go to your base."

"Damn, everyone knows about that base," Mars mused.

"Can't keep calling it secret when half Tokyo knows it's there, can we?" Dragon Earth mused.

Saturn flinched. "I've been transformed for too long. I'll meet you at the base."

Moon blinked as Saturn vanished. "She's strange."

"No, really?" Mars muttered.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I know, named episodes after new attacks twice. Don't worry, it's not going to become a habit. 

A lot of things will be happening in the next few episodes. If you've read the old Cyber Moon, you'll find this one version of the R season to be quite different.


	43. Allies and Foes

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 4: Dark Moon Rising.**

** Episode 43: Allies and Foes.**

_** By Razor Knight**_

_Last update: June 5, 2007_

* * *

Ami and Terry decided to stay in the base, as they saw everyone else was heading to the shrine to help Moon. They were working on the base's computer, trying to improve the scanner and adding other things to it. But also, Terry planned on telling Ami something else. 

He would have told her, if he hadn't been hit by a wave of shyness. Something he wasn't used to. He was about to try again, when someone appeared in the base. Sailor Saturn? "What are you..."

"Moon and the others are on their way," Saturn explained. "They already know who I am."

"Hotaru Tomoe," Ami said.

"She is?" Terry asked.

Hotaru turned back to normal. "Yes, that's me. I should've expected the smartest Senshi to figure it out first."

"That explains your apparent teleportation ability."

Hotaru phased to the other side of the base. "It sure does."

Mako, Minako and Naru walked out of the elevator. "Hey, Usagi told us they'd taken care of... What's she doing here?"

"She's Saturn," Ami said.

"She is?" The others asked.

"Is everyone coming here going to do that?" Hotaru asked.

"Most likely," Terry admitted.

"Why is it you're already in Twilight and can keep that form?" Minako asked.

"Training. Compared to how I was when I started, my endurance's much better. It's still not as good as I'd want it to be, but close."

"I keep telling these slackers to train," Terry noted. "They never listen."

The rest of the group walked in, and Usagi smiled at Hotaru. "Welcome to the team."

"I'm not part of the team," Hotaru said.

"You are. You're a Senshi like us," Usagi said.

"She's like us, only creepy," Minako commented.

"Thanks for the compliment," Hotaru said, her voice still unemotional.

"Maybe she's a robot," Karin said.

"Robots don't have a good track record as Senshi. I think you all remember the Omega."

Usagi nodded. "In any case... It's good to know who you are."

Hotaru looked around. "I see you have training equipment here. You should be using it."

"You won't know how good we are in combat until you try us," Mako said.

Hotaru's left eye was suddenly covered by a green visor. The glass was attached to a small, circular metal artifact, which fit her ear perfectly. "I can. And from what I'm getting, I could defeat you in a short battle, due to our power difference. But if you managed to keep me fighting long enough, you could defeat me."

"What's that thing?" Usagi asked.

"This is a scanning device based in Mercury's visor. Dad built it for me."

"Good to see I'm not the only mad scientist in town."

Ami chuckled at Terry's words, then turned serious. "So, you're done dealing with the other aliens?"

"You could say so. I think we'll know next time the Ayakashi attack. "

* * *

"I'm very disappointed at you all." 

"It's not our fault, the Senshi..."

Rubeus interrupted her coldly. "The Senshi were defeated by you before. It's amazing you're having so much trouble killing them now, as they should be extremely weak in this time."

"But they're not. They even look stronger than the ones..."

Rubeus glared at Petz, making her keep the rest of the excuses for herself. "That's impossible. It's a pity Cooan was wounded in your last attack, but I think the three of you will suffice. Get as much energy as you can before you face the Senshi... This will help."

Karaberas looked at the two humanoid creatures that had just appeared besides Rubeus. One was wearing a 'bunny' outfit, though her white skin made her look creepy, and the other one was wearing... Well, her body was covered by small, golden coins, and her skin was a matching gold color. "Droids? We can..."

"You've already proven you can't handle the Senshi alone, so Esmeraude sent me these two. Yariko and Damako, you will obey the Ayakashi's orders from now on."

The two 'women' turned to Rubeus. "Yes, Master Rubeus."

Rubeus chuckled evily as the three women and two droids left. Indeed, the Senshi were in for a surprise.

* * *

Hotaru took a quick glance around the classroom and shook her head slightly as she noticed a newcomer. "He works fast," she said to herself as she walked to her seat, which was quite near the one Karin Chiba had been assigned. 

"That I do," Terry said, popping up right besides Hotaru's seat.

The girl didn't seem surprised at all. "Must be nice to have all that money."

"Maybe. But the one with the money's my father, I just waste it."

"Be careful, you almost act human."

Hotaru looked up at Mako. "Maybe. My mentor warned me if I joined your group you'd affect me quite fast."

"And your mentor is..." Terry hinted.

"My mentor is someone that doesn't want to come out of the shadows yet."

Mako whistled. "She beat all other Mystery Senshi. She's got a Mystery Mentor."

"You know, we shouldn't talk about that here," Hotaru said. "Someone could overhear."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Mako said. "Half the class is us, and the other half either doesn't care or is too dumb to figure it out. "

"Hey!" The 'other half' of the class snapped at her, then they all returned to their own idle chatting.

"See?" Mako muttered.

Hotaru saw two students walk in, and stared at them. The two Ginga looked at her and smiled.

"What was that about?" Usagi asked.

"Nothing," Hotaru lied. Though she wondered when the 'twins' would tell the others their secret.

* * *

That night, Karin and Chie were heading for the movie theater, unaware of what was happening at their destination. 

"Must be fun, being a Senshi," Chie said.

"Oh, it sure is. You get to be knocked down by energy waves, and feel the pain in ever muscle and bone of your body."

"I mean, other than that..."

"And have to be alert for enemies that could attack anywhere, anytime."

"Yeah, okay, so maybe it's not fun, but at least you get to fight back."

Karin smiled. "I won't lie, being able to kick those Ayakashi wraiths is fun, but I just wish they didn't kick back so hard."

They both stopped as the ground shook. An explosion, and quite near. "Let's go."

Karin looked at Chie. "I'm going, you're staying away."

"Hey, I technically killed a monster myself last time."

"So Saturn said, but I still don't think you should..." Karin threw her arms up in frustration. "Oh, nevermind. I guess I'll just have to make sure you don't get hurt. Earth Planet Power!"

Chie watched as vines grew out of the ground, wrapping around Karin's body, and slowly melting into her Sailor outfit. "Wow..."

"What, are you going to make me a fanclub now?"

Chie blushed. "Uhh... Let's just go and see what happened."

Earth nodded. If they had wrecked the theater, they would get a nice beating.

* * *

The evil trio was sitting on a jewelry's roof, looking extremely bored. "This was too easy. Humans are as helpless here as they were back home." 

Beruche nodded. "Yeah, and those droids took all the fun from gathering energy."

"Sisters, fun's about to begin," Karaberas commented.

The other two could see what she meant, two groups of Senshi coming from both sides of the street. "About time."

"They've got two more now?" Jupiter asked.

"Those are cybernetic creatures. Robots, so to speak, but much more advanced than the Omega," Saturn lectured.

Mercury nodded. "They're weaker than the sisters, but still strong enough to fight us one on one."

"I'll take on the bunny," Earth said. "Since I've got less experience than you all, you should handle the witches."

Saturn nodded. "And I'll take care of the coin girl."

As their two newest members rushed the two cyborgs, the rest of the Senshi faced the three sisters. "Okay, I think you girls should give up now before we hurt you," Venus said.

The Ayakashi's bodies were suddenly surrounded by a bright aura. "We were about to say the same thing to you," Beruche noted. "Dark Ice!"

"Dark Thunder!"

Petz hit both attacks with her whip as they hissed by, causing them to merge. The wave crashed to the ground near the Senshi, showering them with charged, cold water. "It should be enough to make them run away."

* * *

While the rest tried to recover from the shock, Saturn and Earth had their own troubles to take care of, as their opponents weren't any easier to defeat than the Ayakashi. 

"Vine Whip!" Earth lashed out, but the bunny-suited woman leapt out of the way. "Hey, no dodging!" She charged at the woman, but got a leaping kick to the face as reward. "Okay, that does it."

"Foolish girl, you can't beat me."

Earth groaned. "Sure I can." She tackled the bunny into a clothing store, making sure her enemy got the worse of the landing. She then punched her in the face, but stood up clutching her hand. "Ow... What the heck?"

"My skin may look like flesh, but it's metallic."

"Okay," Earth said. "Earth Quake Punch!"

The bunny was sent flying outside, and hit by a military truck. As the truck stopped, Seia leapt out of it. "Guess old good roadkill works."

"It's not down yet," Earth said. "Thanks for the help, but I can handle this fight."

Saturn, meanwhile, was studying her opponent. Normally, she'd be attacking fast, but she wanted to see what these new creatures were capable of. "So, are you going to just stand there?"

"Not really," the woman said. "Eat coins!"

Saturn whirled her staff to deflect the coins, but cringed as she saw them slicing their way into the wall near her. A couple of them hit a car's tire, deflating it. "My turn. Death Bolt!"

Damako rolled out of the attack's way, and sent a bigger barrage of coins at Saturn. This time, one of the coins managed to slice her arm while she dove out of the way. "Gotcha!"

Saturn looked at her arm, the wound slowly, but steadily, closing itself. "No, you didn't."

"Earth Quake Punch!" Earth smiled as the two Droids crashed to the ground. "We should stop wasting time and go help the others."

Saturn nodded. "Death Bolt." The blast hit the two Droids, who were trying to stand up, knocking them both back down. "Your turn."

"Earth Quake Punch!"

"Okay, that's it," Yariko snapped as she stood up. She then noticed Saturn wasn't anywhere near Earth. "Huh? Where's the other one?"

The answer came to her as she felt something stab through where her stomach would've been if she was human. She also noticed the glaive's point sticking out of her front was aiming for Damako. Then, she heard the last two words she'd ever hear.

"Death Bolt."

Earth walked to Saturn as the pale Senshi kneeled on the ground. "You okay?"

Saturn nodded. "I used up a lot of energy. Go help the others, I'll join you as soon as I can." Earth nodded and walked off. Saturn turned to the alley behind her and sighed. "You two could have helped us."

"How did you..."

"I can feel your energy. Now, go help the others."

"Yes sir!"

Saturn stood up and groaned as she saw Seia walking to her. "What now?"

Seia had a girl with her, someone Saturn recognized as the school's cheerleader, Karin's friend. "This girl here was hiding nearby. You know her?"

"She's Earth's friend," Saturn said. "Though I should speak to the others about bringing pets to a battlefield..."

Chie glared at Saturn, to no effect. "Hey, I'm no pet. I beat one of those bugs on my own."

"It was all luck," Saturn said, "If you plan on watch our battles, stay out of the way."

"I was, until Tank Girl here dragged me out," Chie noted.

"Point taken," Saturn said.

"Tank Girl?" Seia muttered. She then looked at Saturn. "What are you doing here, anyway? The rest of the Senshi are all fighting those aliens..."

"I'm almost out of power, so I was trying to recover."

"Well, have fun with that," Seia said. "I'll go check how things look like there."

* * *

Several blocks away, things didn't look any good. The three Ayakashi were laughing as the Senshi, in various states of consciousness, tried to stand up and fight. 

"You know, I guess we didn't need Cooan here after all," Karaberas said.

"I guess. Let's finish these weaklings so we can go kill the others. "

"I'll save you the problem," Earth said running straight to Beruche. "Earth Quake Punch!"

Beruche leapt back, thinking Earth was going to use it in its normal way, but instead, Earth kept running, and punched her straight in the chest.

Petz's eyes widened as she watched her sister fly into a building. "Impressive."

Karaberas glared at Earth. "You know, you're going to suffer for hitting our sister like that."

Before any of the two Ayakashi could move, however, two balls of energy hit them, one of them pin, the other green, and sent them staggering back. "Sorry we're late."

Earth looked at the two aliens "You?"

"Calm down, rockgirl. We're here to help," Ann said.

"You're here to die," Karaberas snapped.

Ann smiled coldly as she started gathering energy. "Sorry, I didn't travel through half the galaxy to die thanks to a fashion-challenged weakling."

Ail was already gathering energy for another blast, but risked turning to the Senshi. "Senshi, just take time to recover, we can handle these idiots."

Moon nodded. "Good to see you're on the right side of the battle."

Ail nodded at her, then turned back to the Ayakashi. "And this is when you run away before we blast you."

"Dark Tempest!" Earth grimaced as Ail and Ann were hit by a massive hailstorm. "That must hurt."

Beruche staggered to where her sisters were. "Now, let's end this battle."

Moon stood up, glaring defiantly at them. "I agree."

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, the Droids finally show up. What's with the names? Yariko comes from yariman (slut) and damako comes from dama (coin.) So they're Slut Girl and Coin Girl. It sounds better in Japanese. :P 

For those wondering when Moon will power up, you won't have to wait much longer.


	44. Tales of Another World

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 4: Dark Moon Rising. **

**Episode 44: Tales of Another World.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 12, 2007_

* * *

Mercury looked at the Ayakashi and smiled. "We can win this one." 

"Can we?" Nemesis said.

"Yes. Beruche herself is almost out of power after that Tempest attack, and the other two are tired, even if they're not showing it. "

"It'd be awesome if we weren't all beaten up," Dragon Venus commented.

Mercury nodded. "Time to try a different approach. Mercury Twilight Power!"

"I agree. Mars Twilight Power!"

"Venus Twilight Power!"

"Nemesis Twilight Power!"

"Sisters, let's kill those three, then the rest will be easy."

Petz nodded. "Go."

"Dark Ice!"

"Dark Thunder!"

Petz once again whipped the two attacks, charging them up and sending them sailing towards the Senshi.

"Burning Soul!"

"Snow Spray!"

"Nightshade!"

"Twilight V-Laser!"

The attacks clashed, the explosion sending both parties down to the ground. The Ayakashi stood up first, however, and saw the Senshi were back to their normal level. Petz smiled. "Hmm... I guess they're done for."

"So are you," Mercury said weakly.

"But you kids are worse off than us," Karaberas noticed. "We just need to finish you off."

"Moon Disc Spiral!" The attack hit the three Ayakashi, knocking them to the ground. "I won't give up."

"Too bad," Beruche said. "Now..."

"Death Bolt!"

Karaberas and Petz both grimaced. Beruche had been hit dead on by that attack, and was unconscious. "Damn, we forgot about that death bitch."

"Thanks for... The compliment," Saturn said falling to her knees. "I'd get you if I had any power left to attack."

"Good, now we can..." Petz stopped and growled in exhasperation. "The pets want to save their masters, how cute."

"Hah hah, funny," Dragon Mercury said, then looked at Dragon Venus. Indeed, his scanner told him the Light Dragon's energy was rising as fast as his own. "Winter's here, harpies."

Beruche paled. "Oh shit... His energy is..."

"Mercury Twilight Power!"

"Venus Twilight Power!"

The two Dragons were surrounded by tendrils of their elements, and their suits changed. Their boots were now trimmed white, as were their gloves, and the swords had a longer hilts, which looked like dragons with the swords' blades pouring out of their mouth, their wings were spread out and served as the sword's guard. And like the female Twilight Senshi, their planets symbols was drawn on their suits' chest.

Karaberas threw her arms up in frustration. "Fuck, they did it again, didn't they?"

Dragon Mercury didn't bother talking, he simply reached for his two swords, then stabbed the ground with them, as energy covered his body, travelling through the sword and into the ground. "Mercury Ice Geiser!"

Dragon Venus started his own attack, holding his sword in a vertical position with his right hand, and put his left palm on the blade. "Venus Light Rain!"

Petz was lifted by an updraft column of cold water and ice shards, while Karaberas was knocked back by a swarm of needle-thin light beams. Both fell to the ground, knocked out, and the two Dragons fell to their knees. "We did it!" Moon said.

"I'd jump up and down in joy if I had any energy left," Saturn commented. "Good timing for powering up, though."

"Yeah, good... Timing," Moon admitted, the last part almost a whisper, as she noticed something amiss.

It all happened in a second, Beruche coming out of a shop she'd hid while the Senshi were distracted, but being knocked sideways by an explosion. "Gotcha."

Moon turned to Seia. "And speaking of timing..."

"Rockets still work, luckily," Seia commented as she walked to the Senshi. "You guys need a ride?"

"No thanks, we can limp back to the base," Dragon Mercury joked.

"I'll see you there," Saturn noted. "I'm too exhausted to keep my transformation up."

As Saturn vanished, Mars noticed something. "The Ayakashi are gone. "

"That's too bad," Earth muttered.

Ail and Ann appeared near them. "We missed most of the fun," the male alien noticed.

"Okay, let's go to our base and we'll..." Moon started.

"Should we trust them?" Jupiter asked.

"You guys have a base?" Ail asked.

"They didn't know about it? Weird," Dragon Venus commented.

"I'm too tired for your antics," Seia muttered. "Let's go, my truck's parked nearby."

* * *

When the others arrived, Hotaru was sitting in the center of the training area, looking as unemotional as ever. "About time." 

"Sorry, we didn't come with built-in teleportation," Karin noted.

"That's true." She looked at the two aliens. "Still in disguise?"

"This is our normal form," Ann noted.

Hotaru blinked. "That's true, Natsumi."

"Huh? They're..." Usagi started, but Ann and Ail turning to their human forms stopped her. "Wow."

Ami smiled. "The transfer student theory's proven true once again. "

"So, now is when you tell us exactly why you were draining civilians before," Terry prompted. He was quite wrecked after the battle, and he could guess the others were at least as tired as him.

Natsumi nodded. "We come from a planet near the center of our galaxy. Our species lived there peacefully for eons, until the star our planet orbited died. Our scientists were too late in figuring this event out, and thus not many of us made it out of our planet before it was all turned into a giant gasball. We don't know what happened to the other ships that left the planet, but we're lucky we found this planet to live in."

"That doesn't explain why you drain humans," Minako noted.

"We need no food or water to live, back in our world, the Makaijuu were the only source of energy we needed to exist."

"Makaijuu?"

"It's a tree," Hotaru said, "and from what I could see, it feeds on life energy."

"So, you have one of those to keep you alive?" Usagi said.

"We're linked to the Makaijuu," Seijuro said. "If it dies, so will we."

"And that's why we need to feed it with energy," Natsumi said.

"We can't let you do that," Usagi said. "You can't keep sending monsters to attack innocent people."

"We've found no way around that," Seijuro noted. "But if your group's got a solution, I'd love to hear it."

"We'll check on the Makaijuu tomorrow," Ami said. "I think between me and Terry, we can think of a solution for that problem."

* * *

"You failed once more, it's simply unbelievable." Rubeus looked like he was ready to hurt someone, and unfortunately for the Ayakashi, they were the only ones around. Only thing stopping him was the fact they were more useful alive, but their failure the day before wasn't something he'd forget or forgive anytime soon. 

"These Senshi keep on upgrading. We may be able to take on a few of them in Twilight form, but even with extra energy, their numbers are..."

"Unimportant."

Rubeus turned to the voice that had interrupted Beruche's babbling. A woman came from the shadows, her hair eyes, and dress had green tints, contrasting with the reddish-pink fan she was holding in her right hand. "Esmeraude?"

"Been a while, Rubeus. Prince Dimando isn't happy with the delay, so he sent me here to give you a warning. The Wiseman tells us the war needs to be won soon, so we need you to kill the Princess as soon as possible."

"I understand," Rubeus said.

Esmeraude rose her hand, and a small, black orb appeared. "Here. This is for the Ayakashi, a gift from the Wiseman himself."

Petz took the orb in her hands, and could feel the dark energy flowing from it and into her body. "Amazing..."

The other three Ayakashi got their turns absorbing the orb's power, and they all could feel the same. Their power had risen, almost as high as Rubeus' power level, and quite above the Senshi's.

"I can see from your looks, you know what to do with that power," Esmeraude said. "I'll be waiting for the report of your victory back home, Rubeus."

As Esmeraude vanished. Rubeus turned to his soldiers. He could feel the difference in their powers, too, and knew it meant their victory was close. "I don't think we need to kill the Senshi to get the Rabbit."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a plan that will force them to give us the Rabbit. Once we deal with her, the Senshi will only be a minor nuissance for our clan."

* * *

"So, what do you think?" 

Terry nodded. "Not as big as my own mansion, but still pretty large. "

"Where's that tree of yours?" Minako asked. She didn't really understand why the whole group had to be there, since only Ami, Terry and possibly Hotaru could find a way to make those aliens stop draining people.

"It's in that room," Natsumi said pointing to a large metal door.

"... A tree, inside a house?" Karin mused.

"It doesn't need light or water to survive," Seijuro explained.

As the door opened, Hotaru blinked. "It looks almost dead again. Strange."

"What do you mean?" Ami asked as she scanned the tree. Indeed, the tree seemed to feed on energy. Life energy, most likely.

"I transferred some of my life energy into it, a few days ago, and it seemed to change. It sure looked healthier."

Natsumi nodded. "Yeah, but it's been decaying again. I don't really know why the tree withers so fast."

Minako looked at the tree. Its wood was almost white, though she wasn't sure if that wasn't the tree's natural color. However, the few leaves it had, and its branches, looked dead. Curiosity got the best of her, and she put a hand on the tree's side. As she did, she felt a jolt, and drew the hand back rapidly. "Ow!"

"What happened?" Natsumi asked.

"I don't know, it felt strange when I touched that thing."

Ami smiled as she scanned the tree, noticing the readings were different. "Of course... Mina, you're a genius sometimes."

"I am?" Minako asked, blinking in confusion.

Terry reached for the tree, touching it, and nodded. "Sometimes it takes more than brains to figure things out, luck's a factor here." He winced. "This tree doesn't feed on life energy, it actually feeds on mana. It must have some way to turn mana into a form of energy your race can absorb." That last part was directed to Natsumi and Seijuro, as he withdrew his hand.

"Mana? What's mana?" Natsumi asked.

"A form of energy, I still can't fully understand it," Ami said, "but now we know why the tree's been decaying. This city, in fact, the whole planet, is a mana desert."

Brad nodded. "It takes a lot of training and effort to be able to cast a simple spell like the ones I used. Senshi are a different issue, though, and would explain why I was able to cast spells easier than my siblings."

Natsumi was, admittedly, lost. As were most of the Senshi, and her 'brother.' "What do you mean?"

"Senshi are mana batteries. We gather energy directly from our 'home' planets, which we use for our attacks."

"That explains why the Makaijuu only reacts to us, then," Hotaru said. "It can feel our mana, and can also absorb it."

"Then what, are we going to have to feed the tree?" Mako asked. She wouldn't mind, but it still felt weird.

Ami shook her head. "There's another way. You should get this tree outside."

"But it doesn't need..." Seijuro started.

"I know. But its roots can't reach for the planet's inner mana in here. It needs soil to dig through."

"I'm lost," Minako admitted, "but at least I know I sort of solved this problem."

"Yes, sometimes it takes an airhead to solve such mysteries," Hotaru said, ignoring the ensuing glare from the blonde.

Natsumi smiled. "Thanks for the help, we wouldn't have guessed all this on our own."

"You don't need to thank us, just stop turning humans into raisins," Mako noted.

"Deal."

* * *


	45. Outpowered

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 4: Dark Moon Rising.**

** Episode 45: Outpowered.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 19, 2007_

* * *

"I've located their hive, but a frontal assault might be suicidal. " 

Kage and Setsuna were sitting in two wooden chairs inside his Hong Kong appartment. The room was, Setsuna noted, barely furnished, but that wasn't because Kage had no money to buy furniture. She'd made sure he would not run out of cash for a long time. It was just Kage's style, keeping things simple and focused.

"I thought about that," Setsuna admitted, back to the issue at hand. "I may be able to bring help."

"That would be nice. But I bet it won't be possible until the Tokyo mess is solved, right?"

"That's true," Setsuna admitted. "But you'll only have to wait for a few more weeks."

"After this is done, though, I want to join the Tokyo gang. I'm tired of fighting solo."

Setsuna smiled. "Oh, don't worry, you will join them soon."

Kage stood up and walked to the window, his gaze fixed on the setting sun. "Night's coming. Those insects love to hunt at night. "

"Then have fun, I have to go check on your 'sisters' now."

Kage blinked as Setsuna vanished, then looked out the window again, where the sun was but a thin line in the horizon. "Time to play plague control again."

* * *

It was just another calm afternoon at Crown Arcades, or so the Senshi thought. Truth was, the forces of evil were ready to attack, but in the meantime, the group was just having fun and relaxing. A few of them were training, something the leader of the group herself didn't still see as a need. Instead, she was more interested in having fun while her enemies licked their wounds. 

"Hey, this game's easy."

Usagi stared in disbelief as ChibiUsa literally pounded the stuffing out of the Sailor V arcade. "That's just impossible."

"Not quite, so far you're the only one that stinks at that game."

Usagi looked up to glare at Mamoru. "Don't be a jerk."

"I'm just stating the facts," Mamoru said. "Maybe ChibiUsa had someone teach her how to play videogames."

'If only they knew,' ChibiUsa thought.

"They really look alike."

Naru turned to blink at Hotaru. "Uhm. Yes, they do."

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," Hotaru noticed.

"Well, it's just that... You, here, it doesn't look quite fitting. "

"I like to keep jocks and airheads away at school," Hotaru said, "but that doesn't mean I can't socialize every now and then."

"Hey girls!"

Naru and Hotaru both glared at Umino. "Can I kill him?"

Naru chuckled. "No, I reserve that right."

Umino gulped. "You know, I wonder if the Senshi are near."

"Why?" Saturn asked, keeping her cool.

"Because I saw the UFO everyone at school's been talking about, hovering over a warehouse a few blocks from here."

Naru looked at Hotaru, then shrugged. "Well, I hope the Senshi take care of whatever is inside that UFO."

Hotaru stared at Umino. "You could've sneaked into the ship. After all, I'm sure they'd confuse you for one of their kind."

"Wow, I didn't know robots could joke," Umino said and walked off.

Hotaru looked at Naru. "If that guy wasn't your boyfriend, I would've sliced him long ago."

"Hey, he's not..."

"He isn't? Strange, but nevermind that. We need to inform our fearless leader about that UFO."

Meanwhile, Usagi was still staring in disbelief as ChibiUsa survived stage after stage of the game she'd been unable to defeat. She saw Naru and Hotaru walking her way, and knew from their looks, there was trouble nearby. "Hi girls."

"Usagi, I would suggest you get your evil twin to a safe location, we've just been informed a certain group of women could show up anytime soon."

"Evil twin?" ChibiUsa muttered.

Usagi nodded. "Let's get out of here, then I'll call the others and tell them about..." She stopped as she saw the massive flying object floating right above Crown. "Oh dear..."

The group discretely walked to the alley besides Crown, where a section of the ground slid aside to reveal a secret tunnel. Or rather, a metallic slide. "I hate this one entrance," the blond commented.

"Oh come on, it's fun," Naru said.

"Slaying monsters would be defined as fun," Hotaru noted, supporting Usagi's opinion, "but sliding down a metallic duct is more in the side of annoying to me."

"Let's race!" ChibiUsa shouted and leapt into the hole.

"How does racing work with that thing?" Naru muttered.

"Usagi, don't give your evil twin any more sugar, please," Hotaru added.

Mamoru, who'd been silently listening to them, threw his arms up in frustration. "Girls, just jump in already. I don't think Motoki will like Crown being wrecked again."

"Good point," Usagi said before jumping in.

"I still think this entrance stinks," Hotaru noted before gingerly following her leader.

* * *

At the base, meanwhile, Mako and Rei were facing in the 'arena,' waiting for the other to make a move. Terry was watching the fight, while Venus was practicing her aim with a small black circle drawn on the wall. 

"Are you going to attack yet?" Rei teased her opponent.

"Please, be my guest," Mako countered.

"One of you better starts, or I'll kick you both out cold," Terry said.

"... You're on!" Rei said turning to face Terry."

Mako nodded. "Let's show him."

Just then, ChibiUsa fell out of one of the few holes in the wall of the room, straight into a tall pile of rubber matresses, placed there strategically to prevent any harm to those choosing said alternate route.

"That was fun," the pink-haired girl commented as she walked out of the landing area, just in time for Usagi to land there.

"It wasn't that bad," Mamoru admitted after all of them had arrived.

"So, why did you drop by?" Terry asked.

"There's an UFO floating right over Crown," Hotaru explained, ignoring Terry's attempt at a pun. "My guess is, the Ayakashi are there, and are getting ready to attack."

Ami typed a few commands into the console she'd been working with and nodded. "The UFO is about one block wide. It looks like it could hold a few dozen of those cyborgs the Ayakashi used last time."

"That's bad," Naru said.

"I'm also picking five energy signatures inside that ship," Ami added. "All of them are higher than those of the Ayakashi."

"That's worse," Hotaru added.

Venus smiled. "We can get them, as long as they don't charge up."

Usagi noticed something, at almost the same time the others did. "Why are you using the Twilight form?"

"I can use it constantly now," Venus explained, "just like Hotaru. "

"Good," Usagi said. "Okay guys, let's go back to Crown. Ami, contact the others and inform them of our situation. ChibiUsa can stay here, I think she'll be safer than anywhere."

As the others walked to the elevator, Mamoru looked at Usagi. "Are you okay?"

Usagi looked at the others and sighed. "Guys, go ahead, we'll be there in a minute." Once the doors closed, she turned to Mamoru. "I'm... I'm not a good fighter, everyone else's powering up, they've got Ami and Terry to be the brains of the group, I..."

"You feel weak, like there's no need for you to be fighting?" Mamoru asked, guessing what the problem was.

"Yes," Usagi said.

"I think you're the strongest of us all," Mamoru said. "It's been you that kept the group together until now, it's usually you the one to stand up and keep on fighting when everyone else, even me, is ready to give up."

"Mamoru..."

"I suppose if you really needed stronger attacks to defeat our enemies, you'd get them, so don't worry. Sooner or later, you'll power up, just like eveyone else."

Usagi sighed. "You're right, it's kinda silly to worry about that. "

Mamoru smiled. "I've felt that way too. And I bet Mako feels the same, even though she's not showing it. Karin's too new to even complain, but I bet she also worries about her powers not being enough to defeat our enemies."

Usagi nodded. "Let's go, the others may need help."

As the couple left, ChibiUsa smiled. "Puu, eavesdropping isn't nice. "

Sailor Pluto appeared in the room, right besides ChibiUsa. "Small Lady, I sometimes think you're a bit too similar to your mother."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is," Pluto mused. "But you should go with them this time."

"What? I'm just a little girl," ChibiUsa said. "How can I be of any help to them?"

"If you go, you'll find out," Pluto said and vanished.

ChibiUsa stared at the spot where the Time Senshi had been standing. Of course, she was a bit scared of those evil women and their leader, but she trusted 'Puu,' as from what she'd seen so far, Pluto was never wrong when predicting future events.

* * *

"So, are you all here yet?" 

Moon glared at Beruche, who was sitting on top of a parked bus, as her three sisters stood around her. "We are, now shouldn't you leave?"

"Sorry, we're here to stay," Karaberas countered.

"Oh crap," Mercury said as she scanned the women. "Guys, their power is a bit over what it was last time."

"But how, they didn't drain anyone," Earth noted.

"Oh, didn't we tell you? We got an upgrade."

"Cute, now even villains power up before I do," Moon muttered. "Guys, let's..."

"Dark Inferno!"

"Dark Tempest!"

"Dark Pulse!"

"Dark Whip!"

"That's gonna hurt," Dragon Venus commented.

Suddenly, a barrier formed in front of the Senshi, deflecting the attacks. "What was that?"

ChibiUsa walked out of the shadows, a crescent moon sign shining on her forehead. "Leave them alone."

"My, look at the little Princess walking right into our trap," Karaberas mused.

The barrier faded, but ChibiUsa stood defiantly. "You won't hurt them, witches."

"Kid's got personality, unlike her mother," Cooan added.

ChibiUsa knew she had no power to stop the Ayakashi. She however knew how easily they could be distracted, and the Senshi also realized that. However, they weren't the only force in the area.

A barrage of attacks from the Senshi, along with two massive energy balls and a few hundred assorted missiles and bullets, all hit the Ayakashi at the same time. When the dust settled, the four women were barely conscious.

"So much for their upgrades," Dragon Mercury commented.

"Thanks for the help," Moon said looking up at Ail.

"Sure, forget about us," Seia's voice snapped from her tank.

Suddenly, Rubeus appeared in front of the four Ayakashi. "You idiots... I should've known you'd fail again. Dimando wants you to go home now."

"We..." Petz started.

"Save it for the Prince," Rubeus snapped. The four women nodded and vanished.

"Who's that?" Moon asked. ChibiUsa looked at her then took off running. "Wait!"

"Leave this goon to us," Dragon Earth said.

Moon nodded and run off after ChibiUsa. The others turned back to the red-haired man, who was laughing at them.

"Stupid kids, I don't need to worry about finding the Rabbit. Once I'm done with you, your brave leader will bring her to me herself. "

"Nice plan, too bad we'll beat you down right here, right now," Mars snapped.

Mercury flinched as she scanned the newcomer. "His power is... More than the Ayakashi combined."

"So it'll be a hard fight," Dragon Venus said.

"What would be the fun if the fight was easy?" Jupiter mused.

Rubeus smiled coldly as the Senshi prepared to attack. "Foolish kids, it's a pity I can't kill you all yet..."

* * *

**A/N:** Hey, at least this time they didn't wreck Crown. But the Senshi are about to get wrecked themselves. 

If you've been waiting for Moon's power up, you'll love the next episode.


	46. Full Moon

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 4: Dark Moon Rising.**

** Episode 46: Full Moon.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 20, 2007_

* * *

The girl panted as she stopped running, then turned to see someone heading her way. "Usagi?" 

"Why did you run away?" Moon asked, mildly upset. "That man could've killed you."

"Rubeus is too strong," ChibiUsa said. "I got scared."

"I can understand that," Moon said, "even I am scared of fighting sometimes." More like all the time, her inner voice said. She promptly told it to shut up.

ChibiUsa nodded. "Let's go back, they may..." Her words were muffled by an explosion, and her eyes widened.

Moon looked back to see a small area of the city shining for a few seconds. "That can't be good," she said. She picked ChibiUsa up and started running back. However, she stopped as she noticed Rubeus' face up in the sky. "Or that."

"Sailor Moon, I've got your friends here. I'm willing to trade, if you give me the Rabbit I'll release them."

As the face vanished, ChibiUsa looked at Moon. "I'm sorry, if I hadn't run away..."

Moon kept on walking. "If I hadn't chased you, he'd captured me too, then traced you down. Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you, but I need to save my friends."

Ail and Ann appeared in front of Moon. "That was close."

"What happened?"

"That redhead shot an energy wave, it knocked everyone out, but when we woke up, he was gone, and so were the Senshi."

"Is anyone else hurt?"

"No, that wave was meant to knock everyone down, not to hurt us," Ail said. "We saw his message, though... What are you going to do?"

"I'm going into that ship and kicking his rear."

"We could help."

Moon frowned. "No, you stay here, I'll take care of this."

* * *

Rubeus looked at the screen and smiled. Moon was there, with the Rabbit in her arms. "I thought she'd try to hide, but I see she values your lives above that girl's..." 

"Hey, you freak, what's the funny idea?"

Rubeus turned to meet Venus' glare. "Oh, you're awake."

The Senshi were all hangin on X-shaped metal structures, feet and hands tied by some sort of energy beams. Jupiter struggled against them, but to no avail. "What the heck?"

"Don't bother, physical strength won't break them, and I wouldn't try any magic if I were you..."

Venus aimed her fingers at him as much as the bonds allowed her to. "Lucky you're not us, pervert. Twilight V-Laser!"

Rubeus chuckled as Venus was hit by her own magic energy and cried out in pain. "As I said, I wouldn't do that, as those beams absorb any magic you try to use and bounce it back to you."

"Could've told me that bit along with the rest," Venus snapped.

"Oops," Rubeus said. "In any case, let's get your friend up here so she can surrender properly."

"She's so going to kick your ass," Dragon Mercury commented.

Rubeus ignored that as he turned to the console, pressing a button and chuckling. "Welcome to my ship," he said as Moon and his true target appeared on the ship. "Now give me the Rabbit."

"If I give her up, you'll let my friends go, right?"

"You have my word."

Moon laughed at that, a mocking laughter. "I may be naive, but I'm not that stupid. If I give up, you're going to kill me, ChibiUsa, and my friends."

Rubeus growled at her. "If you don't, I'll do it anyways."

Moon put her 'cousin' down and glared at Rubeus. "I don't know if I can defeat you, but I'll try."

Rubeus didn't say a thing, instead he lunged at Moon, connecting with a left to her guts. Moon staggered back, and Rubeus laughed. "You're really pitiful, relying on only your magic to fight."

Moon tried to stand up, but something pulled her down. "What is... "

Rubeus smiled coldly at her. "I control gravity. I could kick you senseless, but it wouldn't be as fun as watching you get crushed by my power."

Meanwhile, ChibiUsa had scurried to the side, slowly walking around Rubeus. She reached the other Senshi and lowered her head. "All this, because of me..."

"Hey, don't worry," Mars whispered. "At least we're still alive. And I know Moon won't let us down."

"Can you free us?" Jupiter asked.

"Maybe that console controls these things too," Mercury noted. "I'd scan it, but my visor's not responding."

"Must be the blockers," Dragon Mercury said.

ChibiUsa walked to the console. "Maybe I can find a way to free you, guys."

Rubeus was still gloating, but Moon started to rise from the ground. "What? No, stay down!" He increased the power, sending Moon facefirst to the floor. "There we go, now wait, your bones should break in a few more..." He gasped as Moon again stood up. "Impossible!"

Moon smiled despite the effort it took her to stay on her feet. "I don't know why you're after ChibiUsa, but I couldn't care less. You used my friends as bait to get her, and that's something I cannot forget."

Rubeus took a step back. Moon's energy was rising, along with her power, something that was visible even without sensing her magic, as a white aura surrounded her. "A little power up won't save you," he gloated, trying to cover up the fact he could sense her energy surpassing his.

Moon glared at Rubeus, then blinked as a sword appeared in front of her. 'A Dragon Sword?' She looked at it: The hilt was white, and from the little she knew about swords, most of which she'd learnt out of hearing Terry talk about them this was a katana. She clasped her hands around the hilt, then a blinding light enveloped her.

"Moon Crystal Power!"

As the light faded, Rubeus flinched as he sensed her energy. Moon's suit was much like the other Senshi, but with an extra, transparent skirt below her blue one. The sword was also changed, looking like a silver dragon with the blade coming out of it's mouth.

Rubeus laughed evily. "Even with that power, you cannot defeat me. "

ChibiUsa had been busy trying to free the others, but no button seemed to work. Time for a different approach, she thought with a devious grin. "Luna P!" The sphere appeared floating in front of her, and ChibiUsa nodded. "Change!" The sphere turned into a massive metal mallet, though the girl held it effortlessly before slamming it down into the console.

Rubeus heard the slam and turned back to her. "What? No! What did you do, brat?"

Mercury smiled, now free from the beams, as were the others. "Rubeus' power is going down."

"He was feeding off the ship, somehow," Saturn added.

Dragon Mercury looked at Moon and whistled. "Nice, about two thousand points in our scale. Rubeus is right now down to a thousand, two hundred."

"Must be the sword," Mars commented, "they also gave us a bit more power."

"Should we help her?" Earth asked.

"No," Dragon Earth said, "I think she can take care of that one."

Moon looked at Rubeus, her face emotionless. "Last chance to leave. "

Rubeus glared at her. "Not before you all die!" He shot an energy blast straight at Moon, and laughed.

Moon looked at the incoming blast dismissively. "Too bad. Moon Twilight..." She held her sword with one hand, shooting an energy blast straight into it, then pointed it at Rubeus. "Beam!" The sword lit up, and the energy gathered shot out as a beam, which punched through her foe's attack and knocked him straight into the console.

As soon as Rubeus hit the console, it exploded, and fire spread fast in all directions. "What now?" Venus asked.

"This thing's going to blow," Dragon Mercury said. "We need to get out."

Saturn looked out the only window in the room and shook her head. "Jumping out's not an option." They were high enough even a Senshi's body would not resist the landing.

"I got it," Moon said. "We'll use the Sailor Teleport."

"Sailor what?" Earth asked.

"Newbies," Mars muttered. "Just focus on Crown and let us do the rest."

Saturn considered her options then nodded. "I'll tag along. I don't think I can teleport that far on my own."

The Sailor Senshi all formed a circle, and Moon nodded. "ChibiUsa, guys, stand in the center of the circle, we'll get you out in no time."

Something else exploded, rocking the ship. "It's now or never," Dragon Earth said.

"Sailor Teleport!"

Rubeus was too weak to stop them, and watched helplessly as the Senshi left. His body was mostly burnt down, and he was sure the pain would knock him out before long. That was, if the ship didn't explode before that happened.

"You've got potential."

He didn't recognize the voice, but it was clearly female. Whoever it was, she was standing behind his field of view, and he could not force his head to turn. "Who..."

"It doesn't matter who I am, Rubeus, but I don't think it's your time yet. You want revenge, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then, let's get out of here. We'll worry about you joining our small alliance later."

Rubeus decided against talking again, as the pain was unbearable. He felt the rush of teleportation, and was gone, along with whoever his rescuer was.

A few seconds later, the ship's main engine exploded, turning the whole vehicle to shrapnel.

* * *

The Senshi appeared near Crown, to the surprise of the soldiers that were looking up at the spaceship that was slowly yet steadily descending towards the ocean. "Good to see you all back in one piece, " Seia said. 

Moon nodded, then looked at her own suit. "Weird, why am I still in this form?"

"No idea," both Mercuries said in unison.

"And why is her power that high? I mean, even with the sword, she... "

Dragon Mercury interrupted Venus. "She also has her Cyber Weapon."

"Speaking of which," Mars said, "we could've beaten these goons easier with those weapons."

"You would've beaten the Ayakashi senseless if you trained," Dragon Mercury countered, "but you do have a point. I'm almost done making those weapons, so you don't have to wait much longer."

"Don't worry, guys, if the Ayakashi show up, I'll protect you all," Moon said.

"Great, now we won't hear the end of this," Mars muttered.

"I saved your hide, so hush," Moon said.

"You two cut it out before I cut it myself," Saturn said, summoning her glaive for effect.

* * *

"You know, I sometimes how they manage to beat their enemies," Shade commented. The mooncats were all looking at their protegees from atop Crown. 

"Well, they're teenagers, they won't mature overnight just because the world's fate depends on them," Artemis said.

"They improved a lot," Luna said, "specially Usagi. Her old self would haveve run away from the UFO, but she faced the challenge head on."

"Wonder if the leaders of that Rubeus guy will show up anytime soon?"

"We can only hope the Senshi are ready for them, whenever they arrive."

* * *

**A/N:** Moon's got a sword, run for the hills! 

Now, she kinda needs to learn how to use it. That'll be fun.


	47. Green vs Green

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 4: Dark Moon Rising.**

** Episode 47: Green vs Green.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 28, 2007_

* * *

Two days had passed since Rubeus' first and last attack, and the Senshi were glad to have a break from fighting. One of them, however, had been busy making preparations for two things. And he was right now alone at the base with the one person he needed to talk to. 

Ami looked at the small sphere Terry was holding. "What's that?"

"A CyberWeapon, they basically work like my old Chokers."

"So, they're ready?" Instead of answering, Terry reached out his hand, a bluish net appearing on it. Ami took the net and examined it. "Interesting, I can feel it's attuned to my power."

"Working with magic's a lot funnier than my tech gadgets," Terry admitted.

"Can I try it?"

Terry nodded, then his eyes locked with Ami's. "Listen, Ami, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Well, I..." Terry stopped. He was sure it had something to do with his genes, as he'd faced the same shy moments when trying to tell Hana the same. However, just like back then, the only way around this was just saying it. "... I like you, Ami."

"Oh." Ami blushed. She had a good guess what he meant, even though he hadn't quite said it yet. "As a friend, you mean?"

"No." He sighed, then looked at Ami. "It's silly, huh? I can slay monsters without sweating it, but when it comes to telling someone what I feel for them, I suck."

Ami chuckled despite herself. "I've known for a while."

"You did?"

She nodded. "You were leaving enough clues, Terry."

"So were you," Terry countered.

Ami's blush turned crimson. "I didn't."

Right then, Usagi walked into the base, dragging ChibiUsa along as usual. "I knew I'd find you here, Terry. I've been thinking about it, and training would be..." She stopped as she noticed Ami. "Hey Ami, why is your face red?"

"Don't nag, _rabbit_," Terry said.

Despite how naive some people thought she was, Usagi was quite sharp when it came to certain things. "About time, you guys."

Ami smiled. "Nevermind. It's time to try my weapon."

"She's got a weapon?" Usagi asked.

"Yeah, that's why I called you all here," Terry noted. "Though the others should be here by now."

"I wonder if..." Ami started, then nodded. "Mercury Twilight Power!"

"So that's three of us," Usagi said.

Mercury produced her net and frowned. "Now what should I aim for?"

"Mercury Dragon Power!"

Usagi saw the Dragon walk to the arena and blinked. "You sure that's safe?"

"I'm attuned to ice magic," he said. "And also, this is just a test. "

Mercury closed her eyes and looked for the words in her mind. "There. Mercury Hail Snare!"

Dragon Mercury dodged as she tossed the net, which was charged up with energy. The floor where the net landed turned a bluish color, and he looked at Mercury. "Oops, I moved."

"Wimp," Usagi joked.

"Two point two thousands," Mercury said.

"I should try the disc then," Usagi said.

"My turn," Dragon Mercury said. "Mercury Twilight Power!" He produced a bomb and tossed it to a wall. "Dragon's Ice Breath!"

The bomb exploded, releasing a bluish gas. Usagi looked at it and then at the Dragon. "Cute, a cyan cloud. Big deal."

"Want to try sniffing it?" the Dragon countered. Just then, the elevator's door opened, and the rest of the Senshi walked out of it.

"Having fun without us?" Mako asked.

Dragon Mercury's suit went back to normal. "Sort of. I've finished your weapons, by the way."

ChibiUsa looked at Mercury's net. "That looks cool."

Dragon Mercury snapped his finger, and a small table appeared, with several weapons and shields resting on it. "Ta da!"

"Oh shut up, you're no mage, you're a Senshi," Karin said.

"And our attacks are...?"

"Magic," Karin muttered.

"I rest my case."

Mako grabbed a couple green gloves and examined them. "Those are for me?"

Dragon Mercury nodded. Rei had meanwhile picked up the red, string-less bow and was looking at it. "Where are the arrows? Or the string, for that matter?"

"Transform and you'll figure it out," the Dragon said. Actually, he had guessed most of their new attacks, but he wanted to see how many of them he'd guessed right.

"Mars Planet Power! Mars Twilight Power!" Once she'd transformed, Mars looked at the bow. A thin fire beam shot from the top to the bottom, forming a string, and Mars took an aiming stance. As she did, a fiery arrow appeared in her hand, and she used the bow to shoot it, just as she spoke out her new attack's name. "Flame Sniper!"

The arrow shot out, hitting the far wall and exploding on contact. "That's awesome," Mako said.

"We should learn how our new attacks work," Naru said, "in case those Ayakashi come back."

"They won't," ChibiUsa said.

"How do you know?" Ami asked.

"I can't tell you that," ChibiUsa noted.

"But I can."

Hotaru looked at the newcomer, who'd appeared in the arena, and nodded at her. "Hi, Pluto."

Pluto nodded back at her. "Hotaru, it's nice to see you're a part of their group now."

"You know her?" Usagi asked.

Pluto smiled at her. "I'm Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time, and I'm here to tell you all about the Black Moon Family."

"Black Moon Family would be what those Ayakashi and Rubeus are working for?"

"They're members of that clan, yes."

"You've lost even me," Hotaru said. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Because the Pluto from this time doesn't know about it."

"Are we going back home, Puu?" ChibiUsa asked.

Pluto nodded. "And their questions will be answered there."

"We've got bigger troubles right now," Dragon Mercury said as the base's alarms started beeping. "A single alien entity, but stronger than even Rubeus."

"Same old, then," Mako said.

"You may need my help," Pluto said, "so I'm going with you."

Dragon Mercury looked up and down at her, which caused Mercury to give him a confused look. Then, she realized what he was doing, and scanned her as well. "Terry, are you getting the same readings I am?"

"I guess," he admitted. "Ten thousand points."

Mars looked at Pluto and then back at Moon. "How about she fights and we watch?"

"That won't do," Pluto said. "My power's only to be used when there's no other way to defeat an enemy. Go and entertain our guest, then I'll tell you how to get to Small Lady... ChibiUsa's city."

The Senshi nodded and left the base. "Ten thousands?" the pink-haired, young girl asked her friend.

"I'm keeping it at a level where they won't start wondering how I got so strong."

"Think they can defeat her?"

Pluto smiled at the girl. "You're smart for your age, Small Lady. But yes, I think they can defeat Esmeraude, if they don't overestimate their own power."

* * *

As the heroes reached their goal, they saw Esmeraude floating in mid-air, fanning herself as she waited. "The Ayakashi were right," she commented, "you guys always take your time getting here." 

"Amazing, she's not attacking Crown, the temple, or one of our houses." Nemesis noted.

"Always a first," Jupiter said.

"Let's show her our new toys," Dragon Mercury said. "Mercury Twilight Power!" He stood there for a few seconds, but nothing happened. "Oh, right, I used that a few minutes ago."

"Can you still use the bombs?" Mercury asked.

He looked at the bombs and nodded. "Here goes nothing. Mercury Dragon's Mist!" A couple bombs fled at Esmeraude, who tried knocking them off, but they exploded near her, covering her immediate area with a bluish fog.

She didn't get what the fog was for, unless it was a distraction. As she tried to breathe, however, she finally realized. Her nose and lungs burnt with cold, and even though she wasn't going down from such a weak attack, it still hurt her enough to take her mind off the real problem.

"Flame Sniper!"

She felt a stinging on her arm as a flame bolt hit her. But she guessed that wasn't the last attack she'd receive, if she didn't get the upper hand, and fast.

"Enough!" she swung her fan around, cleaning the mist, and also sending a crescent-shaped energy wave zooming towards her foes. The Senshi managed to dodge the blast, but she wasn't letting them go that easily. She waved her fan again and again, unleashing several waves in a rapid succession, and ultimately knocking most Senshi out. "This was easier than expected."

Jupiter glared at the woman. With only she, Nemesis and Earth up, this wasn't looking good. Even with her 'weapons' she realized there was little chance to defeat this woman. If only she...

"Nemesis Nightmare Shot!" Nemesis stabbed her spear into the ground, unleashing a wave of dark energy bolts that knocked Esmeraude back.

"That actually tickled. Try this!" Esmeraude swung her fan forwards, but no wave came out. That was her plan, however, as the Senshi all leapt out of the way of the supposed wave. Jupiter had dove aside, while Earth and Nemesis had leapt up. "Got you, idiots," the woman snapped as she sent a wave at the airborne Senshi, knocking them back into a wall.

Jupiter growled. "Why you..."

"Do me a favor and stand still. It'll all be over in a second," Esmeraude taunted.

"I agree," Jupiter said. An electric aura surrounded her, and she smiled mockingly at her enemy. "Jupiter Twilight Power!"

Esmeraude chuckled as Jupiter transformed. "That's not going to work, little girl."

"See if I care," Jupiter snapped as she run towards her foe, her new gloves crackling with energy. "Jupiter Supreme Thunder Dragon... Punch!"

Esmeraude had raised an energy barrier and waited, but that proved to be a bad idea after all. Jupiter hit the barrier instead of her, but a lightning construct shot out of her fist, at such a short distance Esmeraude could only stare at it as it passed right through her.

The pain in her lungs from minutes ago was nothing compared to the one she was feeling now. She felt like a million volts.

Jupiter cursed, however, as her suit went back to normal. "Not now!"

Esmeraude recovered from the shock, and laughed. "Little girl, I told you to stay put. Now I'm gonna have to make you suffer."

Jupiter growled and charged again. "Jupiter Spark Barrage!" A swarm of small sparks shot from her gloves, striking Esmeraude, but the attack's level was clearly not the same as her previous one.

"Now you're just being stubborn, weakling. It's time for you and your friends to die."

"Did someone mention time?"

Esmeraude turned to the newcomer. The green suit, the staff, she knew that whore all too well. "Pluto? What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you don't do something you'll regret."

"Hah!" Esmeraude swung her fan, hitting Pluto dead on. The Time Senshi, however, simply stood her ground. "What the... You weren't that strong before!"

"I was holding back last time," Pluto said. "Now begone. Pluto Time Storm!"

Jupiter gasped as Esmeraude vanished. "You killed her?"

"I'm not allowed to do that. I simply sent her back to her time."

"Whatever works," Jupiter said. "So, now what?"

"Now we wait for the others to wake up, then I'll send you where you need to be if you want to defeat the Black Moon."

Jupiter shook her head. "Has anyone told you you should stop talking in such a... Riddlish manner?"

Pluto nodded. "They tell me that all the time."

* * *

**A/N:** Guess only two Dragons need to reach Twilight now. 

And I just know Goku's gonna sue me over the "Ryuuken" thing. Next episode, it's time for a change of scenery for the Senshi. And to reveal who ChibiUsa really is (I know you guys know, but the Senshi don't. Give'em a break, they're too busy blowing shit up to figure it out.)

Edit: Only one minor change to the episode, don't worry if you've already read it before.


	48. Out of Time

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 4: Dark Moon Rising. **

**Episode 48: Out Of Time.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 9, 2007_

* * *

"Home sweet home." 

Mako looked at Terry amusedly. "This is just the base."

"Well, I've been spending so much time here lately, I consider it a second home."

"Are you really sure they're the same?" ChibiUsa asked Pluto.

"They are," Pluto said.

Usagi looked at the time Senshi. "So... We have a few questions."

"I expected that."

"First off, who are you?" Usagi asked.

"You already know. Sailor Pluto, the Senshi of Time."

"But what's your civilian name?"

Pluto gave Saturn a meaningful look, then back at Usagi. "I've been in my post for so long, I have passed through many civilian names whenever I needed to interact with mankind."

"Way to not really answer us," Karin said.

Terry looked away from the console he'd started typing on and flinched. "Your power level is too high for a Twilight Senshi."

"That's because I'm not one. I've had roughly fifty thousand years to hone my skills, and I made sure I had time to train."

"She's the one that trained you, right?" Rei asked Hotaru.

"Not exactly," Hotaru said. "She's the same person, but I know she's not from our time."

"That's a good guess, Hotaru. I actually come from a thousand years into your future."

"Wait, does that mean..." Ami started. "You said you came here looking for ChibiUsa." Pluto nodded. "And ChibiUsa's looking for the Ginzuishou to help her defeat those Black Moon Familiy aliens." Another nod. "So, she's from the future?"

"But..." Usagi took a moment to let it sink. "Aren't there Senshi in the future too? I mean, you're here, so--"

"There are," Pluto said, "but they all have their hands full. We need your help to stop them."

Terry looked at Usagi, then at ChibiUsa, then shook his head. _'Now, that would explain a lot, but also, it's just impossible. '_

"What's wrong?" Ami said noticing his staring.

"Nothing. So, how do we get there, in a blue box, in a modded car, or through a swirly portal?"

Pluto gave him a long, cold stare. "Same old Zephyr," she said mostly to herself. "I suppose it would be wise for you to rest for the day, as I would guess you'll need all your power for the mission. "

* * *

Esmeraude looked at the man sitting on the marble throne, who stared back at her. His gaze was almost unsetting, but she knew he was far from being angry. "Dimando, what do you think?" 

"Pluto's interference is quite unlikely to happen again. I know what her plans are, however. The Wiseman supposed she could be trying to bring the Senshi from the past to our time. We can't let that happen. "

"I'll stop them while they cross," Esmeraude said.

Dimando nodded. "Go."

As Esmeraude vanished, something shuffled in the shadows. "If she fails, I have an alternate plan," a voice said, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

"Whatever your plans are, just make sure she's not harmed."

"You shouldn't lose focus," the voice warned.

"I'm not. But I think turning her into my slave would be a fate worse than death."

* * *

Usagi examined her surroundings. Indeed, this wasn't the base, but where were they now? It hadn't felt any different than when they used the teleport, but she wasn't sure they were on Earth anymore. "What is this place?" 

"It would be hard to explain it with terms you could understand," Pluto admitted, "but consider this a place a pocket dimension, much like the Dark Kingdom was."

"Never thought a time tunnel would be so... Cave-like," Brad joked.

They were all walking through a large tunnel, with crystals of different colors sticking out of the floor and ceiling. "It's not a bad place, I guess," Minako admitted. "At least it's colorful."

"Aren't you a reborn Senshi, like us?" Ami asked.

Pluto shook her head. "I didn't die, like you did. I never took part in the battle against Beryl. I did, however, gather a secondary team which ended up fighting the youma in the United States."

"Too bad you didn't show up earlier," Terry said, his voice a lot colder than he intended it to sound.

"It was her destiny to die that day," Pluto said, her tone somber. "The only one to blame for that has already been dealt with, and you should know it. Sadly, it was the only way for you to meet with the others."

Terry grimaced, then looked at Ami for a second, before his face returned to normal. "You're right. And I guess... Moving to Tokyo had some perks."

Rei looked at Terry, then at Ami. "Uhm... Did I miss something?"

"Yeah, you did," Usagi said, giving her a mocking smile.

Ami cleared her throat a bit too loud to get their attention. "So, back to the important issues..."

Pluto looked ahead and smiled. "We're here."

There was a collective exclamation of awe as the others looked at the gate. Hotaru just smiled and said "been a while."

"You were here before?" Usagi asked. "What for?"

"Training," Terry guessed.

"Good guess," Pluto said. "I trained my protegees here, since I could get them to train here for months and then send them back to shortly after they left."

"So, we go through this and show up wherever you want to send us?" Mako guessed.

"No, you have to travel a bit more from here to reach your destination."

"What, not coming with us?" Rei asked.

"I seldom abandon this place, and you have a reliable guide with you."

The Senshi all looked at each other, then at ChibiUsa, who just smiled at them.

"She knows the way?"

Pluto nodded. "Stay together, the journey past this point is dangerous if you don't know exaclty where you're going."

"Abandon all hope those who walk through this door," Terry said.

Pluto just stared at him. "Not funny."

"Wasn't trying to be funny," Terry admitted.

"We should transform before heading in," Hotaru noted. "Just in case something happens."

"What could happen here?" Brad pondered. "We're out of time."

"Stop the time jokes," Pluto said, letting a bit of coldness creep into her voice.

Usagi nodded "I agree, there's no time for joking right... Now. Oops. "

* * *

Several time jokes, I mean, several minutes later, the Senshi were walking through what looked like Tokyo's streets. "This is weird. Are we back home or what?" Venus asked. 

"We're still in the tunnel," ChibiUsa said. "Follow me."

Nemesis blinked as the girl walked into the Osa-P. "Freaky." As they passed through, the scenery changed to a familiar place. "The school?"

"That's why Pluto told you not to split. It's hard to know your way around without a guide."

After a bit of walking through a corridor, which was at least a few miles long, ChibiUsa looked at one of the doors. "Here." She walked in, followed by the others, and looked around. "This place's spooky. "

Moon looked around in shock. This place was grimly familiar to her. "This is... The Dark Kingdom?"

"Why the scenery cocktail?" Earth asked.

ChibiUsa stopped walking and looked around. "I'm not sure why, ask Pluto on our way back."

"Know what, I just realized we didn't tell the cats where we were going," Jupiter commented.

"What have they been up to lately anyways?" Dragon Venus asked.

"Beats me, Art is never home when I get back from school, I think I haven't seen him in several days."

"Hope they're okay," Moon said.

* * *

The three mooncats were standing on top of Crown, apparently waiting for something, or someone. "You think they'll be fine?" 

"Pluto said the journey will be dangerous, but I trust the Senshi," Artemis said.

"So, you think we have a possible Senshi here?"

Luna nodded. "I've been watching her. She keeps on having these extremely lucky days, it's just too lucky to be humanly possible."

"So you mean she could be..."

Luna nodded at Shade. "Sailor Lilith."

"There she is," Artemis said. The three mooncats sweatdropped as the girl they'd been following around walked out of crown carrying a bag full of plushies. "Crane Jou, female version."

* * *

The Senshi were, meanwhile, walking through the park. It was, clearly, exactly like the park they'd usually visited near Juuban, but they'd been walking through it for several miles. "So much for time travelling being fast," Jupiter muttered. 

"We're almost there," ChibiUsa commented.

"Not if I can help it."

"You again?" Moon growled as she stood between ChibiUsa and the evil woman.

"This time there's no Pluto to save you," she said, then attacked with her fan blasts.

"Light Shield!" Dragon Venus summoned his shield, and a barrier of light appeared in front of the group, protecting them. "I've got her, now attack!"

"Takaiko, get them."

Before the Senshi could figure out what Esmeraude meant, an attack knocked them all to the ground. As they stood up, they could see a figure wearing a grim reaper costume, apparently female. "Hey, I'm the only grim reaper here, get lost," Saturn snapped.

"She made a joke, we're doomed," Jupiter commented.

"That creature isn't strong enough to pose a threat," Dragon Mercury said, "we can deal with her and Esmeraude at the same time."

Takaiko laughed. "Can you?" In a blink, she'd split into several clones of herself. "We think not."

"Oops," the Dragon muttered. "Okay, guess this will be an even battle."

Dragon Venus flinched. Esmeraude had kept the onslaught of energy blasts, and he was frankly struggling to keep his shield up. "Guys, hurry up beating that bitch so you can take care of this bitch too. "

The Senshi all shot their attacks at the enemy, but the grim reapers just deflected them with their glaives. "Crap, now what?"

"Now we get physical," Dragon Mercury said, then charged into the crowd of enemies.

"I think that's not gonna work, either," Jupiter noticed as the Dragon was flung back to them. "You okay?"

"Been beaten down worse."

"Okay, time to show them our new toys," Moon said. "Moon Disc Spiral!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Mercury Hail Snare!"

"Jupiter Supreme Thunder Dragon Fist!"

"Venus..." Venus summoned her whip, which lit up with energy. "Whip Lash!" she snapped the whip in front of her, causing a swarm of thin whip-like energy beams to lash at her foes.

"Nemesis Nightmare Shot!"

"Earth..." Sailor Earth summoned her staff and swirled it vertically, causing a lot of dust and small rocks to gather in a circle in front of it, forming a small vortex. "Dust Storm!" She slammed the vortex with her staff, sending it speeding towards her foes.

"Earth Rock Rose!" A massive, stony rose appeared in front of Dragon Earth, shooting towards his targets and exploding upon contact.

"Mercury Dragon's Ice Breath!"

"Uh oh," the many clones of Takaiko said in unison just before the barrage of attacks hit. Once the dust settled, it was clear the menace had been neutralized.

Esmeraude laughed. "That worked just fine, you wasted energy destroying that drone, so..." She sent yet another fan wave, but this one was larger. It hit through the light shield, knocking all the Senshi down. "... It's time to die."

"Fuck... That hurt," Dragon Mercury muttered.

"So much for my ubershield," Dragon Venus said.

Moon winced in pain as she tried to stand up. She couldn't give up, if she did, this woman was going to kill them, and then she'd kill ChibiUsa. Somehow, Moon realized she hadn't seen ChibiUsa since Takaiko showed up, then she saw something coming from the side, and it was heading straight for Esmeraude.

"Leave them alone!"

Esmeraude didn't know what hit her, but the pain was quite clear, something had hit her side and knocked her agianst a tree. She staggered out of the indentation she'd made and searched for her foe. "What the hell?"

Moon was wondering the same thing. ChibiUsa had head-butted Esmeraude into a tree, and for a few moments, she had a quite visible pink energy aura surrounding her. "ChibiUsa?"

ChibiUsa looked at Moon, then smiled. "I need to protect you, sometimes."

For the millionth time, Moon was pondering who ChibiUsa really was. And, right now, she also wondered why her power seemed so familiar to her. She noticed the aura around the girl was gone, and felt her own energy raising. "We won't die here, not if I can help it. Moon Twilight Beam!"

Esmeraude's eyes widened. The Rabbit had given her power to Moon, somehow, and that made the beam shot at her look way larger. It hit her dead on and sent her crashing through several trees before she landed painfully on her side, rolled a few times on the dirt, and stopped. "This... Can't be..."

As she stood up, she saw the Senshi were all up and ready to kick ass. And unfortunately for her, she was the only one they had to kick. Considering her options, running away was the only one that looked viable. And that she did, not even bothering with a token villain speech.

"No fun, they don't even threaten to kill us next time anymore," Mars said.

Saturn looked at Dragon Mercury. "Is there any chance you can make me a weapon?"

"You already have one."

"Yeah, but..."

"I could upgrade your glaive," Dragon Mercury said, "once we get back home. But I'd need a few days to do it."

"As long as you give it back in one piece," Saturn warned.

"Deal."

ChibiUsa pointed at a small group of trees near them. "There, that's our way out of here."

"About time, I'm tired of walking," Moon said.

"It feels like we've been walking forever," Venus admitted.

"And we probably have," Dragon Mercury said. "We may have walked a few hundred, or a few thousand years."

ChibiUsa shook her head as she resumed walking. It was quite hard to believe, even for someone as young as her, that these were the same Senshi she'd always known.

* * *

**A/N:** I based the "time tunnel" look in the Sailor Moon: Another Story RPG. If you haven't played it, look for it online. 

As for 'Sailor Lilith,' she may come into play soon. Her powers are a bit different than the other Senshi, but you'll have to wait to find out exactly how. Who is she? Well, wouldn't you like to know that...

In case you're wondering, Takai Death. There won't be many drones around, but I'm having fun naming the ones I'm gonna use.

Edit: Only one minor change to the episode, don't worry if you've already read it before.


	49. Crystal Revelations

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 4: Dark Moon Rising.**

** Episode 49: Crystal Revelations.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 9, 2007_

* * *

"This is your city?" 

ChibiUsa looked at Jupiter. "It was quite better before the war."

The others looked around. Buildings were made of a strange, opaque crystal, but most of them were heavily damaged, and some were totally wrecked. "Where are the civilians?"

"Hiding," ChibiUsa said. "I know there's several underground shelters built under the city."

"Should teach them to not make their houses out of glass," Dragon Venus said.

"Not funny," the pink-haired girl snapped. "You can try punching one of those walls, I'm sure your Senshi strength will be too much for plain old glass to resist."

The Dragon shrugged and walked to one of the walls. "Looks like some weak crystal to me."

"Punch it," ChibiUsa said.

"Uh, Brad, I don't think..." Mercury started.

Dragon Venus slammed his fist into the glass with all his might. It didn't even crack. He stood there, staring at the glass with a bewildered look, for several seconds, unmoving.

Then, he kneeled on the ground and clutched his hand. _"Fuck, that hurt!"_

"... you can break through that crystal, it's magically reinforced," Mercury finished.

ChibiUsa smiled. "It's a very strong material, infused with magic. At least that's what I was told, and also that not even a Senshi can break through it, not without some high level magic blast."

"Could've told me that," Dragon Venus said as he walked back to the group.

"Well, it'll teach you not to go by the first impression," Mars noted.

"So, where are we heading, anyways?" Nemesis asked.

Dragon Mercury looked around, then pointed at the huge castle standing proudly and untouched over the wrecked buildings that surrounded it. "Since Pinky here's been called a Princess several times, I bet she lives at the castle."

"That's a pretty good guess."

They turned to the voice, and first thing they noticed was, the person standing near them was transparent. "Aah! A ghost!" Moon shouted. She then noticed who he looked like, and frowned. "Mamoru? But how can you be there and here?"

Dragon Earth looked at his 'clone.' He was wearing a strange outfit, much like the suits the Dark Kingdom Generals had used, but it also had a long cape. "That's because he's not me."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am you," the figure said. "I'm King Endymion, ruler of this city. Now, it's not safe to stay out here, so let's head for the Crystal Palace."

"Wait, how--"

Endymion interrupted Moon as he started walking. "I'll answer your questions once we get there."

* * *

"They're here." 

Dimando nodded at Esmeraude. "This is the best scenario for us. They're in an unknown place, with no outside help. We can defeat them here and now. But first..."

Esmeraude looked at the prince. "Yes, cousin?"

"I need you to attack the Palace. While the Senshi are distracted, I'll capture their leader and turn her to our side."

"It is a good strategy," the man standing besides the throne said. He was quite the opposite from Dimando. Where Dimando's hair was white and waist-long, his was black and short. He wore a black suit contrasting Dimando's white one, and even his face and his manner of speaking were contrary to the Prince. It was quite surprising he was Dimando's brother, but Esmeraude had known them both since they were kids, and knew the brothers were always eager to help each other.

"Indeed it is, Saffir. I want you to go there too, but do not interfere unless Esmeraude can't handle the Senshi."

"To defeat them, she needs more power."

Esmeraude cringed at the hissing voice. That Wiseman freak, she wished Dimando would dispose of him, but the Prince insisted Wiseman was his best advisor and strategist. He had showed up overnight, that was truth, and was the one reason Esmeraude didn't trust him. But to be fair, his strategies and magic had lead them from the small wasteland their homeworld was, to the Earth they were so close to conquering.

"I must admit, the Senshi have grown in power," Dimando said. "And you'll have to face most of them. Given your previous results, I suppose Wiseman is right."

Esmeraude nodded. "A little more power can't hurt."

"So be it," Wiseman said. Black tendrils of energy shot from the shadows behind Dimando's throne, hitting Esmeraude and prompting a scream from her. After a few seconds, the assault was over, and the voice spoke again. "It is done."

"Are you okay, Esmeraude?" Dimando asked.

Esmeraude looked at him, her eyes glowing for a split second. "Never been better."

* * *

Several minutes later, the group was walking through a crystalline corridor. "Well, we're inside the castle, so now tell us... Are you a ghost?" 

Endymion kept on walking, not bothering to turn around. "No, I'm quite alive, but what you're seeing is just a magical projection."

Mercury and Dragon Mercury were both looking at ChibiUsa. "She can't be, can she?" the Dragon asked his female counterpart.

"I'm pretty sure she is," Mercury whispered.

"What are you two up to?" Moon asked.

"Endymion, let me ask you something. The Senshi from this time, are they a new generation?"

"Yes and no."

"Okay, that's not quite the answer I wanted. So, who's the Queen of this city?"

"Queen Serenity," Endymion said, still not stopping nor turning to them.

"I knew it."

"Knew what?" Moon asked Mercury.

"Come on, Usagi..." Dragon Mercury muttered. "ChibiUsa was born in this time. Endymion here says he's the same as your boyfriend, who if I understood the mooncats' ranting was Prince Endymion in his past life. And he's married to someone named Serenity. Like you were. "

"Oh." Moon took a few more steps, but soon it hit her, as it had hit the rest of the Senshi, who'd stopped walking several meters before. "What? You mean I'm still alive in this time?"

"All of you are," Endymion said, turning as he noticed his guests weren't moving. "But we're all a bit too busy right now to take care of the Black Moon Family, which is why we needed you or your Ginzuishou."

Mercury looked at ChibiUsa. "I still can't believe it, but I guess it's the truth. Is she a Princess?"

Endymion nodded. "She's Princess Serenity, my daughter."

Both Moon and Dragon Earth looked at each other, eyes wide. "What?"

ChibiUsa giggled. "Took you too long to figure it out."

"You knew all along?" Moon asked looking at the small girl. It was a lot to take, that she'd be a Queen in the future, and that the girl she'd been protecting, the one that had so unceremoniously sneaked into her life, was her future daughter. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You weren't supposed to know," ChibiUsa said. "At least that's what Puu said."

Mercury nodded. "Makes sense, knowing things about your future may cause you to act different and thus disrupt the timelines." She noticed the others were all looking at her and trailed off. "Uhm... Or at least that's what I know of the time-space theory."

"But if that's the case, why are we here?" Dragon Venus asked.

"Because you had to be brought here. There's things you must do in this era, in order to defeat the Black Moon." Endymion paused to look at ChibiUsa. If only he could tell her what was about to happen... But he couldn't.

"Where are we... The future 'we,' I mean," Nemesis asked.

"When the Black Moon first came, they seemed peaceful, we fell for their deception and then they struck... On the first battle, the Queen was heavily injured, and so was I. Also, the Ginzuishou vanished, and with that, the shield protecting the city was gone."

"It vanished?" Moon asked. "How?"

"We don't know yet," Endymion said, "but Pluto sent the Princess back in time to get the Senshi from the past, or at least their Ginzuishou. The Queen had used her own power to create a healing crystal that's encased her, while I am currently unable to walk."

"What about the others?" Jupiter asked.

A screen appeared in one of the walls. There was no monitor, no cables, it was clearly a magical device. The images showed Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus sitting in a circle around some kind of generator. "What's that?"

"They've been using their energy to keep the shield up. Unfortunately, we couldn't spare any other Senshi, so the shield only covers the palace."

"And we all are where?" Nemesis pressed.

The screen switched to a ruined city, with hundreds of robotic creatures fighting an army of humans. Nemesis, Earth and Saturn were there too, along with Dragons Mercury and Venus, and a group of Senshi they couldn't recognize.

"Those must be the New York Senshi," Dragon Mercury noted.

Saturn nodded, Haruka, Michiru and Kage were there, but what about the others? "Are the others the new generation Senshi?"

"Yes," Endymion said.

"So, where are you right now?"

The screen changed to a room elsewhere in the palace. Endymion was lying on some sort of bed with what looked like a medical scanner besides it, while a bit to his right was a human-sized crystal, transparent like a diamond, and inside, a woman was seemingly sleeping, her face like Usagi's, but her hair white.

"I still can't believe it," Moon said. "But tell me, how did the Ginzuishou from this time vanish?"

"As I said, we're not sure," Endymion said. "We were out of the city, defending it from the Nemesians' first strike," he stopped and winced as he saw Nemesis' face. "Unfortunately for you, Naru, these aliens come from Nemesis."

"I thought they had all died, like people in all the other planets, when Beryl was sealed," Mercury said.

"They didn't, but they were set back to a sort of stone age. See, they came here in a diplomatic mission, so we learnt a lot about what had happened. Apparently, Nemesis is far enough so the mana capping wasn't complete. Most of the old Nemesians died when the planet cooled off, but they were used to low temperatures already, and learnt to use magic alone to control the elements."

"They developed new technology on their own from nothing?" Dragon Mercury asked.

Endymion nodded. "Took them a while, considering the environment there is hostile. But, you see, they knew the Earth had survived relatively well, and the new Nemesians always found it unfair humans could live on Earth without much struggling."

"So, they finally built some ships and came to conquer this planet," Mercury guessed. "In any case, back to the Ginzuishou..."

"We fought the Nemesian grunts and drones stopping them from entering the city, but soon the Black Moon Family itself showed up. Instead of splitting, they all focused their attacks on Serenity, and she was heavily wounded. She formed that crystal she's encased into to both prevent any further attack, and to have time to heal her own wounds."

"Didn't she have the Ginzuishou with her?" Moon asked. It would be only natural, as she would still need its power.

"She's developed such a strong bond with the crystal, she doesn't need to even have it near her to use its powers. It was being used as an energy source for the city's defense system and the shield around it, but then..."

"It's all my fault, I was so stupid..." ChibiUsa whispered, then started sobbing.

"Your fault?" Moon asked.

"I... Leave me alone!" The small girl didn't wait for a reply, she instead run away crying.

Endymion sighed. "She wanted to help her mother, so she went to get the Ginzuishou, as she was sure she could use it to heal her. However, as soon as she touched the crystal, it vanished."

"... That's impossible."

Endymion looked at Dragon Earth. "I doubted that too, but we've not felt the crystal's presence ever since that day. Apparently, she's been keeping her guilt inside until now."

"It wasn't her fault," Moon said. "She didn't know the crystal would vanish. I'm gonna go look for her." She didn't wait for her friends to agree or disagree with her, before rushing out of the room.

"Maternal instinct kicking in?" Mars asked.

"Bad timing for a joke," Dragon Venus said, then the palace rocked with an explosion. "What the hell?"

"Nemesians," Endymion said. "Esmeraude and Prince Saffir, and they're both outside the palace."

"Can they break through the shield?"

"I doubt that, unless they spend a few hours shooting at it."

"Why wait a few hours when we can kick their asses now?" Earth said.

Mercury nodded. "We should be careful, though. Moon's not with us, Saffir's power is unknown, and Esmeraude is already powerful enough to take on several of us at a time."

"In short, it'll be yet another battle," Jupiter said.

"... Yeah, I guess," Mercury admitted as they all walked out of the room.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, can't believe I got this far with the fic. This is the last episode of Act 4 (betcha most don't even bother noticing act changes :P ) and there's only one more act to go before we walk along the dangerous path of original plotlines. The canon plotlines will be back after that, though, but with minor (yeah right) adjustments.

Edit: Only one minor change to the episode, don't worry if you've already read it before.


	50. Future Wars

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 5: Black Lady.**

** Episode 50: Future Wars.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 9, 2007_

* * *

ChibiUsa stared out at the wreck that most of the city had become. Her city, her friends and her parents, all affected by her stupid mistake. And as much as she wanted the Ginzuishou to return, it was gone. Now Usagi knew what she'd done, she surely thought she was stupid, too. 

"Why are you crying, little girl?"

She looked to the side and saw a figure in a dark cloak, standing near her. "Who are you?"

"I'm a friend," the figure said. "Are you sad because everyone hates you?"

ChibiUsa nodded. "I want to make everything right, but I can't."

"I can help you," the figure said, "but you'll have to trust me."

ChibiUsa looked at the outstretched hand. Long, thin fingers with black nails. Something told her not to trust this stranger, but her mind was too clouded by fear and regret to resist his offer. After a few hesitant moments, she took her hand.

"Good, now come with me," the figure said. Then both of them were gone.

* * *

Moon run as fast as she could through the corridors. ChibiUsa could never run as fast as she did in Senshi form, but the small girl had years of walking around the building on her side. Moon, on the other hand, was clueless on where to go. The building was, from her point of view, a giant maze. 

She looked out one window and froze. ChibiUsa was talking to a creepy figure. She could swear the raggy robe's bottom moved on its own, creating the illusion of small tendrils of darkness. After a few seconds, ChibiUsa took the man's hand, then they both vanished.

"ChibiUsa!"

Moon leapt out to the garden, fortunately not many floors below. She was outside the shield, but that wasn't something that worried her right now. "What... Who was that man?"

"My advisor," Moon heard, before something hit her and she lost consciousness.

Dimando looked down at Moon, then at the point where ChibiUsa had been a few moments earlier. "I don't know what Wiseman plans to do with the Princess, but for now, I've got what I was looking for."

* * *

The energy wave rushed by, barely missing her head. Mercury stood up from her crouching position and looked at the others. "Everyone okay?" 

There was a collective nod, before they all leapt over another wave of energy. "This is getting annoying," Mars commented.

"I'm looking for weaknesses, but found none yet," Dragon Mercury said.

Saturn looked at their other foe. "What's he up to?"

"I'm merely an observer," Saffir said. "I won't fight unless I feel you're worth fighting with."

"What an ego," Jupiter said. "How about we start fighting back?"

The Senshi attacked as one, except for Saturn who watched and waited. As Esmeraude leapt over the barrage, she nodded. "There." She phased under her target, aiming her glaive up. "Death Bolt!"

Esmeraude phased as well, appearing just behind Saturn. "Fool."

"Yes, you are," Saturn said, dodging the fan slash. Before Esmeraude could figure things out, Saturn phased out of the way, and she was left to stare at the flame arrow shooting towards her.

The evil woman was hit and staggered back, then felt something cut her back and screamed. Saffir looked at the scene with mild interest, trying to decide wether or not he should interfere.

Saturn put her glaive on Esmeraude's throat and smiled, a freezing cold smile. "You lose. Death B--"

Mars gasped as Saturn was knocked into a wall by a dark blast. "Oh, I guess you want to fight now?"

Saffir smiled. "I don't need to. Esmeraude, stop playing and fight for real."

Esmeraude stood up and smiled, her eyes glowing green for a split second. "Sorry, I just wanted to play with them."

Dragon Earth winced. "No..."

"What's wrong?" Mercury asked.

"Something happened to Usagi," he said. "I don't know how I felt it, but--"

"Go help her," Dragon Mercury said. "We'll take care of these idiots. "

Esmeraude laughed. "You? That's funny."

Saturn stood up slowly and winced. "Shut up and fight."

* * *

Moon knew that, for some reason, she didn't want to wake up. But whatever had knocked her down, hadn't been enough to kill her, and that was a good thing. Wasn't it? 

"Good, you're awake."

As her vision became clear, she saw who her captor was. A man with long, white hair, who was admittedly handsome, not that it would stop her from blasting him down, if only to kindly return his favor. "Who are you?"

"Prince Dimando, leader of the Black Moon, and ruler of Nemesis. As you may have been informed by now, I'm looking forwards to expand my domains."

"So you're the bastard who caused so much destruction?"

"Such harsh words from someone that will soon be my Queen..."

Moon tried to snap back at him, but something stopped her. She felt light-headed, her mind clouded... She stood there, eyes glazed, as Dimando walked to her. As he got too close, however, her eyes went back to normal. "No! Stay away!"

"What?" Impossible, he was sure her mind would be easy to control. Why was she resisting? It didn't matter, anyhow, he would just have to use more power.

* * *

Dragon Earth looked at the building. The sign outside clearly stated this was the Nemesian embassy, but the building looked more like a military base. He could see light in one window of the topmost floor, and for some reason he knew that's where Usagi was. However, even with his Senshi strength, he could never leap those twenty floors up. 

He couldn't give up now, being so close to rescuing her. "Earth Twilight Power!" As the transformation ended, the Dragon knew what to do. "Earth Rock Rose... Hold!" He tossed a rocky rose at the wall, but instead of exploding, it stabbed into the surface, then grew in size until it was big enough to support his weight. The Dragon set a few more roses up the wall, then started jumping up the makeshift platforms.

* * *

Dimando smiled as he looked at his prisoner. Her eyes were empty, distant, and her face was calm. It had taken him more energy than he thought, but he finally had her under his control. "And now, my Queen..." he said as he leaned in to kiss her. 

"Mamoru..." Moon whispered, her eyes returning to normal

"What? How can you resist?" Dimando snarled as Moon backed away from him.

"You may control my mind, but you'll never control my heart."

"Hmph. Well then, I'll have to see a way around that."

"I'll never be your slave. Moon Twilight Beam!"

Dimando simply slapped the beam to the side, and it drilled through a few walls before vanishing. "Interesting, your power is quite high. A pity it's not enough against me."

"You may be a prince, but you're not charming at all."

Dimando looked at the window, where Dragon Earth was standing. "Leave now and I won't kill you."

The Dragon motioned Moon to the window. "Sorry, Your Highness, but I'm taking her with me."

"I won't let you do that," Dimando snapped and shot an energy blast at them.

"Earth King's Shield!" Dragon Earth summoned his shield, which formed a massive wall of rocks in front of them. It stopped the blast, and put an obstacle in Dimando's path. "Let's go."

"What? But we're too high off the ground!"

"Trust me," the Dragon said before leaping out the window, dragging a not too eager Sailor Moon with him.

Dimando blasted a hole through the wall and frowned as he saw his prisoner was gone. Before he could give chase, however, he sensed something. "Wiseman... What's he up to this time?" He walked out of the room, his mind dismissing the thought of chasing Moon. After all, sooner or later, he would have her.

* * *

"There's no doubt, I'm sensing Senshi energy in her," Luna said. 

"Great, now she'll probably be a monster," Artemis mused.

"Hey, at least I got three Senshi, you slacker found two and didn't even know one of them was a Senshi."

"Stop acting like a married couple, you two," Shade pointed down the block as she said that, ignoring the twin glares from her feline friends. "Our target's escaping."

"Are you sure we need to bring her into the action now?" Artemis insisted as the three cats chased after their 'prey.'

"You know the legends about her powers. If she's not in control of them, she could hurt herself, or her friends."

* * *

Saturn knocked an energy blast off with her glaive and looked at the others. "Any ideas?" 

"She's too strong," Nemesis said. "We need to keep her busy until Moon returns."

"She's strong with those magic blasts," Saturn agreed, "but short range seems to be her weak spot."

Esmeraude sent a few more blasts, then frowned. "Dimando needs us."

Saffir nodded. "I'll go." He closed his eyes, and energy flowed from him to Esmeraude. "You stay here and finish those kids off."

The woman smiled as Saffir vanished. With that energy recharge, she was sure the Senshi would be an easy kill. They were tired, weak and...

They apparently didn't care if she was distracted or not, as she realized when a fist impacted her face. Before she could recover, someone kicked her back, followed by her arms being sliced by metal. Another kick, this time in her legs, sent her down to the ground. "Damn you, stupid kids!"

"You were right," Dragon Mercury admitted, "she sucks at melee."

"Only because you caught me off guard," Esmeraude snapped as she stood up and stood in a defensive pose.

Dragon Mercury smiled at her. "Trust me, I know when someone sucks at fighting."

Esmeraude glared at him then run forwards, her fan falling down at the Dragon. He blocked the fan with one sword, then tried to slash out with the other, but Esmeraude punched his hand, causing him to drop it. She smiled as that surprised the Dragon, and she punched him in the gut. "See, I'm not so bad."

The Dragon smiled as his airboard hit Esmeraude square in the face, sending her reeling back. "Dragon's Ice Breath!"

"Let's get her!" Mercury said as Esmeraude was caught in the deadly cloud.

The wave of attacks hit the gas cloud from all directions, and the Senshi all fell to their knees. "We did it," Jupiter said.

As the cloud dimmed, however, they saw Esmeraude was still standing. Her dress was tattered and her skin cut in several places, but she still stood defiantly. "I won't give up until I defeat you all."

"Too bad. Moon Twilight Beam!"

Esmeraude's eyes widened as the moon beam struck, sending her flying back and straight to the palace's shield. As she hit it, the shield zapped her with energy, and she screamed in pain for a few seconds before she fell to the ground, her body vanishing slowly.

"About time you showed up," Mars said.

"Not in the mood," Moon snapped. As the others stared at her, she sighed. "They got ChibiUsa."

"Then we have to go rescue her," Saturn said.

"For that, you need to go back to your time."

Moon looked at Pluto. "You could've saved her."

"I'm only a player in this script," Pluto said, "you saw your future selves here. You may have noticed the difference in power."

Mercury nodded. "I couldn't get a reading on Queen Serenity."

"Which means...?" Jupiter pressed.

"Which means she's either got infinite power, or she's quite close to that," Saturn said.

"Then why... Why let the Nemesians hurt her?" Moon asked.

"You are the answer to that question," Pluto said. "You came here and saw all this happen, so you know how things have to be for the timelines to be kept in one piece."

"You mean ChibiUsa being captured was 'in the script' too?" Moon asked, her voice a bit shaky. "Sorry, but I don't like that. They could kill her, or..."

"They won't hurt her," Pluto said, "but in order to rescue her, you'll have to go back to your time."

Dragon Venus pointed at the surrounding city. "A change of scenery wouldn't be bad, I guess."

Pluto nodded. "Let's go, I'll guide you back to your time."

* * *

Dimando stared at the woman in front of him in an almost dismissive way. She had long, pink hair tied up in a familiar way, her eyes were red and she was wearing a long, black dress with a slight pink hue. "Who is she?" 

"The Black Lady," Wiseman said. For once, he wasn't hiding in the shadows, but instead standing right next to his creation.

"She looks strangely familiar," Saffir commented.

The robed man looked at Dimando. "I suppose you saw me capture the Princess. See, I just thought we should have a contingency plan, in case you couldn't bring the Queen to our side."

"You mean she's..."

"I was known as Princess Serenity," Black Lady said, "but now I serve the Black Moon."

"We could use her to eliminate the Senshi, and bring the Queen to our side," Wiseman suggested.

Dimando frowned. "No. Kill them all if you must. Sailor Moon killed Esmeraude and Rubeus, I can't let their deaths stay unavenged."

Wiseman's face was hidden by his robe's hood, but if anyone would've seen it, they'd see a cold smile creeping into it for a second. His scheme was working just as he wanted it to, and the Prince was playing along eagerly.

* * *

**A/N:** Esmeraude got shield-shocked. I suppose many already guessed who Lilith is (don't say it :P ) but while she'll be around next episode, her real identity won't be revealed for a while. 

Oh, and Black Lady's my favorite SM villain, so writing the next few episodes will be lots of fun for me.

Edit: Only one minor change to the episode, don't worry if you've already read it before.


	51. Pink Power

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 5: Black Lady.**

** Episode 51: Pink Power.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 9, 2007_

* * *

Two days passed since the Senshi returned from the future, and they'd taken the break to rest and prepare for their next battle. Some of them, however, had other things in their minds. 

"You know, you look a lot more distracted than normal."

Usagi looked down at Luna, who'd been following her for two blocks now, without her noticing. "I'm worried about ChibiUsa, that's all. "

"So, how was your trip?" Luna asked, trying to cheer her up.

Usagi looked at Luna. "Besides the fact I was told ChibiUsa is my future daughter, only to have her taken away by the enemy minutes later? Oh, it was fun, indeed. Specially being mind-controlled by that stupid prince."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you."

"Don't ask dumb things, then." Usagi muttered. "What have you been up to lately, though?"

"I've been... Busy."

"Dating?"

Luna blushed. "No, of course not."

"Then what?"

"I can't tell you yet."

"Hmph." Usagi stopped in front of the 'base' and nodded. "Here we are."

"So, you kids are back to slacking in there all day?"

* * *

As they got inside, however, Luna's words were proven wrong. The arena was occupied by most of them, apparently testing their weapons out. Saturn sat near the arena, watching, as Terry and Ami worked on the computer. "Well, I see you're not slacking." 

"You haven't trained yet," Saturn commented.

"I'm really not in the mood."

"I understand how you feel, but moping around won't bring her back," Saturn said.

"What are you, Rei's clone?" Usagi muttered.

"Not at all, I haven't used words like airhead or brat yet," Saturn mused. "But I suppose I shouldn't lecture you. Your attack did fry Esmeraude, I'm sure it'll be easy for you to defeat the other Black Moon warriors."

"I... I was lucky, that's all. In fact, Dimando slapped my attack away. I'm too weak to fight him."

"So what you're scared of, is not being able to rescue your daughter, " Saturn said. "You need to be good at both ranged and melee combat to be a real warrior."

"But..."

"You have a sword, you only need to learn how to use it," Terry said.

Saturn nodded, then turned back to normal, her glaive vanishing. "By the way, Terry, the glaive modifications are good."

"You didn't test it," Terry noted.

"I don't need to fight with it to notice the difference," Hotaru said.

A blinding light covered the area, and as it dimmed, they all turned to the arena to see Venus standing there with a still shining whip, and all the other Senshi were scattered around the place. "Oops, I guess I overdid it."

Mars blinked a few times to recover her sight as she stood up. "You really know how to use a whip, huh?"

"I wonder just how she learnt," Earth commented glacing at Dragon Venus.

"My lips are sealed," Dragon Venus said.

"Okay guys, I'm gonna try and teach Usagi how to use a sword now."

"This is gonna be fun," Mars said.

"Don't be mean," Nemesis snapped.

"I'm not, but it'll surely remind me of the time I tried to learn how to use a sword. It wasn't pretty."

"Oh? Why?"

"Let's just say there's a reason I don't use my Dragon Sword in battle," Mars said.

"That's foolish," Saturn said, "those swords can give you a small power boost when you use them, but the boost is immense when you become attuned to them."

"How do you know that?" Jupiter asked.

"Pluto told me," Saturn said. "But I'm on the same train as you two, I wasn't born to use a sword, so I won't use one. I just hope Usagi learns, though... Her power is already above ours, with the swords' power added she could be an amazing fighter."

"This is Usagi we're talking about," Mars said. The others looked at her. "Yeah, I know, old habits."

* * *

Luna had sneaked out of the base while the others were busy, and was now meeting with the other mooncats. "So, how did it go?" 

"Pluto agreed to train her, said it would be foolish to let her fight without full control of her powers."

"Even fully trained, she could..."

Artemis nodded. "I know the legends. Luck isn't a constant, but as long as she doesn't abuse her powers, she won't have them backfire. "

"There she is."

A girl was walking to them, wearing a Senshi suit with brown skirt and bow.

"That was fast," Luna commented.

"Fast? I've been training with Dr. Who for two months now."

"Pluto won't like you calling her that," Artemis said, trying not to laugh.

"I know, that's why I do it."

"Did it really work?"

"Yeah, luck was on my side, I've already caught up with the others. "

"Just don't abuse your powers," Shade said.

"I know, I know, Pluto gave me the uncle Ben rant already."

The three Mooncats looked at each other for a few seconds as the new Senshi turned back to normal and walked away. Luna spoke after a few seconds, her voice a whisper. "Why are all the Senshi insane?"

"You really think normal teenagers would be able to save the world daily?" Artemis noted.

"Good point."

* * *

Wiseman was, meanwhile, explaining his new plan to Dimando and the remaining members of the Black Moon. 

"There are several points of power in Crystal Tokyo which help the shield stay online. If we can corrupt those points, then we could finally take the palace and end this war."

"I'm aware of those points, but they're inside the shield," Dimando said.

"In our epoque, they're protected by the shield, but in the 20th century, they're unprotected, not counting the Senshi.

"Are we going to attack them?" Petz asked.

"You will take care of that. I'll send a distraction for the Senshi, to make sure they don't interfere."

* * *

Usagi landed hard on the ground and grimaced. "Okay, enough training for now." 

Terry smiled at her. "You have a long way to go before you can fight me. But at least, you got some of the basics now."

"I could just moonbeam you out of the base."

"Where's the sweet, friendly Usagi I like?"

"I'm still here, just in a sour mood."

"Cheer up, _Rabbit_."

Usagi glared at him then clutched the wooden sword she was still holding, then rushed at Terry, bringing the sword up as she reached him.

Terry, however, was ready for such an attack. He blocked her sword with his own, then tripped her, sending her face-first to the ground. "That was a nice try, but anger isn't the best weapon to bring to a battlefield."

Ami looked at the console as it started beeping. "There we go again. "

"What's wrong?" Usagi asked as she stood up. "Black Moon?"

"Apparently," Ami said. "It's a new entity, I don't know who it is, but it's power is amazingly high."

"Must be Dimando," Usagi said. "Just who I need to kick around to feel better."

"Usagi in a fighty mood, now I've seen it all," Rei commented.

"Shut up and follow me."

"Yes sir!" Rei said giving Usagi a mocking bow.

* * *

Several minutes later, the Senshi reached their goal. It was hard to miss, really, as the area was circled by military forces. "Well, there you are, Senshi." 

"Leave this to us," Moon said.

"As usual," Seia noted. "This is strange, the woman didn't drain anyone, she just scared everyone out of the area."

"Let's get her," Moon said. It couldn't be Esmeraude, or one of the Ayakashi, so who was she?

A few blocks later, she got her answer. The woman had pink hair and a hairdo much like hers, which was strange enough, but there was something about her that she found familiar other than that. "Who... Who are you?"

"I'm the Black Lady, a soldier of the Black Moon Family."

Mercury was scanning the woman, and looked at Moon. "Moon, she is..."

"... ChibiUsa," Moon said. So that's why they wanted her?

"Senshi, prepare to die."

"Is she really the pinky?" Dragon Mercury said looking at their enemy. Staring, even.

"Terry..." Mercury said with a meaningful glare.

"Eeh... Okay Moon, hurry up and knock her out."

"I can't," Moon whispered.

"What?"

"Sorry, guys, I can't fight against her."

Earth growled as Moon run away from the battle. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I can understand how she feels," Mars said.

"We have to knock her out to bring her back," Dragon Earth said, "even if I don't want to do it, it's the only way."

The Senshi tried a barrage of attacks, but Black Lady reflected them back. "Pitiful, I was told the Senshi were warriors, but all I see is weak kids."

"You still haven't fought me."

Black Lady looked up and laughed. "And who may you be?"

"Sailor Lilith," the newcomer announced from her spot on top of parked truck.

"Lilith? Was there a Lilith too?" Mars asked.

"Is that even a planet?" Jupiter added.

Lilith leapt off the truck, spinning in the air, and landed a few meters behind Black Lady. The woman snorted. "Nice, so you can do acrobatics, but can you fight?"

"I don't really need to fight, since luck's on my side."

Black Lady ignored her comment and prepared to shoot an energy blast, but something hit her, dragging her down the street for half a block.

Mercury scanned the truck that had knocked Black Lady down the block, and her eyes widened. "Somehow, the hand brake on that truck was released."

"That's just my luck," Lilith said as she walked to the others. She noticed Black Lady was walking her way, furious, and grimaced. "I thought she'd stay down with that. Oh well..."

Mars followed Lilith's sight, and saw a tree that looked old and withered. "What are you..."

"Watch this," Lilith said. As Black Lady reached the tree's proximity, it started leaning towards her, and before she knew it, she was stuck under it. "Oops, my bad," the new Senshi taunted.

After blasting the tree skyhigh, Black Lady glared at the lucky Senshi. "That's it, I'm going to make sure your death is extra painful."

Lilith smiled. "Oh, but I'm not done with my lucky spree yet."

"Moon Twilight Beam!"

The attack hit its mark, and the pink-haired woman kissed the street once again. "Oh, I see the wimp is back."

Moon glared at her. "I was scared of hurting you, I admit it. But I won't let them use you anymore, ChibiUsa." She produced her disc and sighed. "Here goes nothing. Moon Twilight..." She tossed the disc, then repeated the motions of her first Twilight attack, but the beam struck the disc instead of her target. It lit up with energy, creating a crescent-shaped wave right in front of it. "Wave!"

Black Lady snorted. Big deal, she just had to phase out of the way, and that's what she did. As she reappeared floating in mid-air, however, the tree she'd sent flying up finally returned, knocking her straight into the disc's path.

Moon's eyes widened as the area was lit up for a second. "ChibiUsa... "

The woman was relatively conscious, and glared at Moon, who was walking to her. "Don't... Come any closer."

"I'm not going to let them control you anymore," Moon said.

"No!" Black Lady shouted, then her form changed. ChibiUsa looked at Moon and her eyes teared up. "Usagi..."

"Don't worry, it's okay now," Moon said.

"Sorry Your Highness, but this pawn is too important in my plans."

Moon paled as a figure appeared right behind ChibiUsa. She'd seen it before, it was the man who'd captured her daughter.

"Who are you?" Moon asked.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have some chaos to take care of," Wiseman said as he and ChibiUsa vanished.

"No!"

Dragon Earth hugged Moon. "We'll get her back, Usagi."

Mercury looked to one side and winced. "This was a trap."

"What do you mean?" Mars said.

"I'm detecting a source of energy elsewhere in the city... In two different points, actually."

"We need to check them out," Moon said. She was worried about ChibiUsa, but knew whatever the Nemesians were planning would eventually lead her to her daughter.

Nemesis looked around. "Hey, Lilith's gone. I didn't see that one coming."

"Mystery Senshi are so predictable..." Mars muttered.

* * *

**A/N:** Luck's a bitch, specially when one of your enemies is manipulating it against you. 

Why all the nagging about not abusing her powers? Well, she'll find out sooner or later. Possibly sooner.

Edited to add one single, yet important word. Check Moon's new attack. Big 'oops' there, she didn't say "Wave" before the edit.

Edit: Only one minor change to the episode, don't worry if you've already read it before.


	52. Crystal Points

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 5: Black Lady.**

** Episode 52: Crystal Points.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 6, 2007_

* * *

From what Seia could see, the Senshi were, as usual, having a hard time defeating their newest foe. Which meant, as she had figured out months ago, that they'd soon find a way to overpower her and send her running home. 

She was glad the Senshi took on fighting those monsters, that only left the army the pre-battle evacuation of the zone in question, and the post-battle clean-up. Because, frankly, wherever the Senshi fought, there was a high chance of wrecked walls and private property burnt, dented or smashed to pieces.

It wasn't the best job ever, but someone had to clean up after the super heroes.

Her tank's comm signal disrupted her brooding. "What's the matter, Sir?"

"I assume the Senshi have things under control in your area," Kino said through the comm. "But there's trouble elsewhere."

"Well, the Senshi have their hands full right now," Seia said.

"That's bad. We detected four more energy signatures minutes ago, at two points of the city, but now there's six."

Seia was about to comment, but saw the flash of light resulting from Moon's last attack, and nodded. "I think the Senshi just dealt with their enemy here."

"Good, we'll need them to check those other groups out."

* * *

Ann floated out of the way of a lightning blast and glared down at her foes. The Ayakashi were stronger than last time they fought them. Much stronger. But to her and her 'brother,' it was all a matter of gathering more energy than they normally did. They were living batteries, much like the Senshi, though their power didn't come from any planet, but from their tree. 

The tricky part was, the two Ayakashi they were facing were sending beam after beam at them, and that was breaking their focus. They needed to find a way to solve this, or their foes would end up winning this battle.

And what, exactly, was that crystal they'd placed in the building? Why were they so intent on protecting it? It couldn't be good, but they couldn't get to the building to find out without fighting the Ayakashi.

"Where the heck are the Senshi anyway?" Ail said angrily.

Petz chuckled. "Don't count on them coming... Our leader sent them a special surprise that'll keep them busy until it's too late."

"Well, ain't that nice?" Ann muttered.

And so, the target practice continued. If they couldn't defeat these two women, they could at least keep them busy until someone else could do it.

* * *

The Senshi were now on a truck, heading for the closest of the two points under attack. "You need to hurry up and build those airboards, " Venus said. 

Dragon Mercury snorted. "Sorry, I was busy helping you girls save the world, and also making you those weapons."

"That doesn't sound like a good enough reason," Jupiter noted.

"Well, there's also the fact I built this thing a good five years ago, and I lost the blueprints."

"I could help you with that project," Mercury said.

"That'd be great, we can figure it out faster that way," the Dragon admitted.

"And you two could spend some quality time together, too," Mars teased.

Mercury blushed. "Shut up."

"Guys, we should split," Moon said. "I bet there's two Ayakashi in each of these places."

"I like that plan," Mercury said, thankful for the topic switch. She produced her computer and typed a few commands. "Yes, there's two of them in each point, and the twins are in the one closer to us. But there's also two... Unknown energy signals, one in each spot."

"Maybe it's more of those 'Drones'?" Nemesis pondered.

"No, if they were, my computer would identify them. Whatever it is, it's something we've never seen before."

"Hey, can that computer play Doom?" Dragon Venus asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes, it can," Mercury said seriously. The others stared at her and she shrugged. "Come on, guys, I don't spend _all_ my time either studying or fighting evil."

"Why don't I have a computer like that?" Dragon Mercury muttered.

"You can ask Luna that next time we see her," Moon said.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" 

Luna looked up at Lilith. "You did well."

"Yeah, but I wish I could be throwing laser beams around like the other Senshi do..."

"Only Venus does that, the others are different elements."

"Same difference."

"Just remember, don't abuse your power, it could turn against you. "

"I know, I know..." Lilith muttered.

Shade shivered as if a cold air blast had hit her. "I'm sensing dark mana, all around this area."

Lilith smirked. "Whoever's behind that, today's not going to be their lucky day."

* * *

Half the team was dropped near the first point, and as soon as they looked around, they saw things looked bad. Civilians were either throwing insults or fighting each other all around the area. "What the hell is going on here?" Dragon Venus asked. 

Nemesis cringed. "I... I can feel a lot of dark energy. It's spreading all around us."

Saturn used her visor and nodded. "You're right, and it all seems to be leaking from that building."

"Dark Tempest!"

"Light Shield!"

The Senshi looked up as the icy wave was absorbed by the shield. "Oh, it's you," Saturn said dismissively.

"We won't let you destroy the Dark Crystal shard," Karaberas snapped from the rooftop she was on.

"That must be the thing behind this zone's riots," Nemesis said.

"And there may be another one in the other area," Venus guessed.

"Good guess, kid. We hoped Wiseman's new toy would keep you busy, but I guess you got lucky."

"Someone said luck?"

The two Ayakashi turned to see Lilith standing there. "You?"

"Skip the talking," Lilith snapped, but still didn't move. She was, after all, standing right in front of a big water tower, which would be her first weapon for this battle.

Beruche glared at her. "As you wish. Dark Tempest!"

Lilith leapt aside, and the attack missed her for a good two seconds. What it didn't miss, however, was the water tower's support beams, which were cut clean, causing it to fall into the roof.

"This will suck," Karaberas said before both sisters were knocked out of the roof by the massive water wave coming from the tank.

"That's what I call dumb luck," Dragon Venus commented. The Senshi all surrounded the Ayakashi and waited for their next move.

Karaberas smiled to herself. Stupid kids, so focused in fighting them, they were forgetting the Dark Crystal shard. It had already corrputed the area, but the more it stood, the more darkness it leaked out. "This isn't over yet, Senshi."

Saturn summoned her glaive. "I was waiting for a time to try this. Saturn..." Some kind of white, translucent energy started swirling around the glaive, and she pointed it forwards. "...Wraith's..." The energy took the shape of a ghastly female figure, its eyes blank and its face frozen in a scream of terror. "... Cry!" As she shouted that, the wraith shot out of the glaive with a high-pitched, blood-chilling wail, and started surrounding the two Ayakashi.

"What's... This?" Karaberas slowly kneeled on the ground, her eyes showing confusion.

"My energy..." Beruche stammered as she also fell to her knees.

The wraith melted back into Saturn's glaive, and the Death Senshi's eyes went completely white for a split second. "Your energy? Not anymore," she said to the Ayakashi. "Surrender and we may let you leave."

Karaberas stood up despite her energy being almost gone. "I won't let you destroy the shard..."

Just then, there was a noise of shattering glass as something hit the ground near the building. Beruche looked at it in shock, hundreds of tiny, black pieces of crystal. "We forgot about that bitch..."

Lilith looked out the window of the tenth floor and gave them a fake apologetic look. "Oops, sorry, I dropped your pretty crystal. How dumb of me."

Karaberas sighed in defeat. "Next time, you won't get the shard."

Saturn looked up at Lilith and nodded. "Well done, newbie. It all went as planned."

Lilith leapt off the window, 'luckily' bouncing off a flag pole in the third floor, then landed right besides Saturn. "What plan?"

"Simple, once I knew you were up there, I figured you'd look for the crystal. So it was just a matter of stalling the two idiots until you broke it."

"Care telling us who you are?" Venus asked the newest Senshi.

"I can't do that yet," Lilith said, "but maybe after this war is over, I will."

* * *

In another section of the city, the rest of the Senshi had arrived to see the area in a similar chaos. People throwing stones at windows, cars and even other civilians, and even the cops seemed to be under the effect of whatever was turning everyone insane. 

"Uhm..." Moon turned to Seia. "Stay out of the area until we figure out what is affecting everyone."

Seia nodded. "It wouldn't do any good to you to have a few berserk tanks around."

"Actually we're worried about you trying to rocket us down," Jupiter teased.

"Hardy har har," Seia muttered. "Okay, we'll wait for your call, have fun."

Mercury ducked as a mailbox went flying by. "Oh, this will be lots of fun, indeed."

"Just stay together and use your healing magic on anyone coming too close," Moon said. "That should either heal them, or knock them out. "

"Works for me," Dragon Mercury said.

* * *

Several knocked out civilians later, they finally arrived the source of the problem. "Whatever is doing this, is inside that fast food place," Mercury said pointing at a building. 

"Dark Inferno!"

"Dragon's Mist!" Dragon Mercury reacted fast, tossing a few bombs at the incoming attack, and the cold cancelled the fire blast. "Hi there, hothead, been a while."

Cooan snorted at him as the two Ayakashi stood between the building and their foes. "You will never get that shard."

"Shard?" Moon said. "Mercury, we need to know what we're facing here. "

Mercury nodded. "I'm on it."

Ail and Ann floated to them. "Good to see you here, guys."

"Where were you?" Mars asked.

"Recovering our breath," Ann said. "We couldn't get past those two, so we decided to stall them."

"Dark Pulse!"

The Senshi were painfully reminded of their foes as their surroundings cracked with electricity. "Okay, bitch, you asked for it," Dragon Mercury snapped as he charged the two villains.

"Dark Inferno!"

Dragon Mercury leapt over the flames, landing foot-first on Cooan's face, then used the 'platform' to jump away just as a lightning blast hissed by.

"I'm going to skin you for this, ice brat!" Cooan snarled.

"Ohhh... I'm scared, seriously," Dragon Mercury teased. He knew they could blast him away, but also, he was only distracting them.

Mercury had guessed his plan, and had slowly sneaked past the two women unnoticed. She walked into the building and looked at the small, black crystalline shard. "This is the source... But it's also absorbing energy?"

Outside, Jupiter looked at Earth and nodded. They both run to the distracted Ayakashi, not calling upon their attacks until they were a few feet away. "Supreme Thunder Dragon Punch!"

"Earth Quake Punch!"

Cooan was knocked down by Jupiter's punch, but Petz resisted Earth's attack. "Tsk, tsk, a little girl like you shouldn't interrupt adults when they're fighting. Dark Lightning!"

"Karin!" Dragon Earth growled as Earth landed near him. "I'll..."

"She's mine," Earth said as she stood up.

"But..."

Moon nodded. "Do it."

Earth summoned her staff as a white aura surrounded her. "Earth Twilight Power!"

"Aww, cute, the kid's got a new suit," Petz teased.

"Earth Vine Crush!" Earth shouted as she slammed her staff into the ground.

Petz instinctively leapt back, but no attack came. "Huh? What happens, kid, can't you even summon an attack right?"

"I did," Earth said. She raised her staff off the ground, and as she did, a dozen thick vines came out from the ground around Petz, ensnaring her and slowly crushing her.

"That attack's kinda... Kinky," Jupiter commented.

"Let's get out of here," Cooan said, realizing all odds were against them.

"We can't... We have to protect... The shard," Petz said with what little air she had left.

"Moon, target practice!" Mercury said as she run out of the building where the black crystal was, tossing it up in the air.

Moon summoned her disc. "Moon Disc Spiral!" The weapon cut through the shard, breaking it in a thousand pieces.

Cooan glared at the Senshi. "Next time, you won't live to tell the tale, Senshi."

"Blah blah blah," Dragon Mercury muttered as the two villains vanished.

"What was that crystal anyway?" Moon asked.

"We should head back to the base. I'll tell you all what I know about them," Mercury said.

* * *

**A/N:** Not the first time I do a bit of a backtrack between scenes, but I'm pretty sure it's the first time I do it between episodes. 

I must admit Lilith's "lucky" attack in this episode was more a matter of Beruche being stupid, than her being lucky. But hey, Beruche's surely blaming luck. :P

Also, the Senshi will only have the power down problem in their current (Twilight) form for a while, but when they hit the next level, it will get worse. Another one of those plot points I've planned twenty episodes before it's used.


	53. Triple Trouble

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 5: Black Lady.**

** Episode 53: Triple Trouble. **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 6, 2007_

* * *

"This is what I could see," Ami said. "Those crystals, whatever they are, are both generators of dark energy, and collectors." 

"How does that work?" Karin asked.

"They send a small quantity of dark mana out, enough to cause a few civilians to start acting evily. Then the crystal feeds on the dark energy generated by their emotions, and uses part of it to boost the power of their 'dark field.'"

"So it's a domino effect," Hotaru said. "The more people gets angry, the more they feed the crystal. The more the crystal is fed, the more it can darken their emotions. Once someone is affected, it's just a matter of time before everyone falls."

Ami nodded. "However, after the crystal's broken, its effect on people vanishes."

"That's good to know," Usagi said, "but we should be careful, we could end up having to fight a crowd of humans."

"We'll just have to knock them out until we solve the problem," Karin said.

"I like your style," Mako admitted. "So... Anyone's got any clues on who Lilith is?"

"No," Hotaru, Ami and Terry said in unison.

"She'll tell us sooner or later," Naru said. "But I gotta admit her powers are quite... Useful."

"But isn't manipulating luck a bit like cheating?" Usagi asked.

"As much as it is to generate fire, ice or big rocks out of thin air, " Terry noted. "I bet she's got a limit to her powers, just like us. "

* * *

Chie walked down the street, with no real destination in mind. She was thinking about the last few months of her life, or last few days if she didn't count her trip to the Limbo. _'It's fun, but I think Pluto and the cats are making a big fuss over nothing. So what if I used my powers too much? What could happen?'_

Just then, a truck rushed by, hitting a patch of water and soaking her.

"Oh, _that_." Chie muttered.

"Told you," Luna said.

Chie looked at the cat who was standing on a tree branch near her. "Bad luck to compensate for all the lucky sprees? I can take it."

"Don't be naive. The more you use your power, the more chances you have of them to backfire in combat. Always keep that in mind."

Chie cringed. It was one thing to have bad luck while she was just walking around, but she could see Luna's point. What if bad luck hit when she was fighting those Ayakashi? She could end up hurt, or worse. "I... I see. I'll be more careful. Still, the limit..."

"I know, sounds unfair, but you need to use your power better. Also, I thought Pluto had trained you to fight without it?"

"Sure did. I just don't think I'll try going melee on those elemental-throwing wenchs."

"Chicken," Luna teased.

"Hmph!" Chie walked away sulking, then turned to look at Luna. "Think fast."

Luna blinked in confusion before she noticed the branch was breaking. "Hey!" she managed to jump off the branch, but landed right in what was left of the water patch. "..."

"Isn't that unlucky?" Chie mused as she walked around the corner.

Luna hopped to the sidewalk and shook most of the water off herself, then she heard a scream. She dashed around the corner to help Chie, but started laughing as she saw her.

The girl was, right now, covered in... Cake. "It's not funny!"

A few stories above, a man in a chef suit popped out of a window, looked down and grimaced. "Sorry miss, it slipped."

Chie didn't bother looking up, she just stormed back they way she came, picking up a still giggling Luna as she did. "Okay, I see your damn point already," Chie said. "These powers are starting to not look so great anymore."

"Just like Usagi or the others, all you need to do is learn to use them better," Luna said. "Either that, or improve your dodging," she added then started giggling again.

Chie unceremoniously released Luna from his hands, causing her to land in another small puddle of water. "Shut up."

"I thought you'd learnt not to abuse your luck?" Luna snapped, annoyed at once again being wet. Hey, she was, after all, a cat.

"That wasn't luck, I was quite aware of the water," Chie noted. "Don't blame your dumbness on luck."

"She's worse than Usagi was," Luna muttered as Chie walked away, then cringed. "Something must be wrong with the Universe."

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" 

Saffir nodded at his brother. "It's about the Wiseman."

"What about him?"

"I don't think he's doing this for our people."

"I don't follow," Dimando said. There was no reason to doubt the Wiseman, he'd helped them out of their dark world to the Earth, and helped them conquering most of the planet in only a few months.

"Think about it, brother. These Senshi we're fighting, they're the same from Crystal Tokyo."

"I know that."

"And Wiseman tells us the best way to destroy Crystal Tokyo is to corrupt those points."

"What do you..."

Saffir sighed in exhasperation. Dimando was a military genius, but time travelling wasn't his field, at all. "If we corrupt those points, Crystal Tokyo will cease to exist in the future." He noticed his brother was staring at him, so he guessed he'd figured out most of what he was about to say. "If Crystal Tokyo isn't there in the future, then what have we been attacking the last few months? Moreso, if the Senshi of this time die, they won't exist in the future."

"Which means no Princess."

"Which means we never followed her to this time."

Dimando growled. "If what you're saying is true, then I need to talk to the Wiseman."

Saffir nodded as his brother left the room. He wasn't sure what that monster was planning, but whatever it was, he could guess it wouldn't be good for either sides of the war.

* * *

Lunch time, the Senshi were sitting around the table, which kept on growing to fit the newcomers. "So, I estimate in a few weeks we'll all be able to stay in Twilight, and use more than one Twilight attack per day. Well, not counting the weapon ones." 

Mako shrugged. "I like my weapon... Lets me feel what my attack does to my foes."

They felt silent as Chie walked by, until Karin spoke up. "Hi Chie. "

"Hi Karin. Hi guys."

"So, any more culinary accidents happen?" Karin asked with a small smile.

"... Screw you." Chie said and walked off.

"Maybe," Karin said mostly to herself.

"What was that about?" Minako asked.

"I saw Chie yesterday when I was coming home from Crown, she... Best way to say it is, she looked like a cake."

"How did that happen?" Usagi asked.

"Well, she was walking around and someone dropped a cake from a third floor, I think that's how it went. She was bitching about her lousy luck since then."

"Lousy luck..." Ami said, her mind hitting sixth gear.

Terry looked at Ami as she fell silent. He knew her well enough to know whatever she was thinking about, she'd come up with some weird results.

"Karin, you shouldn't make fun of her," Minako said. "It's not funny at all to have food thrown at your..." Just then, a handful of pasta landed on her head. "... Face," she finished. "Who did this?"

"Food war!" someone shouted, and soon the place was turned into a warzone, as food fled everywhere.

Ami's mind returned to reality as an orange bounced on her shoulder. "This is strange. I've never seen any food wars in this school."

Hotaru had her visor on, and looked around the room. "There's one of those dark crystals in this building."

Ami noticed everyone was too busy flingin food around to notice them, so she risked using her own visor. "That's right... But I'm getting another reading."

"Several blocks away from here," Hotaru said. "My best guess is, Crown is the place."

Ami nodded at that. "And also... Crap."

"What's wrong?"

"Black Lady is here," Ami said.

"Good, time to get ChibiUsa back," Usagi said. "Guys, split and break those crystals. Hotaru, come with me."

Hotaru nodded. "Sounds like fun."

* * *

And so, while the others split to destroy the crystals, Moon and Saturn got to where Black Lady was. She was standing on the school's roof, arms crossed, and looked at them with a bored look. "About time, you've always been a slacker, _Rabbit_

"Great, now she's calling me that..."

"Hyaaaaa!"

Black Lady leapt back, barely dodging Lilith's attack. "You again?"

"Yeah, I was about to say the same thing, pinkhead."

"There's no trees or trucks here," Black Lady mocked. "What are you going to do, roll a dice?"

Lilith shrugged and lunged forwards, hitting Black Lady in the face. "Don't think just because I'm not throwing energy beams around, I can't kick your ass."

Black Lady countered tackling Lilith into the wirefence surrounding the roof. "I'm going to enjoy killing you, lucky girl."

Moon and Saturn blinked as part of the fence fell off, causing Black Lady and her foe to fall down. As they looked down, they saw both fighters were struggling to stand up.

Black Lady stood up and saw three Senshi waiting for her. "I..."

"ChibiUsa, you don't have to do this."

"I don't?"

"No. What happened in the future isn't your fault. Please, don't let them control you."

"I..." Black Lady walked to Moon, her eyes watering. "Sorry about all this."

"It's okay..." Moon said.

Saturn growled and put her glaive's tip on Saturn's throat. "Stand back."

"Saturn!" Moon warned.

"Moon, don't be _stupid._ She's not back to normal, she's still being controlled by the enemy."

Moon's eyes widened. "You... My daughter is there, I know," she said turning back to Black Lady, "but you're not her. How dare you playing with my feelings for her..."

Black Lady leapt away and chuckled evily. "It's really not my fault you're so gullible, oh mighty Queen."

Moon frowned and rushed at Black Lady. She tried to punch her, but the woman deflected the hit and kicked her down. "How..."

"You're useless in melee, moongirl. And your attacks can't harm me after the upgrade Wiseman gave me."

"Who's that Wiseman?"

"You don't need to know, you're going to die right now," Black Lady snapped as her hands lit up.

Saturn had summoned her glaive before Moon attacked, and decided to use it. "Wraith's Cry!"

"Die!" Black Lady shouted as she unleashed her energy. She didn't realize Moon had summoned her disc until her blast hit it, bouncing back at her. From such a short distance, she had no way to dodge her own blast, or the death creature Saturn had summoned.

"Finally," Moon said as Black Lady fell. "I have to..."

Wiseman appeared in front of her, his red eyes glowing in anger. "Stupid Moon Queen, I thought my warrior could defeat you, but I see you're stronger than I expected. I guess I'll have to take care of you myself."

Moon glared at him. "You won't get her again!"

Wiseman laughed at that. "Too late." Black Lady vanished and he looked at Moon. As he did, however, he backed away. Moon had summoned her crystal, and it was shining with light. It hurt him, and caused him to scream, more out of surprise than pain, actually. "Damn you! It doesn't matter if you live, this little game is almost over, and I've already won!"

Saturn walked to Moon as the Wiseman vanished. "Are you okay?"

"You could've tried to attack him," Moon snapped. "Sorry, I..."

Saturn nodded. "I saw his power level, it's out of my league... Out of yours, even."

"For some reason, the Ginzuishou scared him off."

"Let's go see if the others need help," Saturn sugested.

* * *

A figure had observed the battle from the shadows, and walked off as soon as it was over. Black Lady and Wiseman were both strange cases. The woman had an energy like that of Sailor Moon herself, and Wiseman... His readings were similar to those of a youma. 

It was time to go back to the base and let the good doctor figure things out for her.

* * *

**A/N:** Now don't tell me you didn't know it was Chie. And you now know how her power balances out. 


	54. Dark Showdown

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 5: Black Lady.**

**Episode 54: Dark Showdown.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 9, 2007_

* * *

"Wiseman!" 

"Yes, my Prince?" the cloaked figure asked as he walked out of the shadows.

"I want to know what is it you're doing with those crystal points. The figures were all destroyed, but you don't seem to care."

"The damage to those points is already done. Four of them have fallen, and the fifth will soon follow."

"I've realized all this won't help my people. If this era's Senshi die, then our future will be changed."

"It'll change for good, Prince," Wiseman said. "Trust me, have I ever failed you?"

Dimando turned away from the man, "I've seen your real intentions, Wiseman. I'll ask you to leave my castle once, before I force you out."

Wiseman looked at Dimando for a few seconds before nodding. "I see... I should've foreseen this, you are a smart young man after all. Very well, I shall leave this place, but should you interfere with my plans, I will have no mercy."

"The feeling is mutual," Dimando said.

Wiseman said no more, leaving the room and appearing in Black Lady's room. "We have to leave at once. Dimando has betrayed our cause."

"I could take care of him," Black Lady said.

"Even though you're powerful, I don't think you could. And I need that last crystal point to achieve my full power."

"Then I'll corrupt that last crystal."

Wiseman nodded. "I'll borrow some toys from Dimando, just in case the Senshi are foolish enough to interfere again."

* * *

Luna watched Usagi sulking around her bedroom worriedly. "Usagi, you should be resting. We can't be sure when the Black Moon will attack again." 

Usagi looked at the cat, her eyes showing worry. "I'm too worried about ChibiUsa to rest."

Luna decided against mentioning rest never being a difficult thing for Usagi before. "Worrying about her won't bring her back."

"You're right!" Usagi said. "I know what to do. Thanks, Luna."

Luna shook her head as Usagi darted out of the room. "Something tells me this can't end up well."

* * *

Terry looked up from the blueprints of the airboard he and Ami had been working on for a few days. "Sam?" 

"Miss Tsukino is here to see you," Samuel said.

"That's strange," Ami said.

"Why?" Terry said after motioning Samuel to let his friend in.

"It's sunday, and she's up at ten in the morning?"

"Now, Ami, you're starting to sound like Rei," Terry mused.

Usagi walked in. "Oh, hi Ami. I was going to ask you next, so..." She then looked at her friends in turns. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"We were just working on the airboards," Terry said. "So, what brings you here?"

"I was thinking maybe you could build some sort of device to track down Black Lady. I just want to get her back before she gets hurt. "

Terry sighed. "There's a simple way to get her."

"Huh?"

"I've traced the four points the Ayakashi attacked so far, and they're all a fixed distance to one another, with the exception of two, and the strange thing is, the distance between those two points is twice what it should be. I guessed there had to be another point between those two, and calculated its location."

"So, where's that fifth point?"

"You're standing on it."

"The mansion?" Usagi asked. At Terry's nod, she chuckled. "So it was a haunted mansion after all."

"I've improved my security system a bit," Terry said. "Should those Ayakashi show up, they'll get a warm welcome."

* * *

Hours later, the group was meeting at the mansion. "Damn it, it's sunday. Can't we rest once a week?" 

Usagi glared at Brad. "Not until my daughter's safe."

Mamoru was looking at the holographic map of Tokyo with the five points marked, and lines between them forming a pentagon. "This is strange... Maybe it's not a pentagon, but a circle."

Terry nodded. "Let me see... There." As he typed commands in a console besides the map, the hologram changed, showing a circle. "Though I fail to see a difference."

"Hmmm..." Mamoru looked at the central area of the 'circle' and rose an eyebrow. "Can you calculate the exact center of that circle, the point where the five points would center into?"

Terry did that, and smiled. "Done, but I don't know wh--Fuck."

"What?" Ami asked.

"How didn't I see that? The Tokyo Tower is at the exact center of that circle."

"Thought so," Mamoru said. "Whatever the Black Moon is planning, it's going to happen at the tower."

Usagi hugged him. "You're so smart, that's why I like you."

"Only like?" Mamoru asked feigning disappointment.

Usagi smiled. "You know the answer to that."

An alarm cut through the tender moment. "What's that?" Rei asked.

"Security breach. Something's inside the mansion," Terry said. He typed a few more commands in the computer and cursed under his breath. "Black Lady, but she's not alone. And she brought one of those crystals, too."

"This time, I'll get her back no matter what," Usagi said.

* * *

Black Lady looked at the crystal she'd just placed on a table. "This is it..." Once the last crystal did enough damage, the Wiseman would be able to make the final move to enshroud the Earth with darkness. 

"ChibiUsa, stop this!"

Black Lady looked at Moon and the other Senshi, then at the modified drones the Wiseman had given her. "Destroy them."

The drones charged as one, knocking the Senshi out of the mansion through the wall. "Damn it, that's gonna cost me!" Dragon Mercury said before punching the drone that had tackled him down.

Black Lady watched amusedly as the Senshi fought. These drones had been infused with dark energy, which made them strong. And they had the numerical advantage too, to almost two to one.

"Hmph... And this is what Wiseman calls a warrior?"

Mars dodged a drone's jab and noticed the newcomers. "Damn it, the Ayakashi are here!"

Petz looked at the Senshi. "Don't worry, we're not here to fight, we're here to help."

Karaberas nodded. "Wiseman is a traitor, he never wanted to help us, he used us for his plans. Now it's time we pay him back destroying her sock puppet."

"No!"

Cooan glared at Moon. "Out of the way!"

Moon didn't move from where she was, standing between Black Lady and the four women. "I won't let you hurt my daughter."

Black Lady laughed. "Cute. But the bitch is right, out of my way!" She shot an energy blast at Moon, knocking her out of the mansion again.

"ChibiUsa... Why...?"

"You said it yourself, I'm not your daughter. She doesn't exist anymore."

"Dark Pulse!"

Black Lady turned to the Ayakashi as electricity crackled around her body. "I'm supposed to cry in pain now, ain't I?"

"She's powerful, gotta give her that," Beruche commented.

"I'm feeding off this crystal's darkness, as well as the main crystal. There's no way to stop me now, or to stop my master."

"Can't blame us for trying," Petz said. "Okay girls, time for our special surprise."

"Aww, but I thought we were saving it for the Senshi," Cooan protested.

"Well, Dimando said we can't kill them, so let's kill this one instead."

Black Lady's hands lit up with energy, but she smiled as the four Ayakashi closed their eyes. "Oh, are you going to do some ultimate attack of sorts? Hurry up, I'm waiting."

The four sisters opened their eyes and attacked as one. "Black Moon Attack!"

Black Lady used the energy she'd been gathering to counter most of the attack's force. She was still sent reeling back, but laughed as her four foes fell to their knees. "And that idiot Sailor Moon was worried about you four hurting me. You're pathetic."

Petz staggered up and glared at the woman. She knew her energy was almost gone, and her sisters were in the same situation. But she couldn't give up, not until the Black Lady was gone. She couldn't fail Dimando.

The Senshi were just done destroying the last drone. It had been a hard fight, and they were all exhausted, but Moon herself had barely fought, instead focusing in the battle raging meters away from them. "ChibiUsa, don't do this."

Black Lady turned to her as Petz rushed forwards, gathering the last of her energy to form a lightning blade. "You're next, Moongirl, so enjoy the show."

Petz stabbed through air, as Black Lady vanished. "What? Show yourself, coward!"

Her target appeared right behind her, clutching her neck and rising her off the ground. "I'm no coward, bitch. I guess it's only fitting I'm the one destroying you, after all, you were always trying to kill my former self, weren't you?"

"Dark Fire!"

Black Lady chuckled as the attack hit her harmlessly. "Still want to play? Good." She rose her free hand, making sure Petz was facing her sisters. "Die!" She shot a pink energy blast, causing a small explosion to start where the three Ayakashi were. When the light dimmed, there was nothing left of them. "And now..."

"I hope Dimando makes you suffer, you monster..."

"He won't," Black Lady said. Her hands shone with energy, which enveloped Petz. "The Black Moon has already played its part," she added as the energy started pulsing, then another explosion ensued.

Moon's eyes widened as she saw Petz was also gone. "She killed them. "

"Now what?" Mars asked. She barely had energy to maybe summon one more of her attacks, and she wasn't sure it would do much good against Black Lady.

"Now, you die," Black Lady said, then turned around, as if she'd heard something. "Or not. You're lucky, Senshi, the Wiseman needs me elsewhere."

As Black Lady teleported out of the scene, the Senshi all staggered up. "That bitch filled my mansion with holes," Dragon Mercury muttered.

"Don't call her that, my daughter's still there," Moon said.

"If we can't bring her back, though..." Dragon Venus started.

"We have to do it," Moon noted.

Mercury's scanner picked something, and she summoned her computer. A few commands later, her face was pale as snow. "Shit..."

"Ami's cussing, this must be really bad," Jupiter mused.

"It is," Mercury said. "The Tokyo Tower's trapped inside some sort of building-sized version of those crystals."

Moon walked to the mansion and grabbed the black crystal shard. "So that's what they were up to," she said as she crushed the crystal.

Dragon Mercury nodded. "The crystal is emanating dark energy. It will cover the whole city soon."

Venus looked up as the sky darkened. "Weather's so messed up..."

Moon summoned her communicator. "Seia, good to hear from you."

"I bet you already know, but there's a massive crystal all over... "

"The tower, we know. We'll need a transport, pick us up two blocks north from the Zephyr mansion."

Seia nodded. "On our way. This is another final battle, isn't it?"

"Yes," Moon said. "Whatever that monster's doing, it's not going to be good for the Earth."

"I guessed as much. Seia out."

"We _really_ need those airboards," Earth commented.

"Well, if evil overladies stopped attacking here and there, I would have time to build them."

"Overladies?" Mercury mused.

Moon wasn't paying much attention to her friends. Her mind was set in one thing alone, getting ChibiUsa back.

* * *

Black Lady teleported on top of the tower, which was now caged inside a massive black crystal. "You summoned me, master?" 

Wiseman nodded. "The Senshi are not a threat right now, but the Black Moon is near, and I cannot afford to lose the Dark Crystal."

"You're wrong, we're already here," Dimando said as he and his brother appeared on the crystal spire.

"Good, now I can destroy two traitors in one shot," Wiseman gloated. "But don't worry, you'll be able to fight the Senshi in the afterlife, for they'll soon be joining you."

"You'll have to kill us first," Saffir snapped.

* * *

**A/N:** I think it fitting that the Ayakashi were blasted to pieces by Black Lady. As she said, they'd been trying to kill her for a while. 

Minor corrections done to a few episodes of the fourth and fifth arc. Kept on slipping "Dark Moon" where "Black Moon" should be. 'Oops.'

Oh, and as you may guess from the hints, next episode's the last for the Black Lady arc. Next one will be lots of fun, specially for Terry.


	55. The Wiseman

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 5: Black Lady.**

** Episode 55: The Wiseman.**

_ By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 10, 2007_  
_Edited: March 4, 2008_

* * *

Dimando glared at his former advisor. "This is your last chance to give up, Wiseman." 

"Why should I when I'm this close to my goal?"

"Because we won't let you destroy this world," Saffir snapped.

"Is that so..." Wiseman mused, then looked past them, as if he'd seen something. "The Senshi... Those pests won't give up."

"Master, I will take care of them," Black Lady said. "They're weak after our last battle, finishing them off won't be a problem."

Wiseman nodded. "Go and destroy them, my girl."

Dimando cursed under his breath. "If she kills them, our future will be destroyed."

Wiseman laughed. "Oh, took you this long to figure it out?" The shadows covering his face was gone for a second, and the two princes could see a skeletal face with empty, glowing eye sockets. "Soon, the reign of the Death Phantom will begin."

"What are you?"

"I'm an immortal being," Wiseman said. "I've fed on the anger and rage of your planet for eons. But as you growth accustomed to the environment, all the rage, all the delicious suffering of your people slowly started to fade. I tried to start civil wars via manipulation, but couldn't."

"So, you used us, right from the start?"

"I needed those dark emotions to exist, Prince Dimando. It was nothing personal. Your anger was easy to exploit, your jealousy of the Earthlings was too good to pass. You had the means to bring me to this planet, and when you saw Crystal Tokyo, you saw an enemy. I saw a beacon of magic that could destroy me if left unchecked."

"Queen Serenity..." Dimando said.

"Indeed. My plan was to corrupt the Earth as I felt there was a relative peace, but with that city standing there, pure and bright, I couldn't do it."

"I don't understand," Saffir said. It wasn't that important for him to know all the story, but they had to stall him until the Senshi arrived. The Wiseman wasn't attacking, which meant he'd also felt their powers were even. "Why come back in time?"

"The Senshi of this time are weaker, and Crystal Tokyo is only an ordinary city. There's no shield stopping me from doing what I did... What you did."

"So, you'll corrupt the city, turn everyone in it evil, then what?"

"Then what?" Wiseman chuckled. "This crystal will grow stronger and stronger, feeding on the anger and hatred of the whole city, until its darkness covers the whole world. I won't need to feed in a few thousand years after I'm done here."

"So, Death Phantom, what shall we do now?"

"We wait," The monster said. "The more I stall you, the stronger I become, but the Senshi are still a menace to me."

"The Ginzuishou," Saffir realized. "That's what you're afraid of."

"That's true, but without an user, it becomes powerless. Once Black Lady kills Sailor Moon, this fight will be over for good."

* * *

The army truck stopped as a figure appeared floating in its path. "Should we open fire?" Seia asked. 

"No," Moon said, "there's no need to hurt her. Guys, stay here."

"But you..." Mars started.

"For once in your life, trust me," Moon snapped.

Mars nodded. "I always do."

Black Lady smiled as Moon walked out of the truck, alone. "How nice of you to make it easy for me."

"ChibiUsa, I know you're in there. I won't hurt you."

"Too bad I will," Black Lady snapped and shot a beam at her. The beam missed her head for milimeters. "How...?"

"Look," Jupiter said. "Her crystal's shining."

Moon had summoned her Ginzuishou, and was holding it with both hands, as she walked to her 'enemy.' "You keep blaming yourself for what happened in the future," she said, "and that's what helps Wiseman control you. What happened isn't your fault, you wanted to help."

Black Lady backed away as the crystal started glowing. "Stay away!"

"See, even I make mistakes, I let you down several times, I let that Wiseman monster get you once and again. But I don't blame you for what happened in the future. I don't blame you for not telling me the truth before. I'm sure... I'm sure Queen Serenity, in the future, still trusts you."

"How can she..." Black Lady said, "How can she trust me after I let everyone down? She must hate me!"

"She doesn't." Moon said. She was now only a few steps away from Black Lady, but the woman had stopped moving. "I know it because I'm her. I couldn't bring myself to hate you even after you turned evil. "

"That's a lie!" Black Lady snapped.

Moon reached her hand forwards. "You know it's not. Stop worrying about what happened, if you want to correct your mistake, there's only one way."

Black Lady slowly reached her hand forwards, then stopped. "No, the Wiseman..."

"Wiseman's been using you, just like he used Dimando," Moon whispered. "Don't you see it? If I die, if this city falls, you will die too."

Black Lady's eyes flared with anger for a second, before she looked at Moon with a smile. "Mother..." She hugged Moon, and as she did, the crystal's energy washed over her. In a matter of seconds, she was back to her normal form, wearing the same dress she'd been wearing when the Wiseman captured her. "Usagi, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," Moon said.

As the two got into the truck, Dragon Earth smiled. "Well done, Usagi."

"Where to now?" Seia asked.

"To the tower," Moon said.

"Shouldn't we leave Pinky in a safe place first?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"I need to be there," ChibiUsa said. "I want to see how Moon kicks that monster's rear."

"Such language from a little girl," Nemesis commented.

"Maybe some of Black Lady remains," Mars joked.

* * *

Saffir looked down the tower then back to his brother. "It's growing fast." 

Wiseman could feel it, Black Lady was no more. And he could feel two beacons of energy coming his way. Two of them? That was impossible! "This has been really entertaining, kids, but it's time you join the rest of your clan in the afterlife."

Dimando saw Wiseman throwing a blast to him, and simply phased out of the way. However, the monster had foreseen this, and had shot a blast to the point where he was to reappear.

"Brother, watch out!"

Saffir's warning was late, but not his action. Dimando looked down at his brother as he laid on the crystal. "Saffir..."

"Don't let him kill... The Queen," Saffir said. "She's our only hope. "

Dimando looked up at the robed man as his brother's body started vanishing. "I'm going to destroy you for this!"

Wiseman slapped the energy blast that Dimando threw his way, then laughed coldly. "You don't understand, Prince Dimando... You're a puppet, you always were." He floated to the edge of the tower and laughed again. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a few flies to swat away. You can stay here and watch as your future crumbles to dust. "

Dimando thought something he hadn't considered yet. "But if the future is changed..."

"I am immune to time changes, to time magic, even. Why do you think Pluto hasn't come to fight me yet?"

Wiseman vanished, and Dimando looked down. There was a truck coming towards the tower, and he could feel a familiar presence in it. "Saffir, I won't let them die."

* * *

Ann groaned as she sat on top of a building. "Damn it. I wish there was something we could do." 

"Me too, but you felt their power. If we try to distract them, they will blast us to dust in a blink."

"Guess we'll also need to train if we want to keep up with the Senshi, huh?"

A smile appeared in Ail's face, one Ann knew was a playful one. "And what kind of training are you thinking about?"

"Not that kind, you pervert."

* * *

The truck stopped as the Wiseman appeared a few meters away from the tower. "That monster..." Moon muttered. 

"You know him?" Earth asked.

"That's the Wiseman," ChibiUsa said, "but that's only the name he's used to control Dimando's people. His original name was Death Phantom."

"How do you know?" Venus asked.

"I was his soldier for a while," ChibiUsa noted. It was almost too bad she had lost her power, because as Black Lady she was sure she would've kicked Phantom's rear, with a little help.

"Senshi, there is no point in struggling. The Earth is already mine, it's just a matter of time now."

"I only need one second to destroy you," Moon snapped.

"Oh, is that so?" the Phantom mused. "Why don't you try?"

"Moon Twilight Wave!"

Wiseman looked at the beam dismissively, and his skeletal hand lit up for a second as he reflected the beam back to his foe.

Moon wasn't expecting to have her own attack bounce back, and couldn't move out of the way. The beam hit something else, however, and Moon stared at the figure in shock.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Dimando said as he fell to his knees. "Been your enemy for so long, and yet I never thought I would be killed by your attacks..."

"Dimando, why..."

"Because my whole family is gone... But I don't blame you. It's up to you now, Serenity, destroy that monster. I've already paid the price for letting him use me."

"Oh, how touching," Death Phantom mused as Dimando's body vanished. "An enemy redeeming himself by saving his former rival. Really touching, but it's all for naught. You will all die in the end."

Moon glared at him. "No."

"What was that, little Queen?"

"We won't die here!" Moon reached up, summoning her crystal. Wiseman instinctively floated back, and she smiled. "Still not immune to this, are you? I'll make you pay for all the lives that were lost in your name, and also for turning my own daughter against me!"

"Go ahead and try, Moon Queen. I'm stronger than you now."

Moon's body shone with light, and the others all watched. "Her power shot up to three thousand," Mercury said.

"Moon... Twilight..." Moon summoned her disc and shot it forwards, then stared at her crystal, floating in front of her outstretched palms. "Storm!" She shot energy through the crystal, which helped the resulting beam grow in size. The beam hit the disc, and it absorbed all the power, speeding towards her foe.

"Idiot!" Wiseman snapped. He rose his hand and the disc stopped. "You can't win this fight!"

Moon struggled to make the disc move, but the monster was keeping it frozen. She was feeling the effects of this new attack already, and she knew her energy wouldn't last much longer.

Mercury cursed under her breath. "Moon's power is going down, fast. She's running out of energy."

"We need to help her!" Mars said.

Saturn looked around. "How? I can see none of us has any energy left to attack."

"Remember the North Pole," Mars said. "Well, you weren't there, but if we concentrate and think about it, we can give Moon what little energy we have left."

Seia cringed as she looked back, she could actually see the tendrils of white energy leaving the Senshi's bodies as they concentrated. "Hope they know what they're doing."

Moon felt a rush of energy and smiled. "Thanks, guys..." She whispered. She tried to move the disc again, but Wiseman wasn't giving up.

"Stupid little girl," the cloaked monster said. "I'm feeding off the anger and pain of your whole city. I have unlimited power at my disposal."

ChibiUsa watched the battle from only a few meters. She was afraid if she moved, she could distract Moon, or worse, she could attract the monster. She hated being helpless, that's what had caused this whole mess in the first place. She wished she had a way to help, but... She suddenly felt a rush of power, and looked down. The crystal, the Ginzuishou, was floating in front of her. She glanced at Moon, and knew it wasn't that Ginzuishou, so... The one from the future?

Dragon Mercury smiled. "Look, guys, guess she finally found what she'd been looking for."

"It was inside her all along?" Venus asked.

"Or in her own pocket dimension," Saturn said. "Doesn't really matter right now, but can she use it?"

ChibiUsa held the crystal in her hands and smiled. "It's worth a try. Moon Prism Power!"

Seia turned to the Senshi as ChibiUsa was surrouned by a bubble of pink light. "What the hell, is she one of you too?"

"I swear we didn't know," Dragon Earth said.

Wiseman growled. "Her Senshi powers awakened... Too bad she'll never get to use them!" He shot an energy blast at the bubble, but it was deflected by an unseen force in the last second, and blasted a parked car skyhigh. "What? I cannot miss!"

"No matter how powerful you are, luck is still a bitch to you."

Dragon Earth looked at the newcomer. "I was starting to wonder where she was."

The bubble vanished, and ChibiUsa stood there, glaring at the Wiseman. Her suit was identical to the first one Moon wore, only quite a few sizes smaller, and her skirt and boots were pink, while her bows were a much darker shade of that color. "You've caused us all much pain, Wiseman. It's time for you to deal with the consequences." She reached out her hands and closed her eyes. "Moon Prism Attack!"

A pink energy blast shot from the new Senshi's hands, hitting Wiseman dead on. It was, as anyone could guess, way too weak to cause any harm on itself, but it broke the monster's concentration for long enough to cause collateral damage.

Moon smiled as her disc got embedded in the Wiseman's skeletic chest. "Time's up, Wiseman."

"Not... Yet..." Wiseman snapped and started gathering energy.

The pink Senshi frowned. "Moon Prism Attack!"

This time, the blast was aimed at the disc, and as it hit, it caused it to dig deeper into the monster's chest. Moon shook her head. "Guess you need some help giving up. Moon Twilight Beam!"

As the beam hit the disc's border, it lit up with energy, causing the Wiseman to scream in pain, As the last of the beam was absorbed, the disc exploded, destroying its target completely. "We did it!" Venus cheered as the group leapt off the truck.

"'We?'" Moon muttered. "Just kidding, thanks for the help."

"So... You're a Senshi now," Jupiter said to the new Senshi. "Why the suit?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's pink."

"And what's wrong with pink?" The new Senshi asked.

"Uhm... Nothing," Jupiter said. "So what should we call you, Sailor Half Moon?"

"Sailor ChibiMoon, actually," the pink Senshi said proudly.

"Hey, at least it wasn't _'Mini Moon,'_" Mars joked.

Moon turned to Dragon Mercury. "Was my disc supposed to explode?"

"It's Zero," Dragon Mercury noted. "Just call it back."

Moon closed her eyes for a second, and the disc reformed in her hands. "Wow."

"So, what about that crys..." Earth started, but then the crystal surrounding the tower cracked into a thousand pieces, all of them vanishing before they touched the ground. "...tal? Nevermind."

Lilith smiled. "Sorry I was a bit late."

"You're still here?" Mars asked.

"Gee, don't I feel loved," the Lucky Senshi muttered.

"Not what I meant," Mars said. "So... Who are you?"

Earth looked at Lilith and smiled. "You should tell them, Chie."

"Chie?" Moon asked.

"How did you know?" Lilith asked.

"We've been friends for years, I know when something's up with you. "

Mercury chuckled. "I wonder if everyone at school is a Senshi..."

"That would be a mess," Venus commented as she tried to imagine an army of Senshi. "And boring."

Pluto appeared in front of them, and smiled as she saw ChibiMoon. "It all went as was meant to."

"Are you here to get ChibiUsa back?" Moon asked.

"Not yet," Pluto said. "Small Lady, I'll come back when it's time for you to return home."

"Wai.." ChibiMoon frowned as Pluto vanished. "I guess this means I'll stay a while longer."

Moon picked her up. "Let's go home, I think we deserve a break."

"We still have school to go to. We should've let them blast the school again," Venus commented.

* * *

**A/N:** Guess what, there's still one part of Sailor Moon R I haven't included. Next few episodes will be quite flowery. 

What's up with ChibiMoon being around this early, you may wonder? Well, I made that Wiseman bastard way too powerful, Moon needed the backup. That's all there is to it, seriously.

It has nothing to do with ChibiMoon being the best thing ev-- I mean, one of my favorite Senshi.

_Edit:_ Corrected one minor error with italics, in Mars' line about "MiniMoon." It's just like when Terry says something in English.


	56. Promises

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 6: Ghosts And Memories.**

** Episode 56: Promises.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 12, 2007_

* * *

_"Mom, Karin's punching me again."_

_"No, I'm not!"_

_"Kids, please behave," their mother said. "We're almost back to Tokyo."_

_The boy, Mamoru, sat there, arms crossed, glaring at his sister. Karin was a pest, but he knew she was just playing. The girl stuck out her tongue at him, then smiled. He was about to say something when a noise made him freeze._

* * *

Mamoru woke up and looked around. A nightmare, a memory from his past, but it was one that he thought he wouldn't have ever again. 

He remembered that day. He barely remembered how his parents looked, even in his dream, he couldn't really see their faces. After that, he remembered waking up in the hospital, and they told him his parents were dead. His sister, however, was alive. They had lived with their aunt since then, until Mamoru was eighteen, when he decided to get a house of his own, with the money their parents had left them. Karin had tagged along, and that had been only a few months before Sailor Moon had appeared. In fact, he was sure V was already in the news by then.

But why was he remembering that day now?

_"Thank you, Mamoru. I promise I'll bring you lots of flowers. "_

He stared at the darkness of his room in shock. He could hear those words as if they had been spoken now, but the memory was from years ago. "Fiore."

* * *

Usagi rolled to the side as her enemy attacked. She then blocked the next slash, and tried to trip him. Her foe leapt away and waited. "So, what do you think?" 

"You're improving," Terry admitted.

"Ami must be very good," Karin joked.

"Huh? Why?" Ami said looking up from the console she was, once again, working on.

"Bet you get lot of private lessons."

Ami blushed a deep red, so Terry walked out of the platform and stood by Karin's side. "I wish some girls started worrying about their own boyfriends, or lack of them."

Minako smiled. "He's right, at least Ami's got a boyfriend."

Karin sighed. "Okay, I give up. I'm not in the mood to argue over that."

"Huh? What happened?"

"Three days ago, Mamoru started having nightmares. Memories from our past, coming back to us. But the weird thing is, I'm having the same dreams he has."

"What about?" Rei asked.

"It's about the day our parents..." She looked down to the ground. "Damn, I'd think it would be easy to talk about it after all these years."

Usagi nodded. "Mamoru told me about it. Your parents died in a car crash, and you two survived."

Terry winced as he remembered waking up one day and finding out his mother was lost in the ocean. "I know that doesn't feel any good."

Karin sighed. "For Mamoru and I it was different. He told me he can't remember his life before the accident, and I... I was only four back then. I don't really remember my parents."

Chie walked in just then. "This whole luck issue is looking less and less like a blessing."

"Had another bad luck episode?" Karin mused, her mood lightening quick. At her friend's nod, she laughed. "It would help if you stopped using your powers so much."

"Yeah, I don't understand people who use their special powers for something other than beating bad guys around," Brad said while juggling three fireballs.

"Showoff," Minako muttered.

"Let him be, it's not like he can hurt anyone with those weak spells, " Rei teased.

Brad tossed the fireballs at her, and blinked as they hit her harmlessly. "Those were supposed to hurt. Explain?" He asked Ami.

"Now you're going to say I'm the resident expert in Senshi powers," Ami mused.

"You are," everyone else said in unison.

"Okay, my theory? We're all adapting to our powers. I think fire won't harm Rei unless it's a lot of it, and fast."

"Cool, can I try my Inferno in you?"

Rei summoned her bow. "Okay, but then I get to try these on you."

"Now, kids, calm down," Terry said. "We're supposed to fight evil, not each other."

"It'd be good training, though," Minako said. "And maybe Rei can kick some sense into Brad's skull."

"Thanks, Mina, I love you too," Brad muttered.

"Unknown energy emisions detected near Shinjuku."

"What was that voice?" Mako asked looking around. The voice was female, but she couldn't tell where it came from.

"The base's computer," Terry said. "You think we just play around with it?"

"It'll make it easier to know what's going on, without having to actually type in it," Ami said. "We're going for an AI good enough to control the base's systems."

"You're not calling it HAL, are you?" Brad mused.

"Haven't thought a name for it yet," Terry admitted. "Computer, can you give us more details?"

"Alien lifeforms detected, structure similar to plants."

"Ail and Ann strike back?" Rei mused.

"No, the computer would tell us if they caused trouble. Not that they have a reason to," Ami noted.

"Shinjuku, though, it's gonna be a long walk," Usagi complained.

Terry smirked. "I was waiting for such a time to show you guys these..."

The group blinked as several airboards appeared, each matching the color of one of the Senshi. Moon sat on the white one and smiled. "So, how do we control them?"

"With your mind, just like the disc." Terry said. "Let's go out so you can test them."

* * *

A few minutes later, the now airborn Senshi reached their destination. "And this is why lawnmowers were invented," Dragon Mercury commented as he looked down at the city. All around them, dozens, maybe even hundreds of flower-like monsters were lurking, apparently waiting for something. 

Mercury looked at the creatures with her visor and shook her head. "After the youma and the drones, this looks wrong."

"Why?" Moon asked.

"Shabon Spray!"

The others watched Mercury's attack go, piercing trough several creatures before vanishing. The plants all looked around confused as the mist settled. "They're really weak," Mars said.

Dragon Mercury nodded. "But their numbers are the problem. We should only use low power attacks, and try to take them all out before we run out of energy."

Jupiter floated down and leapt off the table, punching one of the plants that crawled to her. The plant's head was sent flying off, and it vanished. "You use attacks, I'm going to have fun."

Earth also leapt down and joined the brawl. "There must be hundreds of them," Moon commented looking around.

"Four hundreds and fifty eight," Mercury said. "But they seem to be getting reinforcements constantly."

"Fire in the hole!" Something hit the crowd of plants, causing a small explosion, but it still killed a good number of plants. The Senshi looked north and saw Seia standing on top of a building, holding her trusty rocket launcher. "Hey, what do you know, that worked."

"What kind of rocket was that?" Dragon Mercury asked floating to her.

"One loaded with herbicide," Seia explained. "Senshi, try to find the source of these monsters, we'll keep them busy."

As if to put emphasis on her words, a swarm of tanks rolled in from all directions, surrounding the affected area. Moon turned to Mercury and nodded. "Ami, find what's causing all this."

"Girls, leave it to the army!" Nemesis shouted down at the two Senshi that were still brawling amidst the constant rain of tank shells.

"No way, this is fun!" Both Jupiter and Earth shouted in unison. They then blinked and looked at each other before resuming their weed control.

Mercury scanned the area, and pointed to a small park in the center of the plant army. "I can see a large object there, it has the same energy as the plants."

The Senshi floated over the plants, heading for the park. However, one of the creatures shot a vine up and wrapped it around Venus' leg. "Why you, pervert... Twilight V-Laser!"

The others covered their eyes as Venus' attack atomized the agressor, along with a few dozen more monsters. Jupiter and Earth joined the others, and they finally reached the park.

"What's that thing?" Earth asked pointing at the massive rock resting in a hole in the far section of the park. "It's shaped like a seed!" Weird thing was, she could feel the rock's energy.

"It is a seed," Mercury said. "It's generating more and more of those plants with every second that passes."

Lilith looked around and spotted something. "Okay, leave this one to me."

Dragon Mercury looked at Lilith as she sped off. "Whatever she's going to do, I bet it'll be fun to watch."

The Senshi all turned to the seed. "Can we destroy it?"

"We may if we use all our power. But that would leave us open for an attack."

Suddenly, a rose struck one of the plants, killing it. Moon looked to the side and saw Dragon Earth standing on a lamppost. "Where have you been?"

"Trying to get past this army of weeds," the Dragon said.

"Here," Dragon Mercury said and summoned one more airboard.

Dragon Earth leapt on it and floated to the others. "So, what is the plan for this one?"

"We still haven't decided," Mercury admitted.

"Incoming!"

The Senshi turned to Lilith's shout, and saw her hovering a large tanker truck. "What the heck?" Jupiter muttered.

"Is she going to run them over?" Moon asked.

Mercury looked at the truck. "No, that's liquid nitrogen."

"And?" Moon asked, still not aware of what Lilith's plan was.

Just then, the truck hit the seed head on, inertia causing it to fall on its side. The tank broke, soaking the seed, along with several of the plants, in its extremely cold contents.

"Nothing like winter to kill the weeds," Lilith mused.

"Why are the plants still moving?" Nemesis asked.

Mercury scanned the seed. "It's still emanating energy despite being frozen."

Mars summoned her bow. "What happens when you mix extreme cold with extreme heat?"

Mercury nodded. "That'll work." She turned to the others. "Watch out, this can be huge."

"Flame Sniper!"

The fire arrow pierced into the seed, but it only managed to crack it a bit. "Well, it's not working."

"Snow Spray!" Mercury's attack caused the seed to freeze even colder. "Now, Mars, your other attack!"

Mars nodded. "Burning Soul!"

This time, as the wave of fire hit the seed, it exploded, sending shards of icy rock in all directions. The Senshi dodged as well as they could, but as the attack passed, they saw the seed was gone, and so was the army of plants. "We did it!"

"Damn, we're late."

Moon looked at Ail and Ann as they floated to the park. "Know what those plants were?"

"No idea," Ail said, "we were coming here to destroy them."

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the battlefield. He looked around at the wrecked park and then up at the Senshi. "How dare you destroy my beautiful flowers?"

"Fiore?" Dragon Earth said, recognizing the man.

"You know him?" Moon asked.

"He looks like Ail and Ann," Jupiter noted. And he did, his skin and hair were green, as were his eyes. "A relative, perhaps?"

"Hmph. You Earthlings all look the same to us," Ann muttered.

"Good point."

The alien looked up as Dragon Earth descended. "Mamoru... It's good to see you again."

"Fiore, why are you attacking this city?"

Fiore took his hands, causing the Senshi to gasp, and Moon to glare. "Don't you remember? I made a promise to you, and now I'm here to fulfill it."

_"I'll bring you lots of flowers."_

Dragon Earth shook his head as those words echoed through his mind. "Yes, I remember that, but... This?"

"I've found the most beautiful flower in the Universe," Fiore said. "Come with me, and I'll show you."

"Hey now," Moon snapped floating down to them. "Mamoru's mine."

Fiore looked at the girl and snorted. "Whoever you are, you better leave now, Earthling."

Moon pushed Dragon Earth back. "Who is this guy?"

The Dragon looked at her. Was she _jealous_? "This is Fiore, a childhood friend."

Fiore's face turned dead serious. "Mamoru, come with me."

"Not before you explain why you were wrecking my hometown," Dragon Earth countered.

"I saw all this ugly stone and metal, and just wanted to return it all to nature," Fiore said. "Why do you humans insist in living like this?"

"You're not like this, Fiore. Not the Fiore I knew," Dragon Earth said. "What's happened to you?"

Fiore smiled. "You'll understand when you see the flower I brought. "

"No! You won't take him away, freak!" Moon snapped.

Fiore glared at Moon. "I see you need some help making up your mind, Mamoru," he said. Before anyone could react, he shot an energy blast at Moon, knocking her out. He then looked at the Dragon. "If you want to see this human girl again, come to me."

Dragon Earth stared in shock as Fiore vanished, taking Moon along. "No!"

A few more seeds appeared around the park, and soon the area was once again a sea of plant monsters. "That bastard got Moon..." Mars muttered. "We can't let him escape."

"We won't, but what about this?"

"Leave this crisis to us and the army," Ann said, "you go get your Princess back."

Dragon Earth nodded. "Okay guys, let's go to the base."

"Huh, why?"

"We need to figure out where Fiore is," Mamoru said, "and also, you need to know all I know about him."

* * *

ChibiUsa had been watching TV boredly, unaware of what was happening. She suddenly winced, however, and stood up. "Why didn't they tell me about that?" 

"ChibiUsa, where are you going?" Ikuko asked as she walked out of the kitchen and noticed Usagi's 'cousin' was heading out.

"I'll be at the park," ChibiUsa said.

A block away, she produced her communicator. Luna hadn't been too surprised when she asked her for one, but ChibiUsa herself was surprised it was that easy for the Mooncats to summon those things. And where did they come from, anyway?

"ChibiUsa here. What's going on with those plants?"

"ChibiUsa, come to the base, there's something you have to know."

She noticed Mercury's grim face and nodded. "I was heading that way, I'll be there in a few minutes."

* * *

**A/N:** I just couldn't fit all that mess they called a movie in one single episode. :P 

Next episode, Mamoru won't hear the end of it as the Senshi try to figure out what kind of friendship he and Fiore had... And how to rescue Moon, of course.


	57. Kisenian's Curse

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 6: Ghosts And Memories.**

** Episode 57: Kisenian's Curse.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 12, 2007_

* * *

ChibiUsa wasn't happy to hear the news, but wasn't going to sit and wait for the others to rescue Moon. "That monster took Usagi. It's easy, then. We need to go and get Usagi back." 

"But I can't understand why Fiore is acting like that," Mamoru commented. "He's not evil, not the Fiore I remember, at least."

"_Who_ is he, anyways?" Mako asked. "An old boyfriend?"

"What?" Mamoru was shocked they'd think that. "No, we're just friends. I met him after the accident."

Karin nodded "I barely remember him, but yeah, I've seen him before. Though he wasn't that green last time I saw him."

"So, what's that about promises, flowers and all that stuff he said?" Rei asked.

"I'll tell you what happened back then," Mamoru said.

* * *

_Mamoru was alone, he realized that. All alone, in that hospital, he wasn't sure how many days had passed so far. He knew his sister was alive, but he hadn't seen her since the accident. In fact, he couldn't remember his parents, which made it a lot worse for him to know they were gone._

_"Are you alone too?" Mamoru turned to his side. A sickly-looking kid was looking at him, smiling. "I know how bad it is to be alone in this world," the boy continued. "I'll be your friend."_

_Mamoru smiled. Yes, it'd be good to have a friend to talk to while he was in the hospital._

* * *

"I didn't know what he really was," Mamoru said. "But he trusted me enough that he told me once we left the hospital. He had to leave the planet soon, he was looking for a home but couldn't stay on Earth for long, as the atmosphere here was weakening him."

"Why did he come back, then?" Rei asked.

* * *

___"Mamoru, I'll always remember you," Fiore said._

___Mamoru smiled. Fiore had been a friend, his first friend, and had always been there when he felt sad, to cheer him up. Now Fiore felt sad about leaving him, but Mamoru knew how to solve that. "Here."_

___Fiore looked at the red rose Mamoru was holding. "What's this?"_

___"A present," Mamoru said. "They're the prettiest flowers in this planet."_

___Fiore took the rose and then held Mamoru's hands. "Thank you... I didn't know getting a simple flower would make me so happy. I'll come back to Earth someday. I promise I'll bring you lots of flowers. "_

* * *

"And that was the last time I saw him," Mamoru finished.

"His intentions might have been good back then, but his 'gifts' are trying to tear the city down to shreds," Brad commented.

"I know, and I'm going to clear things out when I see him."

Ami and Terry had been busily trying to locate Fiore. As they did, they both looked at each other in shock. "The comet..."

"What comet?" Chie asked.

"There's a comet that's been on the news, a new one," Ami said. "I dismissed it as just another comet, but look." A large section of the northern wall of the base slid down, revealing a large monitor. At the stares from the other Senshi, she smiled. "We told you we've been busy lately."

Karin looked at the large screen as it showed the 'comet.' "That thing's also shaped like a seed."

"Where are those images coming from?" Brad asked.

"One of my father's satellites," Terry said. "Now let's zoom in..."

The image zoomed into the seed-like comet, showing Fiore looking down at a still unconscious Sailor Moon. "Usagi..."

"What's that thing behind him?" Mako asked.

Ami looked at the image. There was something in Fiore's back, a small purple flower. "I don't know, but it seems to be attache to Fiore."

"Well, we're back just in time," Luna said.

"You guys, stop disappearing on us, will you?" Minako muttered.

"We probably will, we don't have any other Senshi to find, and we don't know if there will be any more dragons," Artemis commented.

"In any case," Shade said, "There was a legend back in Queen Serenity's era, of an evil plant, the Kisenian Flower, that fed on planets. It sucked their energy dry then moved on to the next."

"It can't move on its own, so it uses other beings as its arms and legs."

Hotaru looked at the screen. "If that was the beautiful flower he was talking about, why didn't he show it to you when we faced him?"

Mako looked at the flower. It was, to her, quite ugly. "You call that thing beautiful?"

"It's beautiful," Hotaru said, "in a creepy way. And well, you know me."

"So, Fiore is being controlled by that creature," Mamoru said. "Good, then all we have to do is go there and kill the weed."

Luna nodded. "If the other part of the legend is true, you better hurry."

"Huh?"

"Kisenian needs a host, but it slowly kills it. Maybe it plans to use Usagi as the next host. And once it takes control, if the flower dies, the host also dies."

"Then we need to get there as soon as possible," Mamoru said.

"How far can we teleport?" Terry asked. "Because that comet's still near Mars."

Ami looked at some numbers in the computer. "But it'll be here in about half an hour."

"What do you mean 'here'?" Minako asked.

"I mean it'll leave a nice big hole where our city is," Ami explained. "We need to either destroy it, or change its course."

"To answer your first question," Luna said, "Senshi of the past used the Sailor Teleport to jump from planet to planet. But it's risky to do so without Sailor Moon."

"Why?" Karin asked.

"The farther we travel, the more energy we use," Hotaru guessed. "Without her Ginzuishou to do most of the work, we could be too weak to fight once we get there."

"We need to rescue Usagi," Rei said, "we'll worry about fighting when we get there."

ChibiUsa frowned. "Maybe we could use my Ginzuishou instead."

"But you're too young, something like that could kill you," Hotaru noted.

"If we lose Usagi, I won't be born," ChibiUsa said. "I'm willing to take the risk."

Hotaru nodded. Like mother, like daughter, they could both seem naive and careless, but they were the bravest persons she'd ever seen.

* * *

Moon blinked a few times to let the dim light clear her vision. Her mind raced to remember all that had happened, and did so just as she looked up at the green-skinned alien.

"Oh, you don't need to be afraid, human," Fiore said.

"Where are we?"

Fiore pointed to the east, and as Moon looked that way, her heart sank. The Earth was but a small blue speck in space. "We'll be there in a few minutes, don't worry."

It took Moon a second to understand what he meant. "You're going to crash this into my planet? That could kill millions of people!"

"Your race cares not about forests and nature," Fiore said, "so it'll be a fair punishment for their disrespect."

"I love your planet," a new voice said. Moon was shocked to see a small flower on Fiore's shoulder. Its roots were apparently bonded to his skin. "It's so full of energy and life. It'll be the best meal in centuries."

"You fiend!" Moon snapped. "You're going to help this monster destroy my planet?"

Fiore laughed. "You think I care about humans? I'll save Mamoru, but the rest of you are doomed. You doomed yourselves, I saw it when I first visited this world."

"You'll let that monster destroy my planet? What good will that do?"

"Your planet's wild life is already doomed, it's just a matter of how long it'll take your race to finish the job. Besides, I never said I was a ecologist. I just want to show Mamoru the most beautiful flower in the universe."

"If you mean that one on your shoulder, then sorry, but it's butt ugly."

Fiore turned to the side and looked at Earth. "Mamoru's little sister, always a brat."

"Fiore, let her go," Dragon Earth said.

"Only if you come with me," Fiore offered. "We were destined to be together, Mamoru."

"Let my mom go, you bastard!" ChibiMoon snapped and started charging energy. "I'm..." She fell to the ground, however, before she could release it.

Mercury checked on her. "She's too tired after the teleport," she said, "but she'll be okay in a few minutes."

Kisenian growled. "Fiore, destroy them all. Keep your friend alive if you want, but kill the others!"

Dragon Earth summoned his shield. "I won't let you do that."

Fiore summoned a vine-like sword and glared at Mamoru. "That girl, she's controlling you. I'm back now, why do you insist in protecting her?"

"Don't you remember?" Dragon Earth said as their swords clashed. "I gave you a rose, a single rose."

"I know. What's that have to do with her?"

* * *

_____"Why are you crying?"_

_____Mamoru looked at the girl with the strange hairdo. It looked like she had two meatballs on top of her head, and that almost made him laugh. "My friend's leaving soon, and I can't do a thing about it," he explained._

_____The girl smiled at him and looked at the bouquet of roses she was holding. "From today, I'm an older sister. My mother had a baby, and I brought these for here as a present. Here, it's a happy day for me today, and I want it to be happy for you too."_

_____Mamoru looked at the offered rose for a few seconds before taking it. "Thank you."_

* * *

Dragon Earth turned to look at Moon. "Until today, I never realized who that little girl was. I gave you that rose as a sign of friendship, Fiore, but... I was destined to be with her, even before I was born."

Fiore looked at him, then at Moon. Kisenian took its chance to take control while Fiore was confused. "See, he betrayed you. He loves that human, not you. He deserves to die with the others."

"No!" Fiore clutched the small flower as if he were trying to strangle it. "I made a promise to him, and even if he doesn't feel what I feel I'll still keep my word!"

Kisenian growled. "What are you doing?"

Fiore struggled to rip the flower off him, but it was seemingly impossible. "Mamoru, please... Destroy this comet, destroy me. I never meant to hurt you, but this monster, it promised to help me in my search, and I let it control me."

"We can't do that," Moon said. "If you're still the same Mamoru remembers, then your heart is stronger than that flower's evil."

Fiore looked at Moon and smiled. "Now I see why you chose her." He summoned his sword and cut Kisenian off. "I... Sorry."

Dragon Earth paled as Fiore fell to the ground. "Is he..."

Mercury checked on him. "No, he's still alive."

Kisenian glared up at them. "Stupid humans, you think I need him? I'll take over one of you and then--"

"Moon Prism Attack!"

The others turned to see ChibiMoon standing up after blasting Kisenian to dust. "Good to have you back."

"She killed the bad guy," Jupiter noticed.

"She's Moon's daughter, after all," Saturn mused.

Moon turned to look at the Earth. "The comet, it's still heading for the Earth!"

"We could ask the army to nuke it, or something..." Jupiter suggested.

"You mean the Japanese army has nukes?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"No, but they have the U.S. Army's phone number."

"That wouldn't work," Mercury said. "The inertia will leave thousands of rocks to fall on that side of the planet. We could wreck Tokyo trying to save it."

Moon looked at her crystal as she summoned it. "I can change the course..."

"But if you strain yourself, you could die," Mars said.

"Please, Rei," Moon smiled. "I've survived two evil superbeings, you really think a big rock will kill me?"

Fiore staggered up. "This is... All my fault."

"It was Kisenian's fault," Dragon Earth said, "but we dealt with it already. Trust Moon, I know she can save us."

The others nodded in agreement. Moon smiled. "I'll need your help, guys."

The Senshi concentrated, and Moon looked at the Earth as she held her crystal. "Please, Ginzuishou, help me save my world."

* * *

The soldiers cheered as the plant monsters started turning into dust. Seia smiled, but the smile faded as she looked up. "Well, I don't think we can shoot that thing down."

"Or that we should," Ann added.

"The Senshi will solve this one," Ail said. "If they don't, I don't think there's anything we can do anyway."

"I like your optimism," Seia muttered.

* * *

"Think they can destroy that comet?" Shade asked.

"I don't think they can, but maybe they can change its route."

"But Moon's power isn't enough for that," Luna said. "If she does that, she could die..."

"We'll have to wait and see, I suppose."

* * *

Back at the comet, Fiore worriedly watched as Moon concentrated, and the ground shook with the crystal's power. He was both amazed and scared at how much power this female human had. She could've destroyed him anytime she wanted when he captured her, but she didn't.

It was all to clear to him now, he'd fooled himself into thinking Mamoru saw him as more than a friend. He'd found Kisenian in one of the planets he explored looking for a new home, and the plant had then corrupted his mind, slowly taking control of him.

He looked at the horizon. The Earth wasn't in the center anymore, it was slowly moving to one side. Kisenian's target was going to be missed completely, all thanks to these humans.

It was then that he heard the others talking. First there were cheers, then they sounded worried. He looked at Moon, who had fallen to the ground after her job was done, and understood why the others were sad.

"Usagi! Wake up!" Venus said.

"You liar, you said you wouldn't die!" Mars said as she knelt besides her fallen friend.

ChibiMoon was also in tears, and Dragon Earth was simply staring at Moon's body.

Fiore concentrated for a few seconds, and a flower appeared in his hand. "I think it was destiny that let me find this before I came back," he said. "This is the flower I wanted to give you, Mamoru. It is a strange and beautiful one, but also..."

Dragon Earth looked at the flower and saw it had nectar inside. "What is that?"

"It's got healing properties," Fiore said. "Give it to her, I guess it's only fitting, since the flower you gave me was hers."

The Dragon sipped some of the nectar, then kissed Moon. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and looked around. "What... What happened?"

Fiore smiled. "You saved me, and I always return favors."

Nemesis looked at the Earth, already shrinking down behind them. "We should hurry, I don't know how far we can go with our teleport."

Fiore nodded. "Farewell, Senshi. Goodbye, Mamoru."

Dragon Earth smiled and gave the flower back to him. "Keep it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I already have my own perfect flower," as he said that, he looked at Moon, who smiled at him.

"Since it was my fault you had to come here, let me help you go back, " Fiore said. "Maybe someday, I'll be back."

"Is that a promise?" Dragon Earth asked.

"Yes," Fiore said then closed his eyes. The Senshi were all surrounded by a white light for a few seconds, then vanished. He opened his eyes again and looked at the Earth, now only a small blue sphere up in the sky. "It's a promise."

* * *

**A/N:** I had several ways to end this one episode, but in the end I chose the one closer to the movie's original ending. If it's not broken, don't fix it.

And now what, you may ask? Remeber Dragon Sun? No? Well, don't worry, you'll see a lot of him next episode.


	58. A Bug's Life

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 6: Ghosts And Memories. **

**Episode 58: A Bug's Life.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 13, 2007_

* * *

Setsuna stood in front of the house, waiting. After several minutes, Hotaru walked out and looked at her. "It's strange for you to visit nowadays," the teenager noted. 

The older woman nodded. "I know, but you should understand I barely have time for social visits."

"And the Senshi of Time joking is even stranger," Hotaru added.

"Kage needs your help," Setsuna said turning serious.

"Oh, I see. He can't get rid of a few roaches on his own?"

"They're more than 'a few,' and also... He found their nest."

"Why don't you call the others too?"

"You mean your friends?"

"No, I mean Uranus and Neptune."

Setsuna smiled as she realized Hotaru hadn't denied the 'friends' bit. "Well, they're busy right now. I may have to help them myself if things get out of control."

"I don't understand that... We could go and wipe the Infinity group out."

"For the moment, we're only watching them. I want to know what they're really after, and if we can stop them from getting it."

"Sounds fun," Hotaru said. "All right, I'll go help your 'son,' just need to tell my dad."

Setsuna nodded. "Won't tell your friends about it?"

"If I do, they'll want to tag along. Something tells me leaving Tokyo unprotected just to get rid of a minor pest would be bad."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the base, the rest of the group was taking a break from fighting. 

"Okay, it's been officially one week since that mess at the comet," Terry said.

Mako and Karin were sparring, though they couldn't hit each other. "They're good," Rei commented.

Terry nodded. "Both think with their fists."

"That's not entirely true," Ami said.

The figthers ignored the others as they focused in winning. Karin tried a low kick, which Mako sidestepped. She tried to punch Karin down before she could stand, but Karin rolled to the side, then tripped Mako, who fell on top of her.

"Yeah, I can see what you mean now," Terry said.

"Way to make her fall for you, Karin," Chie joked.

Mako stood up quick, blushing. "Sorry."

"My fault," Karin said. _'Not bad, though,'_ she thought with a smile.

ChibiUsa was watching that all with some interest. It wasn't like she didn't know a few things the others didn't about themselves. She suddenly looked around. "Puu, stop hiding."

Pluto appeared besides her. "Small Lady, sometimes I wonder if you're too smart for your age."

Usagi looked at Pluto. "So, you came to get her?"

Pluto nodded. "Queen Serenity wants to see her daughter."

"Then I guess this is goodbye," ChibiUsa said. "I'll miss you, guys. "

"You'll see us all in a few minutes," Rei noted.

"The old, boring you, yeah," ChibiUsa joked.

Usagi hugged ChibiUsa. "I'll miss you."

ChibiUsa walked to Pluto's side, then smiled. "Don't worry, you'll see me in a thousand years."

As both vanished, Usagi wiped off the tears that had started running down her cheeks and smiled. "Well, now we'll have to make sure this world stays in one piece until then."

Karin was standing besides Chie now, and was staring at her. "You had nothing to do with Mako falling on me, right?"

"Sometimes a little luck helps the indecisive," Chie whispered back.

* * *

Kage smiled as he opened the door. "Hi Hotaru, good to see you again. " 

"Hello," Hotaru said. "So, this is your house?"

"Until I get rid of those bugs and go back to Tokyo."

"Not a lot of furniture."

"I only have what I use. So tell me, how's the Tokyo bunch?"

"They're a group of nutcases."

"So you fitted right in."

Hotaru chuckled at that, but stopped as Kage stared at her. "What?"

"You. Laughing. First time I see that."

"Setsuna was right about them, they can befriend you before you even know it happened."

Kage nodded. "In any case, I suppose you'll want to know all I've learnt from these insects."

"That would help the mission."

* * *

Saturn had to admit Sun's research was good, and she'd learnt quite a bit about her enemies. The Ank'Ur were insectoids with good enough technology to travel through space, but apparently they dismissed magic completely. Their looks reminded her of roaches, but their social structure was close to bees. They had a main insect, their Lan, who controlled all other insects. If the Lan died, the Ank'Ur would go berserk and die in a matter of hours. 

Problem was, Kage didn't know where the clones were inside the nest, and that's where Saturn's help was needed. "So, the nest is in that mount?" she asked her ally.

"The nest is the whole mount," Dragon Sun said.

"Nice, I'll have fun running around blindly, then."

"Yeah, but you've got a board to move through that nest."

"Good point. So, you go to the main boss, and I'll tell you when I'm done with the clones."

"Let the fun begin." Sun rushed forwards, right into the cave-like entrance to the nest, and sounds of battle could immediately be heard.

Saturn took the distraction to her advantage, sneaking into the nest and flying through the tunnels. They were big enough to fit several cars, but also seemed randomly cross one another. She summoned her visor and started scanning. There were three places with a high concentration of creatures. In one of them, there was one single entity with higher energy than the others, and Saturn guessed that was where the big boss was. The other area had several dozen creatures, most likely a 'residential' area.

The third area, however, was her target. Several energy signatures slightly higher than average, along with a few normal creatures. She supposed the clones, while dormant, would not have their full power, and the other creatures, they were most likely guards or nurses.

_"Intruder!"_

Saturn didn't understand what the creature had said, as their language was just a series of grunts and loose vowels. But she knew the monster she'd just crossed had called for help. Staying to fight wasn't an option, she needed to get rid of those clones before Sun was overrun by the guards.

As she sped down the tunnel, some sort of projectile hissed by from behind. She looked at the impact point and cringed. Some sort of sticky acid, it was eating the rocky walls like water on a sugar cube. "I see, so that's the spitters Kage talked about..." She ignored them, as they couldn't keep up with her board, and finally reached her target.

_"The intruder was heading this way"_

_"Yes, but most guards are taking care of another intruder near the entrance."_

Saturn didn't know what the talk was about, but she also didn't mind interrupting them. "Wraith's Cry!"

One good thing about her attack, was that it was a ghost in all the sense of the word. It could attack through walls, and Saturn heard the screams of the insects inside as it drained them. As the wraith returned, Saturn sliced the room's door down. Door was a figure of speech, as it was actually some sticky substance sealing the chamber on the other side from the tunnel she was in.

Once inside, she checked for survivors. The insects in the room, both guards and clones, were very dead. "Saturn here. I took care of the clones, but I'll have to get through a wall of guards to get to their king."

"Same here," Dragon Sun's voice said from the comm. "Can you find a route to the room from where I am?"

Saturn smiled. In Tokyo, with Mercury doing all the tactics, she had rarely ever used her scanner for what it was meant, but here, she could test it to its full. "There's a tunnel a few hundred meters to your left, seems to be closed, most likely a cave-in. There's no guards in that one, as I guess they're not counting on anyone crossing it."

"Good, what about you?"

"The more of them I fight, the more energy I'll have," Saturn said. "Unless there's just too many of them. Why?"

"Check your data, I'm seeing a lot of guards running around besides the ones I'm facing. They're heading your way."

"Oh, that could be a mess," Saturn said. "I guess you're on your own until I get rid of them."

"I've been waiting to kick the main bug's ass for a few months," Sun mused. "So don't worry, I'll get the job done."

* * *

Usagi was at Crown, checking the newest arcade with her friends. "This is amazing. A Sailor Moon arcade?" 

Minako looked at it. "We should try, I don't think it'll be harder than what we faced so far."

"Wow, they even got a Sailor Saturn," Rei noted. "And Earth."

Chie looked at the characters. "No Lilith, though."

And so, Usagi, Rei, Minako and Karin started a game, while the others watched. Chie noticed Mako paying more attention to one of the players than the game itself and smiled. "Should I be jealous?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mako asked, playing dumb. She knew she'd been staring at Karin, but she didn't know why, and didn't think anyone would notice.

"Takes one of us to know one of us," Chie said, keeping her voice down so the others wouldn't hear.

Mako walked away from the group, and Chie followed her. "You mean you and Karin... But that can't be, you were chasing after Terry for a while, weren't you?"

"Yeah. It doesn't mean I don't also chase girls now and then."

Mako blushed. "I don't," she said and went back to look at the arcade the others were playing.

"That's what I used to say," Chie said to herself before joining the others.

"Anyone knows where Hotaru is?" Usagi asked. "She'd probably like this game."

"Haven't seen her since yesterday," Rei said. "Damn it, Usagi, stop getting in the way of my fire!"

Usagi winced as the Sailor Moon in the screen was toasted by Mars' attack. "Oops."

* * *

Saturn dove off her board to avoid a barrage of 'missiles' from the insects. "Spitting at a lady isn't right, guys," she snapped at them. 

More and more insects came from the side tunnels, replacing the ones that fell with her attacks. Even though she recovered a bit of energy with every fallen foe, she was still running short of power. "Kage better gets rid of the main insect soon, or I'll end up turning into roach fodder."

* * *

Dragon Sun walked into the room after blasting two insects off with his spells. Inside, he found a few dozen more bugs, along with one that was twice as large as the rest, and with a gold hue in its 'skin.' 

"Well, well, you must be the Lan."

"You're brave, human, coming all the way here to attack me."

Sun smiled. "You've been trying to eat chinese, and I don't mean the food. I'll give you one last chance to leave this world, or I'll have to get rid of you."

"Even if you kill me, there'll be others taking my place."

"Not anymore," Sun said. "You may have been informed of another intruder..."

"Yes, that was a distraction for you to get here. My troops are taking care of that human right now."

"She's already taken care of your 'spare parts,' bug. And you're next."

_"Is that true?"_ the Lan said turning to one of his underlings.

_"The human woman was seen near the resurrection chamber, but we didn't think she..."_

Sun winced as the Lan slapped the other insect's head off. "I take it you killed the messenger."

"It doesn't matter, human," the insect said, "because once I destroy you, I'll create more clones."

"Okay, Alien Queen, let's see what you can do."

The Lan growled and charged at Dragon Sun. His opponent simply leapt aside and attacked him before he could realize he'd missed.

"Solar Bolt!"

As soon as the Lan's body fell to the ground, a large hole decorating it's midsection, the other insects started screeching and attacking whatever they had near. Sun dove for the door, but it was blocked by a few insects that had been on their way to help their leader.

Some sword slashes later, Sun was running down one of the tunnels. "Hotaru, are you okay?"

Saturn's voice sounded almost cheerful in the comm. "This wasn't so hard. As soon as I get over the masses of insane bugs, I'll meet you at the entrance."

"Need help?"

"Not really, they don't fly and they are too out of it to even notice me."

* * *

Several hours later, the two warriors were resting at Kage's appartment. "So, you're going back to Tokyo now?" 

Hotaru nodded. "What about you?"

"I'm going, too. I can't wait to meet the others."

Hotaru looked out the window, to the setting sun. "Something tells me we'll need your help."

* * *

**A/N:** The Lan Ank'Ur, is loosely based in Lanankuras, a villain from an "old" anime show. I don't know if anyone else remembers that bug, though. (From Shinzo, if you're wondering. Dub names may differ.) 

Next episode, a part of Terry's dead past comes alive... And makes him wish it stayed dead.


	59. Nova 2 0

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 6: Ghosts And Memories. **

**Episode 59: Nova 2.0.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 13, 2007_

* * *

Light was the first thing she felt as she recovered her senses. Was the light outside? No, not outside. She opened her eyes and stared up at the bright, gentle light coming from a large lamp. She was lying on some sort of table, an examination table, perhaps? But all that wasn't important now, not to her. She'd deal with it all once she figured out her most important doubt. 

'Who am I?' Pieces, fragments of memory started pulling themselves together from the depths of her mind. 'Hana. Thompson. I am Hana Thompson,' she told herself. 'I am also Nova. How can that be? Because I have powers, and such powers are both a blessing and a curse. And I need to hide them from others.' That was Nova, a mask, a facade she used to be able to fight her enemies.

She sat up on her makeshift resting place, and looked around the room. Shadows, all around her, but she didn't mind them. Her suit was different. She remembered white, but this suit wasn't white. Black, covering all of her body like the other one did, but keeping her face uncovered. Her mask was gone... Mask. A flash of memory struck her. A man, a masked man, smiling at her.

Where was she? That question now had more importance than a minute ago. How had she ended there? Her mind refused to give her the answer. Maybe focusing in the only bit of her past that was clear enough... The man, that masked man. 'Zack? Zell? Zero?' Yes, Zero. That was his name. As she tried to remember who he was, some of her still reforming memory seemed to blur, to shift. Must be an effect of whatever happened to me, Nova told herself.

"You're awake. Good."

She looked to the side and saw two figures. One, an old man, wearing a white lab coat, and the signs of aging and balding were all too evident in his head and face. "Who are you?"

"First, who are you?"

"I'm Nova."

"Only Nova?" That was the second figure. A woman, who was purposefully staying out of the light. Nova could still see a hint of gold, but was it a jewel, her hair, or her skin? She couldn't really tell.

Her memories were, finally, falling into place. She could remember now... Zero. Her friend. Her ally. He had turned against her in the end, allied with someone else. Lum... Lumina... Luminite? Yes, that was the name. The name of the monster that had killed her, while Zero watched and smiled.

She cringed at the thought. "Hana... Hana is dead. Hana died long ago. But... Why am I alive?"

"You are... Well, your body is a new one, adapted to your powers better than your former body was. You are still as human as you ever were, do not worry."

She stared at the scientist. He was right, she could feel her power was many times stronger than before. "What's there to stop me from frying your mind from the inside, same as your friend's, and leaving?"

"Gratitude," the woman said. "The one that killed you, Luminite, has already been dealt with. However, Zero's become stronger than before, and found stronger allies. Their kind of power, unfortunately, isn't something we can fight directly. But your psychic powers will be a new challenge for them."

"So, I'm supposed to go out there and fight Zero, and whoever he's allied with?"

"The Sailor Senshi," the scientist said. "You will find them to be very powerful, but they lack proper combat training."

"Then this will not be hard at all."

"You will not be alone. We will send several of our troopers there when the time is right," the man said.

Nova nodded. "Before I leave, may I ask your names?"

"My name is Onara, and this is my... Sponsor, A."

"A?" Nova smirked. "Very well, Onara and A. If you excuse me, I have some ghosts of the past to get rid of."

As Nova vanished, 'A' turned to Onara. "Are you sure she's loyal to us?"

"The altered memories I put in her mind will tell her that Zero is an enemy, not an ally. And she will not be looking for any of her real memories, she will be too busy killing the Senshi."

"Think she can manage?"

"You saw her power readings. She is not invincible, but the Senshi will need to kill her to stop her. And I know at least one of their group will not allow that to happen."

* * *

Nova floated over the city. What city was this? From the look of it, she was in Japan. Tokyo, most likely. "Now, where are they?" She closed her eyes and mentally scanned miles upon miles of land. Several beacons of power immediately became 'visible' to her in her mind. They were all more or less in the same area of the city. And there were several who were grouped up. Which one was Zero? She couldn't tell. She'd have to go with wild guessing, maybe taking them out one by one. 

She was sure she wasn't that cold-blooded before... But if these Senshi had allied with Zero, they were evil. They didn't deserve any mercy from her, Just like Zero and Luminite hadn't shown any mercy when she tried to stop their evil plans.

She could remember them clearly now. Luminite stabbing her through with an energy blade. Zero, standing next to her as she bled to death, and smiling. A mocking, cold smile.

She was sure she'd been dead for a while. So 'A' had a point, she was grateful for this second chance. And they had told her they could send help... A help she wasn't sure she'd really need, but if the Senshi could swarm on her she was sure the battle would turn hectic. So, back to the here and now, she mentally located the closest Senshi, and headed that way, careful to keep her own power cloaked, in case they had means to detect her.

* * *

Mako was walking around the city, trying to clear her mind. It wasn't something easy for her, after several boyfriends, to accept she could have that kind of feelings for a girl too. She just couldn't see herself having that kind of feelings for someone of her same gender. 

And still... She knew what she was feeling for Karin. Maybe she'd liked her from the start, since the first time she saw her, but now that Karin was within her circle of friends, the initial crush had evolved into something more.

Her friends. Thinking about them made her stop in her track. What would they think if they knew? Maybe they'd freak out, and she couldn't blame them. But she would have to tell them, sooner or later. That was, if she ever accepted the facts, something she was still uncertain of.

Her brooding was interrupted as something unseen hit her, knocking her down to the ground. "Who the heck?"

The woman floating a few meters above her laughed. "You are the Senshi? I was told you were powerful."

Mako looked around and saw nobody around. "Strange... But lucky. Jupiter Twilight Power!"

"Cute suit you've got there. Are you supposed to be some kind of evil cheerleader?"

"Who are you?"

The woman took off the black mask covering her eyes. "Aww, you mean my dear Zero didn't tell you about me?"

Jupiter looked at her. She was about the same age as her, with black hair, and that suit looked way too similar to... Then she realized who this girl was. "Nova?"

"You win, girl. Here's your prize!"

Jupiter tried to dodge the attack, but it was hard to avoid something she couldn't see. She was sent staggering back and looked up to see Nova's surprised face. "Okay, attack me once, and I'll talk. Attack me twice, and you're going down."

Nova rose an eyebrow as she felt the electricity gathering around Jupiter's body. "Impressive."

"Supreme Thunder Dragon Punch!"

Nova saw Jupiter punch the air, and the energy she'd gathered turned into a large dragon. "Nice trick, thundergirl!" she said as she summoned a psi barrier. The dragon hit it dead on, vanishing, but some of the electricity still hit its mark. "Okay, so you are stronger than I thought. That's going to make it all the funnier for me."

"Shabon Spray!"

Nova looked around confusedly for a few seconds. "This mist, it's not natural."

"Hana?"

Nova looked down, using her powers to see through the mist. The man in the blue suit, staring up at her... "Zero?"

"This can't be, why... How did you revive?"

Mercury scanned her. "Impossible, her power is at least double what Moon has."

"She hits hard, too," Jupiter commented.

Dragon Mercury produced his communicator, and winced as all he got was static. "They're not working."

"Oh, that would be my fault too," Nova said. "After all, it wouldn't be fun if all your friends came before I kill you, Zero."

The Dragon's eyes widened. "Kill me? But..."

"Enough!" Nova concentrated and sent a psi wave at her foes. It hit them, knocking them all back. As they stood up, she froze. What had just happened? She had the chance to kill them, to kill Zero, why had she used so little energy?

"Whoever brought her back, also brainwashed her," Mercury guessed.

Dragon Mercury looked up. "Hana, please, remember who I am."

"I know who you are, you betrayed me and helped that bitch Luminite kill me," Nova snapped. "It's payback time."

"If you really wanted to kill me, you would've done it in your last attack," Dragon Mercury said. "I know your powers, and I know how strong you could be if you stop holding back."

"I..."

"Wraith's Cry!"

"Solar Bolt!"

Saturn and Dragon Sun both rushed to the others as Nova was knocked out of the sky. "I guess we're back just in time."

Dragon Mercury glared at her. "Idiot, don't hurt her!"

The Death Senshi was taken aback by his reaction. "What? She seemed very eager to hurt you."

"She... She's Hana."

Saturn looked at the unconscious woman, then back at the Dragon. "She is? But. what's wrong with her?"

"I don't know, but we can..." The Dragon started then froze in shock.

Mercury looked in the same direction he'd looked, and winced as she heard him curse. "She escaped."

"Let's gather everyone and tell them about this," Dragon Mercury said. "I don't want anyone to hurt her, but I don't want any of my friends to get hurt, either."

"Terry, she might not be the same... Someone may be trying to fool you."

"Ami, I know that's Hana. She's the same, but someone made her believe I was responsible for her death. Not that she's far off from the truth."

Mercury leaned on him. "I know what she means for you, and I'll help you getting her back."

The Dragon blinked a few times. "I... I thought you would be jealous. "

"I can't change what you feel for her," Mercury said. "But it also won't change what I feel for you. Once this mess is over, though, we need to talk."

Dragon Mercury smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

"So, A, she didn't succeed." 

"Rubeus, I'm surprised you would call that a failure. After all, your underlings made a lot of tactical retreats, didn't they?"

"Point taken. Are you going to send your pets yet?"

"Oh, not just yet. Nova seems to be resting, preparing to attack again. Once she's distracted the Senshi, we'll send the Omega."

* * *

A failure, that's what her first attack had been. And now they would know she was around, they would be waiting her next attack. They could even start looking for her and find her before she recovered. 

She had underestimated them, that was clear. But also, she had failed killing Zero. Why? She had a clear shot, a chance to finish him, and yet she held back.

_"I know how strong you could be if you stop holding back."_

What did he mean? And also, she'd heard him scolding one of his allies for hitting her. Why was he so eager to let her live after what he'd done before?

She winced as a flashback run through her mind. Zero... No, Terry, standing near a tomb, crying. She remembered looking at the tomb, it was Terry's mother's graveyard. Yes, she could see it all as if it was happening again. They were ten and it was the day Terry's mother died in that seastorm. She could see Terry in her mind, turning to look at her and wiping his tears.

_"I couldn't do a thing to save her, but I promise I'll never let you die."_

Nova fell to the ground, clutching her head. The first flashback she'd got, the one with Zero smiling as he watched her die, came back. This time, however, he had his mask off, and was kneeling besides her, tears running down his eyes.

"No!"

She immediately regretted the outburst, as it unleashed a psi wave that knocked several cars away. And, she thought, it could also be a beacon for the Senshi to find her.

That memory... It couldn't be. She remembered Zero watching while Luminite killed her. But she also remembered him trying to save her, and then watching her die with a completely different face.

Which one was the true one? She couldn't tell, she wanted to believe the last one was the real one, but her mind was a mess. And the one thing Zero had been right about, was what she was dreading. If she let confusion control her, if she let her powers unleashed, it would be something she could regret for the rest of her life.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, I once said I could or couldn't bring her back. So here she is, back and ready to chew bubblegum and kick some Senshi ass. And she's out of bubblegum. 

Will she realize the scientist lied to her, or will she try to kill the Senshi once more? I guess you'll have to wait for the next episode to know the answer.


	60. Confusion And Delusion

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 6: Ghosts And Memories. **

**Episode 60: Confusion And Delusion **

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 14, 2007_

* * *

Usagi listened to Terry's story, along with the others, but was quite shocked to hear Hana was trying to kill him. She knew he sounded worried when he called them all to the base, but things were worse than she thought. 

Minako finally asked what they all were wondering. "Are you really sure it's her?"

"Yes," Terry said. "It's like what happened with Black Lady, though, her power in her current state is amazing. And she's not reached her limits yet."

"I knocked her down easily," Hotaru commented.

"She was confused in that moment," Terry explained. "And I was, too. In the end, her last attack confirmed what I'd guessed."

"What do you mean?" Mako asked.

"Hana's holding back, she unconsciously stopped herself from killing me. Heck, if she had been fighting full power, Mako, I don't think we'd found you alive."

"That's nice to know," Mako muttered.

"You say that's not her full power," Hotaru said, "but I must admit I froze when I first scanned her. What would cause her full power to be unleashed?"

Kage, who'd been silently listening, nodded. "We should be prepared, just in case she decides to let her real powers out."

Terry nodded at him "I don't think we've been properly introduced. "

Kage shrugged. "I'm Kage Hiyama, Dragon Sun, and I've been taking care of some alien insects in China while you guys were busy her with the Death Phantom."

"Welcome to the team," Usagi said with a smile.

"Back to Nova, well... There's few things that could unleash her powers. Rage, confusion, or... Well, pleasure too. "

"Huh?" Usagi blinked in confusion. "What do you mean by 'pleasure'?"

"Usagi, you should tell your parents to talk to you about the birds and the bees," Rei joked.

Ami looked at Terry, who nodded slowly. She then smiled. "Well, I don't think we need to worry about that last one, right _Terry_?"

Terry put an arm around her. "I don't think I ever saw you jealous. You're cute when you're like this."

Ami blushed. "I..."

Hotaru stood up and walked to the arena, not facing the others. "So, let's say she lets anger take over. Let's say she lets those false memories in her mind fool her. How do we stop her?"

"I only managed to stop her berserker state in the past, because she loved me enough to listen to my words. If that becomes a moot point, then..."

After almost one minute of silence, Hotaru turned to look at Terry. "Then we'd have to kill her, right?"

Terry nodded somberly, then silently thought about the options.

"We need to get to her, to make her listen to reason," Usagi said.

"I don't like this. Even if it comes to it, we can't kill her," Minako said.

"If it's her or us..." Rei noted.

"She's human," Minako said. "I won't kill a human."

Terry stood up and looked at the others in turns. "I'm going out there. It's me she wants, and by now she must have singled me out in her mind. I'll deal with her."

Ami stood up and glared at him. "What are you scared of? That I'm so jealous I kill her if she tries to hurt you?"

Terry smiled at her, a humorless smile. "No, I'm worried she'll kill you. I already lost her, I don't want to lose you too, Ami."

"You're not going alone," Usagi said. "I won't let you."

"I know you're the leader, but in this one, I won't..."

"I'm not saying that as a leader, I'm saying that as a friend. You're not going to go out there alone, to face that girl, even if I have to knock you out to stop you from going."

"We've been through worse," Rei said. "But only because we worked as a team."

Terry gave them a half smile. "You don't really know what you're up against."

"We know what you know," Hotaru said, "and I think I'm not the only one that thinks sitting here while that time bomb is out there ready to explode is what being a Senshi is about."

Terry looked at the others again. They were right, Hana was a bomb with a very short fuse right now. And for all he knew, she could explode just by looking at him again. "Okay, you win," he said at last.

"We won't win until this crisis is over," Mako said.

Terry waited as the others walked into the elevator. As Hotaru walked by, he put a hand on her shoulder. "I know her weak points... And I can't ask Moon this, so you're the only choice I have."

"Don't," Hotaru said.

"Please... If she does go insane, I won't be able to kill her myself. "

"So, are you asking me this because you think I'm heartless?"

Terry lowered his sight. "No, because I wouldn't be brave enough to do it myself."

"There's always a way out, Terry," Hotaru said. "I know we can save Hana and save us at the same time."

"I hope you're right," Terry said with a sigh.

* * *

"Where are you going, A?" 

"To put the next piece of this puzzle in place," A said turning to Rubeus. "Just in case Nova isn't strong enough to kill them."

Rubeus nodded. "Don't get sunburnt out there."

"Like I ever walk into daylight."

Rubeus turned as A left the room. While he knew his whole family was gone, he also knew A and Onara were right. Rushing in to attack the Senshi would be foolish, heck, Sailor Moon alone had beaten him last time, and she looked stronger now. He was, however, glad the scientist had been able to heal his burnt face and body. When the time came for him to face the Senshi once again, he wanted them to know who their executioner was.

* * *

Nova had found an area of the city that was relatively empty. She needed to put her mind back in one piece, and knew if things went wrong... 

Another image hit her. Waking up to look at Terry, who slept with a smile in his face. Her memories of that time were also memories of the second time she'd ever lost control of her power.

And not both times had been pleasant to her.

* * *

_She could feel the power rushing through her, coming out like a tidal wave, sending cars and trees flying on its wake. Still, a boy stood and looked at her, untouched by the onslaught._

_"Hana, please, stop this."_

_Stop this? She couldn't. Her brother was gone, died in a car accident. An accident she could've stopped if she hadn't decided to stay home that day. As soon as she heard about it on the news, and recognized her brother's car, she'd run out of the house, as far as she could._

_Then, her rage had exploded. But, even in this state, even with all the anger inside of her, she still couldn't hurt him. She could never hurt him, and she knew he wouldn't hurt her, either._

_"I told you I'd protect you," Terry said. "And I will, even if it's from your own power." He stepped closer to her, and took her hand. "Stop now, Hana, before you do something you'll regret."_

* * *

It was like a dam closing, her powers had literally shut down, and she'd fallen unconscious. When she woke up and remembered the reason she'd exploded, she couldn't bring her full power back up, even if she tried.

But why... He was so kind to her, he loved her, why betray her like he did? Had he even betrayed her at all? The memories of her last few minutes of life came back, and both versions of her past clashed, as she fought to keep her emotions in check.

It was a losing battle. Her confusion was feeding her anger, but it wasn't anger directed at Zero anymore. She was angry at herself, for not being able to tell reality from lies in her mind. And, after a few minutes of struggle, it finally happened.

"Zero!" Nova shouted as she stood up, unleashing a psichic wave that turned the small park she was in into a windless tornado.

* * *

"Major threat detected near Shibuya."

Terry looked at his watch and nodded. "It's her."

"You connected that thing to the base?"

"Well, I'm not using it to keep the Zero suit anymore, so I thought I'd use it for something else."

Usagi nodded. "Let's go, we have someone to save."

* * *

A looked at the nerdy-looking boy. "Do you understand your mission?"

The boy's figure shimmered as a black battle armor replaced his clothes, his face covered mostly by a matching black helm. "I understand, master."

"Good. Game Master, prepare for the war."

Game Master, the boy, nodded. "This will be a game the Senshi won't be able to beat."

* * *

"I guess she did it," Dragon Sun noted.

Dragon Mercury looked at the wrecked park. "Fuck, it's worse than last time."

"Wait!" Mercury shouted as the Dragon started floating towards the tornado. It was hard to see where it begun, but the air around the dark-clad woman shifted and waved like water.

"Don't worry, Ami, she won't hurt me."

"He's insane," Earth muttered. She could see the ground was cracked and dry, and there was no grass around the area. "And damn it, she's really powerful."

"Even moreso than the Wiseman," Saturn noted.

Dragon Mercury touched the outer wall of the psichic 'bubble' Nova had formed, and gave a relieved sigh as nothing happened. "Okay, here goes nothing." He fled right into the storm, but he felt no changes at all. "Hana!"

Nova looked at him. "Go away! This is all your fault!"

"If you wanted me to go away, I wouldn't be standing here now."

Despite her state, Nova could still figure he was right. "Leave me alone, Zero. Right now, I'm not sure what side of you is the real one."

"You mean you don't know who I am? The kid that would take the hits for you, even when you didn't need any protection? The one that was always there for you, just like you were always there for me?"

Moon looked away from the two, and turned to Mercury, who was glaring at Nova. "Ami, are you okay?"

Nova looked at Mercury, then back at the man defying her powers. "I see... You love her, don't you?"

"Hana, you were dead for a long time. I mourned you for more than I had to, I even went as far as killing the one that killed you."

"You love her, don't you?" Nova repeated.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Then why bother trying to talk to me?"

"Because I don't want to lose any of my friends, Hana. And you're still that to me."

Nova's face lightened for a few seconds, then she was back to glare in Mercury's direction. "No! You are mine!"

Dragon Mercury had never seen one of Nova's attacks. Sure, he could remember feeling their effects, but she'd never shot anything that he could see with his bare eyes. Still, he watched in shock as a black spike shot at him, missing his head barely. Then he realized who the attack was meant for.

Mercury saw the blast coming her way, and realized she couldn't counter it. She dropped to the ground, hoping to miss it, but the attack corrected its trajectory.

"Ami, move!"

Nova's eyes widened. Zero's board was faster than she remembered, as he had managed to reach Mercury and knock her out of the way, taking the shot himself. "Terry!"

Saturn leapt down and checked on the fallen Dragon. "He's weak... It will take me a minute to heal him, if I even can." She noticed Mercury's body was surrounded by a bluish aura and grimaced. "Ami?"

Mercury said nothing but three words as she closed her eyes. "Mercury Star Power!"

Moon looked down at her friend and gasped. "I don't need any scanner to know what's happening."

A bubble of ice surrounded Mercury, vanishing seconds later. Her suit had changed slightly, with longer gloves and bows, and a transparent skirt under her normal blue one. She summoned her visor and looked at Nova. "Mercury Frozen Rage!" Ice came out of her outstretched hands, forming a beam as tall as her.

Nova tried to stop the massive ice beam with her powers, but it didn't slow down. "Impossible!"

Moon started floating down to check on Terry as Mercury's attack sent Nova crashing down, but then saw Mercury summoning another attack. "Ami!"

"Mercury Snow Spray!"

"Stop it!"

Mercury ignored Moon. "Mercury Snow Spray!"

Moon looked at Nova, and noticed she was quite beaten up, but still trying to stand up and fight. "Ami, don't do this."

"Mercury..."

"Ami, don't."

Mercury stopped gathering energy and turned, eyes open wide, to stare at Dragon Mercury. He was admittedly in no shape to fight, but was visibly better than last time she looked at him.

"She almost killed you," Mercury said.

"She's not in control right now. Would you have killed Black Lady if you had the chance?"

"No," Mercury said, then looked down. "Damn it, that was so stupid of me, acting so irrational..."

"Love does that to people," Moon said.

"Guys, hate to tell you this," Jupiter noted, "but she escaped, again."

"I hope she calms the heck down before she hurts someone else," Venus said.

Dragon Mercury stood up, slowly, and looked at Saturn. "Thanks for saving me, again."

"That's what friends do," Saturn said.

"Wow, she called someone a friend," Mars commented.

Mercury walked to her Dragon and hugged him. "For a moment there, I thought... I thought you would die."

"Takes one berserker to take down another," Earth commented. The others stared at her. "What? It's true!"

"So it is," Dragon Earth said. "By the way, why isn't Mercury going back to Twilight?"

"I don't know," Mercury admitted, "and right now, I don't care."

"Let's go back to the base," Moon said, "and try to find her before she does more damage to the city."

* * *

**A/N:** Remember, boys and girls, whatever you do, never piss Mercury off.

What happens now, you may wonder? Now it's the time for an old friend of the Senshi to return, upgraded and improved.


	61. Sacrifice

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 6: Ghosts And Memories.**

** Episode 61: Sacrifice.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 14, 2007_

* * *

The woman was furious. "Onara, that girl's useless. She's too much of a wild card to trust her." 

The scientist nodded. "I must admit I never expected her to come so close to recovering her true memories. However, she must not be very happy at how Mercury treated her."

"I don't care. She's weaker than I expected, and I don't want to take risks. Send our second player into the board now."

Onara nodded again. "Players, actually, but I have to time our moves right."

* * *

Why did he want to save her? She couldn't understand, he saved her, and also Mercury, it made no sense. 

_'What doesn't make sense, is you trying to kill her. Jealousy makes you even worse than anger.'_

That was her own voice, she realized. It wasn't a lie, however, she had let first anger, then confusion and lastly jealousy control her actions. Mercury was quite close to finishing her, one more of those ice blasts and she would have died again.

And, from her point of view, she deserved that. Once again, she saw the same scene at the subway, two overlapped memories. However, the one she had believed in at first, of Zero's betrayal, grew more and more distant. It was a lie. A lie from those who had revived her.

Now she saw it, they were using her all along. Revive something stronger than the Senshi, give it a reason to kill them, and then sit down and watch the carnage. But she had failed. And, she realized as she scanned the city with her mind, they weren't anywhere near her anymore. They were out of the city.

There was something else, though. She feared facing Terry again. She was sure she'd alienated herself in his eyes after what she did. And still, he had stopped Mercury from shooting that last attack "You can't let me die in peace, can you?" she mused. She could see where they were, all the Senshi, but she was sure appearing in their secret place would be quite unwise and painful.

And, to be honest, she feared them now. Mercury had given her a very good reason for that.

* * *

"I must admit, your newest attack looks pretty cool," Mako said. "Pun intended." 

Ami smiled. "It does, doesn't it?" She turned to Terry. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Nothing a month of rest can't solve," Terry said, "but I can guess that's not going to happen."

Hotaru was using her one-eyed scanner to look at Ami. "Even in human form, your power raised a bit."

"It's just numbers," Karin said, "what matters is, Ami can now really kick some rears."

"So, what do you think?" Minako asked.

"About what?" Terry asked back.

"About Nova... Hana. Will she keep on wrecking things for naught?"

"I don't know," Terry said. "But seeing her in that state hurts more than that blast I took for Ami."

"It's a miracle you survived," Hotaru said, "she was going for the kill."

"Hostile creature detected near Juuban high."

"Eek, now she's gonna wreck the school?" Minako asked. "Wait, that's not so bad."

"Is the creature similar to someone in your database?" Ami asked. It was, admittedly, a good thing the computer could answer simple questions now, without needing to type commands into it.

"Structure similar to the Omega cyborgs."

"Oh well, it's time to..."

Ami pushed Terry down. "You're staying here, mister."

"What if Hana comes back?"

"We'll take care of her," Hotaru said.

"I don't think sitting here while some monster is out there ready to destroy the city is what being a Senshi is about."

Ami looked at Terry and then nodded. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry, I will. But I can't promise I won't jump in the way of that thing's attack."

* * *

As they reached their target, they could see it was, no doubt, another Omega. "Whoever's sending these things, doesn't know when to give up," Dragon Venus commented. 

"Too much of a coincidence, isn't it?" Lilith noted.

"What do you mean?"

"Someone decides to send one of these robots after we fought Nova twice."

Earth nodded. "Maybe this is the backup plan."

* * *

Nova woke up with a start. She didn't know how long she'd been asleep, but she could feel a powerful new creature near. She knew that it was, most likely, the 'help' Onara had mentioned. 

She felt better already, she could go and... And what? The Senshi would think she was back for more, but even if they didn't... Could she really face Terry after what she'd almost done?

_'You were never a coward, why start now?'_

Again, her inner voice hit where it hurt. She wasn't one to run away, and still she'd done so twice, and was doing it again without even bothering to try. Moreso, she had always been eager to stop criminals, to protect others from harm. And once again, she had a chance to do just that.

She didn't need to think about it anymore. In a blink, Nova was gone, dust and a few leaves raising off the ground as air rushed to occupy the vacuum she left.

* * *

"Supreme Thunder Dragon Punch." 

Jupiter leapt aside, barely missing the lightning construct. "Nothing's working!"

"Our Twilight attacks can't hurt it," Mercury said.

"What about your new one?"

"I can't summon it. Must need more energy than I have right now."

"Surrender now," the Omega said, "and your deaths will be quick."

Lilith looked up and smiled, the cyborg was standing in front of a theater, and right under the marquee. "Gotcha."

The Senshi all winced as the marquee fell on their enemy. "That must hurt."

The Omega blasted the marquee to pieces and glared at Lilith. "I see you want to be the first one."

"Die!"

Dragon Mercury stared in shock as Nova appeared right in front of the cyborg, giving it a psi-charged punch that sent it staggering back. "Hana?"

Nova looked up at him. "We'll have to talk after this mess is over. "

"Now where have I heard that before?" he mused looking at Mercury.

Nova also looked at Mercury and unconsciously backed away. "Uhm... "

"Yes, we'll have to talk," Mercury simply said.

"Nova, you were supposed to help my masters, not betray them," the Omega said.

"I never agreed to that," Nova said, "and I'd rather be a traitor than stay in the side of evil."

"So be it. Moon Twilight Wave."

Nova summoned a barrier to stop the blast, but it punched through it, sending her flying back for almost one block. "Hana!"

Mercury looked at him and then at Moon. "I don't really have to tell you, do I?"

The aura around the Dragon made it quite clear. "Mercury Star Power!" A wall of ice surrounded him as he transformed, vanishing seconds later. His suit was still mostly the same, but with blue, metallic shoulder pads and knee pads. His swords both glew light blue as he stepped fowards. "Hey tinman, don't hurt my friends."

Nova was trying to stand up, but stopped and smiled as she heard that. "Still the same old Terry."

"Mercury... Ice... Wyrm!"

Dragon Mercury tossed both his swords up, and they both were shrouded by energy. As it grew, it took the form of a reptile, a large, winged snake made of ice. The swords fell back to the Dragon's hands, and he pointed them at his foe. As he did, the massive ice construct fled forwards, smashing into his target and knocking it a few dozen meters back.

"That hurt," the Omega said as it stood up, "but it's not enough. Now, let's begin the executions..." It once again pointed its arms at Nova, who was in too much pain to move out of the way.

"That's enough," Saturn snapped and vanished.

"Snow Spr--" The cyborg stopped and looked down at the glaive sticking out of its chest. "Ow."

"Saturn Star Power!"

Omega tried to pry the glaive off its chest, but it wasn't moving. It watched helplessly as Saturn transformed, her new form similar to Mercury's, but with purple where blue should be. "Power increased to over three thousand points," the cyborg droned. "Oh well, it's time to run." He froze as he didn't teleport. "What?"

"That would be... My fault," Nova snapped from the ground.

Saturn looked at the Omega and smiled mockingly. "Your soul is artificial, but I can still destroy it. Saturn..."

Omega looked down and saw the glaive's tip was glowing. It surely meant the pain was about to start.

"... Death..." Saturn pulled her glaive off the cyborg's chest, then rose it. "... Scythe!" She brought the glaive down on her target, cutting right through it, then glared at it. "Goodbye."

The cyborg exploded, knocking Saturn back a few meters, and the Senshi cheered. Dragon Mercury saw her kneel on the ground and smiled. "These new attacks are exhausting."

Nova staggered up and looked around. She was surprised to see that, of all the faces he was seeing, the least hostile one was Mercury's. "I would like to apologize for what I did. I am not your enemy, but seeing how things have changed," she looked at Dragon Mercury and then at Mercury as she said that, "I think I should not..."

"Senshi, your time is up."

Nova cringed. Ten more Omega, seemingly weaker than the one that had just been destroyed, but both her and the Senshi were practically out of energy. "This is bad..."

Moon glared at the cyborgs. "I've been fighting for hours, so you really came at the worst time possible. Moon Twilight Storm!" The beam killed three of the ten cyborgs instantly, and damaged a fourth. Moon, however, fell to her knees. "I'm out of power, guys."

"Leave them to us," Dragon Sun said.

Nova watched as the Senshi fought. They were more, but they were also tired after all the fighting. And she was partially guilty of that, too. She had some energy left, but she didn't want to use it unless it was absolutely needed. After she'd used it, she'd be completely helpless.

And besides, the Senshi were managing. They were now down to five cyborgs. Four, she corrected herself as she saw one of the male Senshi behead one of the creatures.

She observed Dragon Mercury with a smile. He moved fast, even tired as he was, and managed to render one of the creature's limbs useless before he was knocked away by it. A second creature saw that, however, and saw the Dragon was too focused in his target.

Nova saw that and grimaced. The creature knocked the one Terry had called Jupiter away, then prepared to attack him. "No!"

"Death Bolt."

Dragon Mercury heard those words, and as he turned, he saw a figure standing in the attack's way. "Hana!"

Nova smiled despite the pain as she kneeled on the ground. "Don't worry, I..."

"Hush, girl, I can heal you," Saturn said.

"Wait," Nova said. "Terry, tell me... Is she a good girl?"

"Ami? She sure is," the Dragon said. "I love her as much as I love you. "

The girl smiled at that. "Please, don't hate me for this..."

Dragon Mercury blinked as Nova vanished from his side. "Hana? What are you going to do?"

Nova was now floating over the battle, looking down at the Senshi. "Senshi, I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused."

Moon stood up and looked at the psichic. "Wait, what are you doing?"

Nova didn't answer. She was already concentrating, ignoring the pain from the death energy attack. In fact, she held onto that pain, transforming it in extra energy for what she was about to do. As she opened her eyes, both the Senshi and the cyborgs stopped fighting and looked up. A thin light seemed to emanate from her as she spoke "Goodbye, Terry..."

"No!"

Even as he said that, he knew he was late. Nova unleashed an energy wave stronger than anything he'd ever seen her shoot before. The energy washed over both Senshi and Cyborgs, but the Senshi were unharmed. The cyborgs, however, exploded after only a few seconds of weak resistance.

Nova fell down to the ground, her energy depleted. Dragon Mercury run and caught her, but he knew she was gone. Once again.

"Hana!"

Mercury watched in shock as Dragon Mercury stood there, holding Nova's body. She was dead, she had sacrificed herself, to save him... No, to save all of them.

Moon was thinking the same thing. In the end, Nova chose to save them, even if she had to die for it. She knew they couldn't have resisted much longer against those cyborgs, but there... There had to be another way out For the first time, she realized winning wasn't always worth the price paid.

* * *

**A/N:** Dead, again? Aww, and with all the work I went through bringing her back... 

I'm not saying a word about next episode this time. You'll have to wait for it, ain't I evil?


	62. Decisions

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 6: Ghosts And Memories. **

**Episode 62: Decisions.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 16, 2007_

* * *

"I can't believe she did that," Rubeus growled. "We could've defeated those Senshi if she hadn't betrayed us." 

"At least we do not have to worry about her," Onara said. "And we still have Game Master."

"He's a joke," Rubeus muttered.

'A' glared at him. "Are you saying my creation's a failure?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Watch your words, Nemesian. I will not tolerate anyone doubting my actions."

"Suits you," Rubeus said after a minute, "but don't cry when the Senshi break your new toy."

Onara shook his head as Rubeus left the room. "I told you not to bother saving him."

"You too?" the woman snapped.

"Chill, lady. We need to cooperate to win this war."

* * *

Dragon Mercury sighed as he let Nova's body in the ground. "I... Failed, again." 

"Maybe I can..." Moon started. "I mean, this crystal of mine seems to pull out a lot of miracles."

The three Mooncats leapt off a nearby building and looked at Nova, then turned to Moon. "You can't," Luna said after a moment of thinking. "Not in your current level."

"But there must be something we can do!"

Saturn had been silently staring at Nova, and finally decided to speak up. "I can feel her soul."

"Couldn't you do that before?" Jupiter asked.

"Yes, but not after death," Saturn said.

"The Senshi of Saturn has powers over life and death," Shade said, "but I didn't think you would have that one power at such an early level."

"What power?" Moon asked.

Saturn looked at the cats, then back at Nova. "I've been able to heal for a while, but I never thought I would be able to do this."

As Saturn walked to Nova, Dragon Mercury frowned. "Okay, someone explain all this to me, because I'm lost, for once."

"Simple," Saturn said, "I can bring her back."

The Dragon's face lit up. "So she..."

Saturn put a hand on Nova's forehead, then winced. "Damn it."

"What?"

"Give me the Saturn sword."

Dragon Mercury did as told. "What are you..."

"My energy's low, so I'll need the small boost the sword gives."

The others waited as Saturn held the sword in one hand, placing the other on Nova's forehead again. Silence took over the scene, only broken by the sounds of the military keeping civilians out of the area.

Nova's body suddenly started shining, prompting gasps from most of the group. As it stopped, Saturn stood up, looking at Dragon Mercury. "It's done."

Mercury had her scanner down, and nodded as she looked at Nova. "Magic will never stop surprising me."

Nova's eyes opened and she sat up. "What... I'm alive?"

Dragon Mercury smiled at her. "Welcome back... Again."

"But how? I know I killed myself with that last attack." Nova stood up and looked around, she was clearly confused.

"That'd be my fault," Saturn said. "But don't die again. I can only do that once per person."

"How do you know that?" Mercury asked. Saturn simply shrugged.

Nova looked at Mercury, and unconsciously backed away. "I... I can't stay here."

"Why not?" Moon asked. Surely someone with Nova's power would be very helpful for them.

"Because... Because of what I still feel for him."

"Hana, I..." Dragon Mercury started, but Nova rose her hand to stop him.

"I don't want to be the other girl. I don't want to stay around while you're dating someone else."

"But..." the Dragon started, but stopped as he saw Mercury's stare. "Ami?"

"You know I'm the rational one in this group," Mercury said, "and to me, it's all quite simple. You can't have two girlfriends, so you'll have to choose."

"If you put it that nicely..." the Dragon muttered.

"It's not something that can be decided in a blink," Saturn said.

"For me, it is," Dragon Mercury said, looking at Nova. "For years, you were my friend, my other half, my protector, too, even though I didn't realize that."

Mercury winced. "Terry..."

He turned to look at her. "But, I thought Hana was gone, forever. I couldn't bear the pain, at first, but finding new friends here in Tokyo made me slowly realize I couldn't stay in the past forever. In the end, I fell in love with one of them. You, Ami, is who I want to be with."

Nova looked away. "I..."

"As you said yourself, don't hate me for this," Dragon Mercury said. "I can't change how I feel for her, but I also want you to be my friend."

Nova stood there, staring at the Dragon for well over one minute. Some of the Senshi feared she'd go berserk again, but in the end, she just shook her head. "I don't know what I was hoping for, but yes, you're right. I won't hate you for this, Terry, but right now, I need to be alone."

Moon blinked as Nova vanished. "Hope she'll be alright."

"She will," Dragon Mercury said. "It's just all these changes in her life, must be hard to take."

Mercury smiled. "She's not a bad girl after all."

"Except when she's wrecking stuff, or wrecking us," Dragon Venus noted.

"Brad, your jokes are not welcome right now," Venus said.

"You were right," Dragon Sun said.

"See, I told you," Saturn replied.

"Right about what?" Moon asked the two.

"Nothing," both said in unison.

* * *

Things were peaceful for a while, and the damage done to the city was repaired. Nova, or rather Hana, was now standing on top of a skyscrapper, looking at the city. She had, for most of that last week, been on her own, but she also had tried to go back home, to her parents. 

She had never seen either of them so happy. They didn't doubt her when she told them how she had been brought back, and told her they knew Zephyr had moved to Tokyo shortly after she died. There was a problem with her staying with her parents, though. It would be hard for her to reappear magically like that in public, without raising a lot of questions and rumors.

But all those were excuses. She'd realized after being home for one day, that she couldn't be there. She missed him. She couldn't stay away, even if it meant having to see him with that girl everyday. She cared about him too much to be a continent apart from him.

As her mind returned to the present, she summoned her suit. Despite being made by those evil beings, she still liked this black version better than her old one. She scanned the city quick and nodded. There was, indeed, something going on.

* * *

The monster walked through the cities of the commercial area, causing humans all around him to run away screaming, or at the very least, to move out of his way. "These creatures are funny," he commented to nobody in particular, "but not what I'm looking for." 

"If you're looking for a beating, you just got yourself one."

The mantis looked at the girl in front of him. She was wearing a dumb, form-fitting suit, but she was clearly not one of the Senshi. "Who are you human, and why are you defying me, the great Krigale?"

Nova stared at him for a few seconds before laughing. "No, seriously, that's your name?"

"Die!"

As the monster charged, Nova floated up, shooting a psi wave down that crushed the creature into a greenish puddle on the concrete. "He was weaker than I thought."

"They always are."

Nova turned to Dragon Mercury, who was smiling at her. "Terry..."

"So, are you visiting, or staying around?"

"I told you I needed time alone," Nova said, "but I realized I don't care if you are with Mercury. I'm happy for you, and besides, someone has to be here to protect you."

The Dragon laughed at that last bit. "Welcome to the team, then."

"Is there a way to meet them all? Specially Saturn, since I owe her this new chance."

"Yeah, they're all meeting at the base. Need a ride?"

"I know where it is."

"You..."

* * *

"... Do?" Dragon Mercury looked around and blinked. They were inside the base, and from the looks of the others, they were as surprised as he was. "I recall having to hold your hand for that trick," he noticed. 

"New body, new tricks," Nova joked. "Uhm... Hello again, Senshi."

Usagi looked at her. "Welcome back."

Ami looked at Terry. "What happened to the Gale?"

"Gale?" Nova asked. "Oh, you mean that bug I crushed."

"They make'em weaker and weaker every day," Rei commented.

Hana turned back to normal. "I want to apologize again for the mess I started. And I want to thank uhm... Saturn, for reviving me."

"That's me," Hotaru said. "Your apology is not needed, though. Your sacrifice showed us you're not an enemy."

Ami walked up to Hana and gave her a meaningful look. "What about you and Terry?"

"I'm ready to move on," Hana said, "but just like him, I don't want to stop being her friend."

"That's okay with me," Ami admitted.

"And besides, there's a lot of things I can tell you about him you possibly don't know," Hana added with a playful smile.

Ami blinked. "Well, that would be interesting."

"You're so doomed," Brad commented.

"I have nothing to be ashamed of," Terry said.

_'You sure about that?'_

Terry shivered as he heard Hana's mental voice. "Well, maybe a few things."

"There's one thing you may have noticed about my powers," Hana said, "but I want to warn you just in case. They're never as strong as they were when I fought against you all, because I need to be under extreme circumstances to unleash it."

"That's a norm for us," Ami admitted. "We tend to go beyond our own limits when things get out of control."

"Like that... Ice beam," Hana said. The memory sent shivers through her body, but she covered that as much as she could. "Thing is, in my case, I can't quite control my power."

"You can. It's never hurt me," Terry said.

"Almost never," Ami said, "but I guess the one time it did, it was only because you insist in taking hits for others."

"Can't blame me for wanting to protect someone so cute," Terry said.

Hana smiled at them, then looked around. "So, what do you guys do here?"

"Train, slack off, train some more, slack off..." Brad commented.

"Hey, where's the newbie?" Mako asked.

"I'm here," Chie said.

"No, the other one."

"Kage has to meet someone today," Hotaru said. "He'll be here after he's done."

* * *

Kage stood in front of a small house, looking around. This was a good neighbourhood, apparently, and calm enough for his liking. It was good to be back home, too, but he knew his life would never be the way it was when he was in the orphanage. 

"So, having fun in Tokyo?"

Kage turned to Setsuna. "Hi 'mom.'"

Setsuna gave him a half-smile. "You know I'm not one for social meetings."

"Gee, can't have fun once in a while, Time Mistress? Anyhow, I was wondering about that Nova girl..."

"What about her?"

"Is she a danger to us? Will she become a powerful ally with time? Will she become yet another Senshi?"

"I can't answer those, except for the first one. She may be dangerous if she ever loses control again."

"Will enemies always be stronger than the ones before?"

Setsuna nodded at that. "In their own ways. Nova wasn't as powerful as the Wiseman, but the Senshi couldn't kill her. Wouldn't, even."

"I see. And lastly... Is there a Dragon Pluto?"

"Do you really think I have _time_ for that, 'son?'"

"Good point," Kage said. "I don't suppose you can tell me what the next enemy will be, right?"

"Good guess," Setsuna said, then vanished.

"I hate when she does that," Kage muttered. Then again, that was most likely why she did it.

* * *

Ami turned away from the console to see Hana and Terry having a practice fight. "Can't take my eyes off you for a second, huh?" 

Terry dodged Hana's sword swing then countered with a jab to the stomach. "It's just friendly sparring."

Hana took the distraction to kick Terry out of the platform. "Yeah, friendly."

"That had to hurt," Rei commented. "But we should've known she would know how to use a sword."

Hana put the wooden sword back in its place, then nodded. "Terry's master taught me some tricks, and we trained a few times. But I never had a sword to use as Nova."

"What about a psi blade?" Usagi asked.

Hana looked at her, then concentrated, and a white blade appeared in her hand. "Never thought of that."

"Yeah, Usagi has her genius moments," Terry admitted.

"You were revived by the same people who sent those Omega creatures, right?" Hotaru asked.

"Yes."

"Do you know who, or where they are?"

Hana winced. "I've never read minds. I can tell you there's one scientist in that group, and two more that didn't look human."

"Didn't you read their minds, or something?" Mako asked.

"I never do," Hana said. "But the man said he was called Onara."

"That freak?" Terry asked.

"You know him?"

"Yeah, he used to work for my father, years ago, researching genetics. He could also build robots in a blink, but he was a bit... "

"Excentric?" Rei guessed.

"Insane," Terry corrected. "He tried to build a cyborg using cells from some of the best soldiers our army had, but well, dad never liked his company's creations being used for warfare."

"So he fired the man?" Mako asked.

"Of course. And well, that was the last time I ever heard about him, I never thought I would have Sai Onara as my enemy."

"You're joking, right?" Brad asked.

"What?"

"The name..."

"Yeah, I know, I think that's one of the reasons he's insane."

"Unfortunately," Hana said, "when I figured out that they had given me fake memories, I tried to get them, but they had left the city. "

Terry nodded. "Onara was insane, not stupid. In any case, now we know what to expect."

* * *

_'One week passed since they let me into their group. I don't know what other enemies will show up, but I can bet life here won't be boring.'_

She looked at the city. She was given a second chance, and she wasn't going to let it pass. Back home, the old Nova was the heroine, but only fought against the odd bank thieves and small-time criminals. Here, in Tokyo, from what the others had told her, was where all the action would pass.

The sound of sirens took her off her brooding, and as she looked down, she saw a few patrols chasing a van. Sure, she couldn't wait to see what enemies the future brought, but that didn't mean she would give up on her old habits.

* * *

**A/N:** You didn't think I'd leave her dead, did you? 

Next episode, Sailor Moon will face a big, yellow face. No, I'm not joking.


	63. Game On

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 7: Game Master. **

**Episode 63: Game On.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 19, 2007_

* * *

Hana looked around the classroom and smiled. About half of it were Senshi, and she could guess that was no coincidence. She had been given a seat near Terry, but that wasn't a problem for her. 

"So, Hana, how does Tokyo look to you so far?"

"Quite a fun place," Hana said to Usagi. She hated to admit it, but Onara's plans had helped her more than she realized at first. She had never been good at languages, and yet here she was, with full understanding of Japanese. It felt like cheating, but she supposed that was how Onara worked.

"Ever had the feeling things are about to take a turn for the worse?" Mako commented.

"Considering our 'job,'" Minako said, "they always do."

"Your optimism is contagious," Karin joked.

* * *

Game Master looked at his collection. His years of gaming had given him knowledge of all the heroes and villains of videogames, a knowledge he intended to use against the Senshi. And thanks to his 'master' he knew who they were. Most of his peers considered him a nerd, but he spent his fair share of time with videogames too. 

He grabbed two cartridges and smiled as they lit up, then three figures appeared in the room.

"Lee brothers, welcome. You must find Makoto Kino and eliminate her before she transforms."

"We may need backup," Jimmy said.

"I know, that's why I've called some of your friends to help. They will be there as soon as you engage your target."

"That Makoto will never know what hit her."

As the Double Dragon teleported out, Game Master turned to his other summon. "Well, what are you looking at?" The big, yellow orb stared at him with those two small, beady black eyes until he threw his arms up in frustration. "Okay, I get it. Once you eliminate Usagi, I will call some ghosts for you to gnaw on." The yellow face smiled then vanished. Game Master simply shook his head and walked out of the room.

* * *

Usagi sat in a bench, at the park, thinking about all that had happened in one month. One month since ChibiUsa returned to the future, and one eventful month, too. Nova had been on the news almost every day, as she apparently loved to hunt criminals. With her suit and her powers, she had an easy time catching them, too. 

Luna had told her, when asked about it, that Senshi weren't supposed to do what Nova did. Usagi had to agree, since the only attack she had that wouldn't hurt a human was her old Stardust thing, and after facing a dark queen, a dark lady, a death lord, a berserker psichic, and driving a comet, Usagi was quite sure stopping bank robberies and other such things wouldn't pose a challenge to her.

Speaking of challenges, though, she saw one coming her way.

"What is that thing?"

"Monster!"

As expected, the few civilians at the park started running away. Usagi was too confused to be scared of the monster, actually. A man-sized, yellow sphere with two small, black eyes and a 'mouth' that seemed to almost split the sphere in half.

No, seriously, was this some kind of joke? A Pacman? He was even kind of cute, not terrorizing.

"Okay, so maybe it's not harmless," Usagi said as Pacman chomped a big piece off a tree. It was hungry, and coming her way, so she decided to attack before it tried to bite her head off. "Moon Crystal Power! Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

Pacman stared blankly at the incoming projectile, then did the only rational thing it could. It ate the tiara.

"Hey, that's my tiara! Okay, now you've done it." Moon summoned her sword and run to the creature, slashing down at it. Pacman's skin was harder than expected, however, and the sword slid down harmlessly. "Uh oh..."

Moon leapt away, narrowly missing getting her arms cut off by the massive mouth. She took out her communicator, and frowned as it didn't work. "Great, they decide to break when I'm being chased by a giant Pacman. Nobody's going to believe this one."

Pacman started to advance towards her once again, and Moon shook her head. "Enough of you. Moon Twilight Storm!" The creature ate the wave and blinked at her. "What? Not even that works?" Pacman gave a sound like a whimper, then exploded, sending Moon flying back and out of the park. "Owww... I guess he bit off more than he could chew. "

"Interesting. You seem to be stronger than I had estimated."

Moon turned around and saw a man in a blue armor and helm, smiling at her. The armor seemed somehow familiar, thought she couldn't remember where she had seen it before. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Game Master, and what you faced is only the start of this game. A game I intend to win."

Moon blinked as the man vanished. "Okay, they're not going to believe that one, either." She picked up the tiara that had been left behind by Pacman and summoned her board.

* * *

She was one of the first to admit she missed being a Senshi when things were peaceful. And this was, as far as Mako knew, one of such times. She cooked to pass time, but once that was done, she didn't have much more to do. 

Going out was her one option, and now she was walking around with no destination in mind. Lately, she found herself unconsciously staring at girls as much as she stared at guys, but she still couldn't believe it.

"Hi, Mako."

Of course, she had one certain girl in her mind, and that was the strangest thing. She had always heard about opposites attracting, but this girl was so... Similar to her. Only difference she could think about was, she didn't seem to cook at all.

"Hello? Earth to Mako?"

"Huh?" Mako realized someone had been walking besides her, and blushed slightly as she realized who it was. "Hi, Karin... Sorry, I was distracted."

"Something in your mind?"

"Someone, actually," Mako said. If what Chie had said before was true, then Karin would be the least likely to freak out at the news. Still, she didn't want to say anything until she was sure.

"Is it a guy?" Karin asked. At Mako's blush she smiled. "Or a girl?"

"A girl," Mako said in a whisper.

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Karin admitted. She could almost guess who the girl was, but she played along.

"But... I've been looking at guys for a while. I can't like girls too."

Karin's smile widened. "Trust me, you can."

"I see..."

After a few minutes of silence, Karin smiled. "You know, I don't think any of your friends will freak out if you tell them."

"Really?"

"I don't think it's anything compared to fighting alien plants."

Mako chuckled at that. Karin had a good point. "I may look dumb for not making up my mind about it..."

"Not at all, I didn't realize what my preferences were right away, either. It helped having someone around who shared them."

"Are you and Chie... Uhm..."

Karin shook her head. "No. I've known her for so long, she's like a sister to me. I don't think I could ever feel anything romantic for her."

"I just need to figure out how to tell this to that one girl..."

"There's no need to rush," Karin said.

"Hey, the boss sent us for one girl, but there's two of them."

Mako looked ahead and saw two men staring at them. "Who the heck are you?"

"You mean you don't know us? We're famous, girl," Jimmy said.

"We are Billy and Jimmy Lee, the Double Dragons," Billy added.

"I don't think I've ever heard of you," Karin said.

"Nobody respects us," Jimmy muttered.

"Nevermind that, let's beat them down."

Karin stared at them. "They're going to fight us?"

Mako smiled. "They don't know who they're facing."

"Oh, we do know, big bad Sailor Senshi," Billy said, "but you have honor, don't you?"

"I suppose," Karin muttered.

"Besides, we know you could kill us in a second if you transform," Jimmy added. "But would that be fun for you?"

Mako smiled. "I guess they have a point."

Karin nodded. "You get the blue one, I'll get the red one."

Mako rushed Billy, going for a jab, but the man dodged it, backhanding her and sending her to the ground. Karin had similar luck with her kick, which had her sent down as well.

"Who are these guys?" Mako muttered.

"The Double Dragons."

Karin looked up at Saturn. "You know them?"

"It will be hard to believe, but they're from a videogame."

"It sure is," Karin said. "See, there's wierder things than you-know-what," she said to Mako.

Mako nodded. "Want to join in?"

Saturn shook hear head. "I could kill them from up here, but I'm not too much of a challenge in my normal form. My endurance is still a problem to me."

Again, the two girls tried to fight, but they were both knocked back. "Hmmm... This isn't working."

"I think the only ones that could defeat them are... Themselves," Mako said.

Karin looked at her for a second then nodded. "Got it. Let's beat them."

Mako charged at her foe again, but stopped in the last second to dodge his kick. Karin did a similar thing with her opponent, and soon they were dodging while the Double Dragons tried to punch them out.

"You know, they're not that hard," Karin said.

"Yeah, they're so slow, I bet they can't even do a flying kick."

Both men glared at the girls, and both leapt up, going for a kick. As the two girls ducked, however, they realized their mistake, as both kicked each other down.

"Taunting still works on videogame characters," Karin mused.

Billy groaned. "Nice trick, girls, but I think it's time we stop playing nice. Get them!" Several men and women walked out of a side alley. "Let's see how you fight now."

"Wraith's Cry!"

Billy and Jimmy, who were just done standing up, watched in shock as the wraith drained all their henchmen. "What the heck! That's cheating!"

Saturn glared at Jimmy as the 'troops' vanished. "You were cheating too. And I think my friends agree."

"What do you..."

"Supreme Thunder Dragon Punch!"

"Earth Quake Punch!"

Saturn winced as the two men were sent crashing into a wall, vanishing before they hit the ground. "They're definitely weaker than I thought."

"We should tell the others," Jupiter said.

Saturn nodded. "Moon's called us to the base, I was heading that way when I sensed trouble."

"Huh? The comms didn't beep."

Another nod. "I noticed that. These goons must have some kind of blocker, I couldn't call anyone when I came near them."

"Who the heck sends videogame characters to fight, anyways?" Earth pondered. "If they're all this weak, it won't be a challenge."

"Maybe they're not," Saturn said, "maybe these were only scouts."

* * *

**A/N:** As you see, this arc have a lighter tone than the last few ones. That doesn't mean things will be easy for the Senshi. 

If you ever thought Tetris was a fun, harmless game, wait for next episode to discover its hidden, deadly face...


	64. Puzzled

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 7: Game Master. **

**Episode 64: Puzzled.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 20, 2007_

* * *

As Mako, Karin and Hotaru entered the base, they saw everyone was there already. "Are we late?" 

"No, you're just in time," Terry said. "Usagi was telling us about her battle against Pacman."

Mako nodded. "I'd think that's impossible, but we're just done fighting the Double Dragon guys."

"Damn, I should've been there," Brad said.

"Why, wanted to fight them?" Karin asked.

"No, I wanted an autograph."

"I also saw the man behind these attacks," Usagi said. "He called himself Game Master and was wearing some kind of blue armor."

"Blue armor?" Terry asked. "With a helm?"

"Yeah."

Terry walked to the computer console and typed a few commands. In a few seconds, the options menu of a game appeared. "Is it like this one?"

"Yeah, but with a dark blue visor," Usagi said. "Who's that?"

"That's Rockman," Ami said. The others looked at her. "Who do you think installed that there?"

Karin looked at Mako, then at Chie. "Guys, I think we've kept something hidden for a while, and it's time we leave it out in the open."

Chie nodded. "I suppose keeping something like this hidden is silly. "

"What do you mean?" Rei asked.

Mamoru smiled. "Oh, that."

Karin nodded. "Okay, let's see..."

* * *

"Lieutenant, are these reports true?" 

Seia nodded at Kino. "A few civilians witnessed the battle of Moon with what they describe as a big yellow head. Our scientists are quite positive it was actually a living Pacman."

"I must be too used to have the Senshi around," Kino said, "because otherwise I would be calling those scientists insane and firing them. "

"Do you think we need to keep an eye on the city?"

"As always," Kino said. "Who knows, maybe next we'll have Donkey Kong hanging from the Tokyo Tower, tossing flaming barrels down."

* * *

"So... You three like boys, right?" Usagi asked. 

"Yeah," Karin said.

"But you also like girls," Rei noted.

"Yeah," Mako said.

"I don't see what the problem is," Minako said. "They say love is blind, after all."

Chie chuckled. "And sometimes blind and deaf, too."

"You knew about that?" Usagi asked Mamoru.

"Yeah... Well, not about Mako, but Karin and Chie told me months ago. "

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask," Mamoru said.

"So, Mako, have anyone in mind?" Rei asked.

"Uhm, well..." Mako blushed.

"You don't need to say it if you don't want to," Karin said.

Mako finally got the hint. "So you know?"

Karin smiled. "Yeah, and I know the feeling's mutual."

"Huh? Who is it?" Minako asked.

"My lips are sealed," Karin said.

"Not fair," Minako said with a glare.

Usagi looked at Karin, then at Mako, then smiled. "I have a very good guess."

"Tell me," Minako said.

"Minako, you're really dense sometimes," Brad muttered.

"Hey!" Minako shouted at him.

"From the look in their faces, I think Rei and Ami also know," Terry said.

"Don't need a genius to know," Ami admitted.

Minako pouted. "Not fair, everyone knows but me."

"Well, Naru doesn't know either, or Hana, but that's because they're not here," Terry admitted. "And Hotaru, where's your boyfriend?"

Hotaru glared at Terry. "Kage is visiting a friend in China." After a few seconds of silence, she added "and he's not my boyfriend."

* * *

The room was quiet, and the man looked at a couple swords hanging on the wall. He sensed movement behind him, but he didn't need to turn. He knew whoever it was, would know surprising him wasn't an option. 

"Master Hakko."

The man nodded at Kage. "Welcome back, student. How is your mother?"

"Setsuna's fine," Kage said. "I came here because I found one of your old students in Tokyo. I thought you would want to know he's there."

Now the man turned to look at Kage. "Who is it?"

"Zephyr."

"And what's that kid doing so far from his home?"

"It is his home now," Kage said. "From what I could gather, he was there seeking revenge, but in the end he didn't go back to his country."

"Interesting. I will have to visit him."

"I bet he'll like to see you again."

"Maybe. Is he one of your kin?"

Kage turned around and stared at the man for a few seconds before nodding. "Yes, and there's several more like me there."

"Good to know, Tokyo's rumored to be a magnet for aliens. I wouldn't like going home and finding it ruined."

* * *

"Sailor Moon fought Pacman?" 

Usagi listened to his classmates. Sometimes it was really hard not telling them who she was.

"Yes, and from what I heard, she gave that thing a beating."

Umino was annoying at times, but he was also one of the biggest fans of her alter-ego. That made him quite okay to her.

"Also, Sailors Jupiter, Earth and Saturn were seen beating the crap out of the Double Dragon gang."

"Double Dragon? What's that?"

Umino frowned. "Hey, that's a good game. Whoever doesn't know it, should try it."

Though he was such a game nerd sometimes...

"What's in your mind?" Rei asked.

"No... Well, I was trying to figure out who the Game Master was."

"Leave that to the Mercuries," Rei said.

"Hey, I figured out some stuff they didn't," Usagi noted.

"That was just luck."

"Hey, don't blame me," Chie joked.

Usagi went back to her thoughts. For some reason, she was sure she knew who Game Master was. But she couldn't quite tell who he was.

* * *

Nova glided through the sky, keeping an eye on the armored truck. Several patrols were also chasing it, but had failed knocking it out of the road. Also, in such a dense area, that would not be such a good idea. 

She finally got tired of playing, and teleported right into the truck. The two men inside were out cold before they even realized she was there. As for the driver...

"What the fuck?" the thief snarled as he realized the vehicle had seemingly taken a life of its own. "Oh crap, must be that psycho bitch..."

"Name's Nova, or Mrs. Psycho Bitch for you."

Before the man had time to turn to her, Nova had already knocked him out with a psi blast. She then stopped the truck and phased out of it. This had been quite easy, no gunshots involved or...

"Freeze!"

Nova turned to the officer with a smirk. "What? I'm a good girl."

"You're a vigilante, we don't need your kind," another officer said.

"Just like you don't need the Senshi to fight aliens," Nova said. "What will you do, anyway, shoot me?"

The man realized she had a point. He'd seen what bullets did to her on the news, absolutely nothing. Her suit seemed to be immune to projectiles, and she easily deflected or stopped any shot aimed at her head. "I still don't trust you."

Nova had floated off the van and was standing next to it, as some cops dragged the still unconscious thieves off the vehicle. "I don't really care if you trust me or..." She sensed something and dove aside, just in time to dodge a large, square-shaped block of stone. "What is..." Another block fell near the first one, this one shaped like an L. Nova looked up and saw several other blocks slowly moving down to the ground. "Guess the Senshi weren't imagining things after all."

She saw a young boy staring up in awe as one of the blocks fell to him. "Tetris... I like Tetris."

Nova focused on the block and grimaced as she realized she couldn't stop it, only slow it down slightly. "Kid, get out of that thing's way!"

"Snow Spray!"

The block was frozen solid, and Nova moved the boy out of the way with her powers. The block fell to the ground and shattered to smaller pieces. "This is just stupid."

"They're falling all over the place," Mercury said. "I'm trying to locate their source."

Nova nodded. "In the meantime, we need to stop them from crushing innocents."

Ail and Ann appeared next to Nova. "We can take care of that."

"Time to clear some lines."

* * *

"General, you won't believe this," Seia said. 

"If it's got something to do with the Senshi, I probably won't."

"There's a small spaceship in Odaiba, using some sort of metal sphere to hit buildings and cars."

"Damn it."

"Also, there's a giant, red sphere in Shibuya, bouncing around."

"What else?"

"And here in Minato, we have Tetris blocks falling off the sky."

"You were right, I don't believe all that. Are the Senshi aware of all that?"

"They were seen in all three places," Seia said. "We're evacuating those areas, just in case things get out of control."

* * *

"Okay, what do we do with that thing?" Moon asked. 

"Don't shoot it," Saturn said. "I know that game."

"Then what?" Venus asked.

Saturn looked up at the massive, red ball with her visor, and produced her glaive. "I've played this one. Moon, hit it with your disc, and get ready to hit the balls again."

"Balls?" Moon asked. At Saturn's nod, she just summoned her disc. "Moon Disc Spiral!"

As the ball was hit, it split into two balls exactly half the size of the original. "Now, Moon, hit them again!" Saturn said.

Moon focused in her disc, and it turned around, stabbing through both balls. They split again, and Moon smiled. "Oh, I get it." She kept on hitting the balls, that kept on splitting, until they were all gone. "Hey, I gotta check this game someday. It looks like fun. "

Venus looked around at the crushed cars, and trees, and the damaged buildings. "This could've gone worse."

* * *

Dragon Mercury leapt out of the way as the man-sized ball smashed into the ground. "Guess the ball itself can't be destroyed." 

Mars shot an arrow at the ship, that was deftly dodged. "And that ship is hard to hit from down here."

The ship rushed for the ball, bouncing it back down to the ground. Dragon Mercury looked at it then smiled. "Oh, I got it."

"What, have a plan?"

"If things work like in the game, defeating that ship is easy," the Dragon said. "Mars, Jupiter, summon your pets and send them to circle the ship."

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

"Fire Soul Bird!"

The two summons started circling the ship, stopping its movements. As the ball went past the ship's line, the ship exploded. "It worked. "

Mars frowned as the ship reappeared elsewhere. "Great, now what?"

"Now we do that two more times, I guess," the Dragon said with a grin.

* * *

Nova floated down to Mercury and panted. "Ami, we can't keep holding them for much longer." 

Mercury looked up, her visor giving her data as she analyzed the pieces. "I got it, I know where they're coming from."

As Mercury fled up, Nova followed her. They both ascended a few hundred meters, until they saw what Mercury had detected: A large, almost transparent portal. A block popped out of it and Nova shook her head. "Whoever is behind all these attacks, needs to get a life. "

"Tetris is fun," Mercury said, "unless you have to deal with truck-sized blocks falling on you. Now let's see... Frozen Rage!"

The portal blinked a few times as it was hit, then vanished. "Guess this is game over."

"I don't think so," Mercury said. "I could guess we'll keep on getting attacked until that Game Master man decides to come out and play."

* * *

"No! All my pieces, destroyed!" Game Master shouted. "And I was having fun destroying the city, too!" He stood up and looked out the window. "Damn you all, Senshi, I will not play nice anymore."

* * *

**A/N:** The Rockman game Terry and Ami have in their computer isn't pirated. There were PC Rockman games too (three of them.) Just so you guys don't think they had ROMs back then. 

Next episode, the Senshi will face a Survival Horror game, old school style. Nope, sorry, no Resident Evil for you. It wasn't around in 1993.


	65. Toads And Goblins

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles. **

**Act 7: Game Master. **

**Episode 65: Toads And Goblins.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 24, 2007_

* * *

Game Master looked at the small army he'd summoned and decided it would be enough to defeat the Senshi. 

"My minions, you will go and wreak havoc around the city. Today's Sunday, which means the Senshi will be slacking around and most likely unprepared."

"Brainsssssss..."

The villain groaned at the zombies, and turned to his other troops. "You two will go to the Hikawa shrine and kill Rei Hino."

"Like, easy, man."

"We'll kick her until she drops."

"Kick..."

"Right. Go and destroy the Senshi!"

After the troops vanished, Game Master hit her head against the nearest wall. "Why? Why must all videogame characters be idiots?"

* * *

"You don't have any idea who this Game Master man may be, right Luna?" 

"No," Luna said. "We tried to track him down, but there's no clues as to where he launches his attacks from."

"So, we..." Usagi stopped as someone knocked her door. "Yes?"

"Usagi, can I come in?"

Usagi looked at Luna, who was already in cat mode. "Sure."

Shingo walked in and looked at Luna. "We've had her around for a while, huh?"

"Mrow."

"So, what are you up to?" Usagi asked her brother.

"It's funny, too, since she showed up about the same time Sailor Moon started fighting evil."

Usagi looked at Luna, who was blinking at the boy. Had he figured it out? "I don't know what you mean."

"I've seen Sailor Moon fight several times. And I've noticed three cats are usually seen talking to her and the other Senshi. Luna is one of them. Right Luna?"

"You've got quite an imagination, brat," Usagi mused.

"You think it's easy for me to accept a slacker like you is Sailor Moon?"

"Me? Sailor Moon?" Usagi laughed.

"It's pointless, Usagi," Luna said.

"So, I was right," Shingo mused.

"What now, brat?" Usagi muttered.

"Stop calling me that, for starters." Shingo said. "I know if the secret's known by everyone, you will have a hard time doing what you do."

Usagi smiled. For an eleven years old boy, Shingo was quite smart. "Yeah, that's why I can't tell everyone. Only a few know this."

"Well, sister, it's nice knowing you're not just wasting time all day. My sister, the heroine."

"Teamwork's what saves us," Usagi admitted. "But yep, so far I've been the one frying the big bad boss in the end."

"ChibiMoon killed Kisenian," Luna commented.

"Okay, most of the time."

"What's that noise?" Shingo asked.

Usagi listened and sighed. "Sounds like there's trouble out there. "

"Have fun," Shingo said.

Usagi run outside and her jaw dropped. "This is..."

Luna leapt out the window and nodded. "Zombies."

"Let's call the others," Usagi said, then summoned her comm. She winced, however, as she saw the screen was blank. "Not now!"

"Nightmare Shot!"

"Okay, guess some of the Senshi already knew about this mess."

Nemesis stopped her airboard besides Usagi. "These creatures are all around the area. Go find somewhere to change."

Moon nodded. "Any idea how to get rid of them?"

"Saturn was going to call Mercury," Nemesis said.

* * *

The Senshi of Death looked at the creatures underneath with a frown. Despite being videogame characters, these monsters were still undead, and as such, she wasn't afraid of them. She was sure she could defeat them easily. However, like with the Tetris pieces, there had to be a generator somewhere. She finally reached Ami's house, and noticed Mercury was on top of the building, scanning the area. 

"If I didn't know better, I'd ask you if these are your pets."

Saturn gave her a small smile. "No. I assume these are from Ghosts and Goblins."

Mercury nodded. "Maybe. I've located their possible source."

"Tell me where."

Mercury summoned her own airboard. "I'll tag along. Can't study with their moans and grunts."

* * *

"Rei, there's a group of green gentlemen looking for you," Grandpa Hino said calmly. 

Rei gave him a surprised stare, then sighed. "Should I use my other suit?"

"If they hit as hard as they seem, that would be wise."

"Okay, I'll see if I can make them leave the shrine."

The old man nodded. "Yes, repairing this place whenever those aliens come to play isn't cheap."

Rei walked out of the room and groaned. "Whoever they are, they're going to feel the heat. Mars Twilight Power!"

* * *

"Light Whip Lash!" 

Venus smiled as the ghosts were blasted through by her attack. It was the least they deserved for forcing her to work on a weekend. Her fighting had led her near Rei's shrine, and she was now trying to get there, to see if Rei was already fighting, or if she needed help.

"Fire Soul Bird!"

Okay, so Rei had apparently heard about the zombies.

"Like, not cool, babe!"

Venus stared confusedly as a trio of humanoid toads run by, followed closely by Mars' giant firebird. "Zombies, ghosts, and now giant toads. What's next?"

The toads stopped and turned to the bird. "Wait, what are we afraid of?"

"Big bird..." The tallest, and visibly dumbest, of the three mutants said.

The third toad smiled as his fist grew until it was as tall as the bird, then punched through it. "If you can't beat them, beat them. "

"Like, that doesn't make sense."

"Sense..."

Venus forgot about the zombies, who were busy anyway since Jupiter and the twins were taking care of them in this area now. "Hey Rei, need help?"

"Sure do," Mars said, "my attacks don't work, and as you just saw, melee is their strong point."

"Light Whip Lash!"

The taller toad's boot grew several times its size, and he used it to kick Venus' beams away. "Senshi die..."

Mars growled. "See, nothing's working. At least I got them away from the shrine."

Venus looked at the three toads and considered the options. Mercury and Saturn were, she'd been told, dealing with the zombies' source. The rest of the team was making sure no civilians were hurt by the creatures, so Mars and her would have to take care of these three.

"Moon Disc Spiral!"

Or maybe not. Moon fled towards the toads, and stood half a block away from them, sending her disc once and again to them. The toads, however, took turns to knock the disc away each time. "That won't work."

Mars smiled. "Actually, I think it will. Mars Flame Sniper!"

The big toad grunted as he saw one of his comrades fall. "Senshi kill friend. Senshi die now."

"Light Whip Lash!" A second toad fell, leaving only the big one. "Okay, who gets the big one?"

"Senshi... Die!" The toad shouted, then run at them, his fists growing as big as a truck. He hit Moon and Mars, knocking them both away. "Now orange Senshi's turn."

Venus glared at the toad. "I don't know what lame game you came from, but you're going straight back to it. Venus Star Power!"

"Shiny Senshi," the big toad droned.

Venus didn't bother making a speech as her transformation ended. "Venus Morning Star..." A ball of light appeared hovering meters above her, growing into a man-sized ball in a second. "Smash!" The light sphere rushed down, heading straight for the toad.

"Shiny!" the toad uttered before the ball hit him, leaving nothing behind.

As Venus fell to her knees, the other Senshi staggered up. "Okay, here we go again," Moon muttered.

"What do you mean?" Mars asked.

"Everyone's powering up, and I'm left a weakling."

"The leader's the last one to power up, I guess," Mars noted.

"It's like we are the stars of a sentai series," Venus commented.

"What?"

"Nevermind," Minako said. "So, what about the zombies?"

The zombies, ghosts and other assorted monsters that had been lurking around all turned to stare at the Senshi. "Brainssss..."

"I had to ask..."

* * *

Saturn swung her glaive, beheading the cyclops. "Damn it, there's a lot of monsters around." 

"Just like in that game," Mercury said, "but we need to hurry, there's been enough civilians injured already."

Moon, who had tagged along after realizing fighting the monsters one by one was pretty much useless, frowned. "Won't they turn into zombies if they're bitten by them?"

"I don't think so," Saturn said. "These aren't real zombies."

"Good, one got a lucky shot at me," Moon said reaching out her arm.

"Hmmm... Even without the scanner, I can tell you our target is there," Mercury said pointing south.

The other two Senshi looked in that direction, their eyes widening. "You have to be kidding..." Saturn muttered.

"A dragon?" Moon could remember the last time they fought one, and it wasn't a fun battle.

* * *

Game Master sat on top of a tall building, surveying the damage. He could see the Senshi were reaching the mage, but he wasn't about to stop them. That would be cheating, after all, and he didn't like that. 

"Seems like I found the big boss. Either that, or a quite good Rockman cosplayer."

The villain turned back and smiled. "Nova, or should I say Hana Thompson?"

"It's pretty obvious you know who we are," Nova said. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm just like you, a pawn of A. Only I know I am one, and I have real power."

Nova summoned a blade. "I'll show you..."

Game Master laughed. "Please, spare me the cliche lines." He pointed his arm at her and smiled. "Did you know there's a Dragon Ball game?" Nova put up a shield as she figured what he meant, but the energy wave still knocked through it, sending her flying off the rooftop. "Sidekicks, they always think they can do what the heroes do," he said as he teleported out of the area.

* * *

The dragon tried to fireblast Mercury, but she used her net to stop the attack. Moon was trying to cut the monster's skin with her sword, but that wasn't working. As for Saturn, her death magic seemed to be useless against the overgrown lizard. "Okay, nothing's working," she commented, "so what do we do?" 

Mercury looked around and nodded. "There."

Moon followed her gaze and saw a small man in a black robe standing on a stadium's wall. "Who's that?"

"Final boss," Saturn said, "and we all know when you beat the final boss, the game's over."

"I'll keep this big guy busy," Mercury said, "you two go deal with that mage."

"We'll help."

Moon turned to see the rest of the team was flying to them. "Hey guys, why are you all here?"

"The army's got the crowd controlled," Dragon Sun said. "So, this Dragon is all the problem you have?"

"And that mage," Moon said. "I'll take care of him."

Saturn frowned as Moon left. "Why isn't it attacking?"

"Maybe it can't decide who of us will be tastier."

Lilith looked at the dragon and sighed. "Does it have any weakness?"

"Its scales make it immune to magic," Mercury said.

"Can't be immune to hits," Lilith said. She looked around and nodded. "Gotcha."

The others all winced as a large satellite dish that had been on top of a building right besides the dragon fell on its head, knocking it off. "That's what I call a lucky strike," Dragon Sun commented.

"So, what about the..."

"Twilight Storm!"

"... Mage?" Earth finished and shook her head as the mage was vaporized. "That works."

The monsters that had invaded Juuban vanished, and the Senshi cheered. Dragon Mercury noticed something coming their way and cursed. "Nova, are you okay?"

Nova looked quite beaten up, but her suit had absorbed most of the fall damage. "I'm stupid, I tried to fight that Game Master freak on my own."

"I can guess it didn't work."

"He's really strong," Nova explained. "And full of tricks."

"We'll get him sooner or later," Moon said, "but I hope it's sooner. His troops are harder to fend off each time."

* * *

**A/N:** Shingo is smarter that you may think. And zombies are overrated, that's why I didn't bother with much zombie fighting. 

As for the Battletoads, if you never played that one, what are you waiting for?

Next episode, the Senshi will face a bounty hunter and a ninja. This just gets worse and worse, huh?


	66. Swords And Blasters

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 7: Game Master.**

** Episode 66: Swords and Blasters.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 31, 2007_

* * *

She was the first to admit she really liked her 'job.' Sure, there were always risks when hunting down her prey, but that had been majorly reduced by her improved powers and her suit. Right now, she was enjoying the reward, as a group of people gathered around the wrecked car, staring at her. Despite the mask, and her powers, people didn't seem to fear her. Then again, they didn't fear the Senshi, and she was pretty sure any of them could level a building or three anytime. 

As she got ready to make her usual vanishing act, something caught her eye. A man wearing a blue trenchcoat, his face was familiar to her. However, before she could go after him, he vanished into the crowd.

The man had been on his way to the Zephyr mansion, but he'd been a witness to the girl's superhero stunts. Her power was, admittedly, not something he'd like to test his skills against.

"So, it's you after all. I was beginning to wonder if we would see you again."

The man turned around. "Still playing hero, I see."

"It's no game. I take this seriously, specially after what happened. "

The man nodded. "The news of your death reached me. I've been wandering around the world for a while, but I knew sooner or later I'd come back home."

"Kiyo Hakko, the wandering swordsman," the girl said.

"It's just Hakko for you, student."

Hana laughed at that. "Terry was your student, not me."

"And speaking of the fool, where is he?"

"You will find him in his mansion, if he's not elsewhere."

"Are you still close?"

"I'm still her friend," Hana said, "but things happened while I, well, wasn't breathing."

"I see, he moved on. Have you?"

"Yes."

Hakko studied her for a moment before shrugging. "Good to know. I think I'll head for the mansion and see if the fool is there."

Hana looked around and then shook her head. "Not there. I can bring you to where he is."

"Just tell me, I'd rather..."

* * *

"... Walk." 

The base was almost deserted, but the few teenagers that were there turned to look at the newcomer. "It's been a while, Hakko."

"You know him?" Ami asked Terry.

"Yeah. He's Kiyo Hakko, the man who taught me most of what I know about using swords to poke things."

"Nice to meet you," Ami said corteously.

Hakko nodded. "Likewise. I'm quite surprised at this. Hiyama never told me you had a secret lair."

"Hiyama?" Terry asked. "He was your student too?"

"Only for one year, while he was taking care of an insect infestation in China," Hakko noted. "Who's the leader of this Senshi group?"

"Why, me, of course," Terry said keeping a straight face.

"Bullshit," Hakko said.

"Okay, so I'm not," Terry muttered. "Moon is the leader, but she's not here right now. So, what brings you here?"

"I'm checking on my old student, and also, I was starting to feel homesick."

Hotaru had been listening to the others while she trained with her glaive, but finally turned to the man as her one-eyed visor appeared. "I can see your power is beyond normal for a human," she said.

"Are you a psichic?" Hakko asked.

"No, I'm the daughter of a mad scientist," she said pointing at the visor. "So, you taught Terry how to use a sword? We could use someone like you here."

Hakko smiled. "I'll have to pass on that offer. I'm only staying in Tokyo for a few days."

"Too bad. Half our team has swords, but they don't know how to use them."

"The fool here's good enough," Hakko said, "he can teach you how to fight."

"I was trained by the Time Guardian herself," Hotaru said, "and I don't use swords, just this glaive."

"I never said I didn't know how to use one of those," Terry muttered.

"The fool's right," Hakko admitted.

"Why are you calling him 'fool'?" Ami asked, letting a bit of upset creep into her voice.

Hakko smiled. "I take it you're his new soulmate."

"I... Suppose," Ami said with a blush.

"If that's the case, he must have taken a shot or two for you already. That's why he's a fool."

"Protecting those one cares about isn't foolish," Hotaru noted.

"Protecting those who don't need protection is," Hakko countered. "What's in your mind?" he said turning to Hana, who'd sat down on one of the benchs as soon as they entered the room, and hadn't spoken one word since then.

"Nothing," Hana lied.

Terry looked at her, and she shrugged. He knew her well enough to know there was, indeed, something in her mind. But he would have to ask her about that later.

* * *

Game Master looked at the two cartridges in his hands and laughed. "If an army of monsters couldn't stop the Senshi, maybe these will. After all, they're both armies on their own." 

As he resumed his evil laughing quirk, there was a knock on the room's door. "Son, is everything okay?" a voice asked from the outside.

"Uhm... Yes, mom, I'm just watching a funny cartoon."

"Okay."

Game Master heard footsteps fading into the distance and sighed in relief. He would have to tune down the maniac laughter bit, otherwise his parents would sooner or later discover his little secret.

* * *

"Warning, unknown entities detected at Kita." 

"Good thing we have the boards," Hotaru noted.

"Let's go," Ami said. "We'll call the others while we're heading there."

Hakko walked to the elevator. "I will be around for a few more days, I'll think about what you said," he looked at Hotaru. "After all, maybe leaving a fool to train you all isn't a good thing."

"Stop calling me that."

"I'll do when you stop being one," Hakko said and walked out.

Terry looked at Hana, then the others. "Okay, girls, we'll catch up with you in a minute."

Ami looked at him for a second before nodding. As the doors closed, he could almost feel a bit of worry in her eyes.

"Okay, what's the problem?" Hana asked.

"You know you can't lie to me," Terry said. "You seem worried about something, can't you tell me what it is?"

"I don't want you to be angry at me."

"It can't be that bad," Terry said.

Hana fell silent for a moment then smiled. "I said I was ready to move on, but now I'm not so sure anymore."

Terry grimaced. "I don't want you to leave because of me."

"I'm not leaving, but I won't be around as much. It doesn't really help me when I see you and her together."

"I understand."

"You're not angry?"

"No," Terry said. "Will you help us today?"

Hana looked down. "Sorry."

Terry nodded. "Well then, I'll see you around."

Hana looked up as he walked into the elevator. She didn't know if she would ever be able to move on, but she knew who to blame for it. If she ever got to see Onara or his friends, she would make sure they felt her pain.

* * *

As they approached their goal, the group could see their enemy was both numerous and strange. 

"Flying jellies?"

Dragon Mercury chuckled at Moon's question. "Metroids."

"Mewhats?"

"Nevermind," the Dragon said. "They're weak to cold, but I bet most of our attacks can bring a lot of them down."

"I can see two stronger signals near," Saturn commented.

"I'll check that out," Moon said.

"I'll tag along," Saturn said.

Dragon Earth nodded. "Me too."

As the others got ready to fight, Dragon Sun came flying to them. "Am I late?"

"We were just starting."

"Wow, Metroids. I wonder if Samus is around?"

Mars shook her head. "I hate gamer talk."

"Talk later, these creatures aren't going to stand there and wait," Mercury said. "Mercury Snow Spray!"

"Mercury Icycle spray!"

The two attacks destroyed about half the Metroids around them, but there were many more floating around the district. "Okay, let's split," Earth said.

"Where's Lilith?"

"No idea," Earth said. "She should join in sooner or later, though. "

* * *

Moon's group had meanwhile found the main attack force. Two figures standing on a rooftop, apparently waiting for them. The one to the left was a humanoid figure in an orange battlesuit, with a blaster attached to its right arm and a red helm that made it look like the creature had no neck. 

The one to the right, a black-clad, masked ninja. "That one's copying Zero," Dragon Earth mused.

"Know them, Saturn?"

"No idea," Saturn said. "I'm not a gamer. And I don't really care who they are, but how fast they can be destroyed."

"Three against two isn't fair," the ninja noted.

The other figure didn't speak, just started shooting energy beams at them.

Saturn deflected the beams coming her way with her glaive. "If those bugs we found first are Metroids, then this girl here must be Samus. "

"Girl? Hard to tell with that armor," Moon commented.

Dragon Earth decided to try his luck against the ninja. "Rock Rose Hold!"

The ninja tried to slash the rose, but its petals closed around it. "Nice trick," he said as he tried to rip the stony flower off his sword's blade. "Time for a trick of mine. Shadows, attack!"

His shadow split in two, and both rose off the ground, turning into dark clones of the ninja. Both clones leapt up at the Dragon, drawing shadowy swords as they ascended.

However, before the shadows hit, they vanished. Dragon Earth looked down at the ninja and noticed the roof had caved in where the ninja had been standing. "Strange..."

"Not strange, lucky," Lilith said. Samus saw the new target and shot at her, but Lilith dodged it. The beam hit Saturn's glaive and bounced back, piercing a hole near Samus' feet. Before the bounty hunter could react, the roof also caved in, sending her falling down a couple floors.

"Okay, enough fooling around," Saturn said. "Wraith's Cry!" The wraith passed through the roof, returning a few seconds later to Saturn, who let a smile creep into her face briefly. "I think we're done here."

a basketball-sized orange sphere fled out of the building, and straight up to the Senshi. It left a couple fist-sized pellets behind before falling onto the roof.

"What are those things?"

Saturn looked at them with her visor. "Bombs!"

"Earth King's Shield!"

The barrier formed a split second before the bombs exploded, but their explosion still managed to knock the Senshi off their boards. Dragon Earth and Moon had their boards catch them, while Saturn jammed her glaive on the building's side to stop her own descent. Lilith, however, didn't reach fast enough, and plummeted down. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she fell into a passing garbage truck.

"I'd rather hit the ground," Saturn commented.

The orange ball expanded, turning back into Samus, who looked at the two still airborne Senshi. Her arm cannon started glowing white, and she pointed it up at them.

Before she could shoot, a figure leapt over the building, stopping in mid-air to leer at her. "Saturn Death Scythe!"

Lilith came flying back just in time to see Samus explode. "Okay, what's next?" Moon looked back in the direction the other group was, and yelped. "What is _that_?"

"It's a... Metroid."

Saturn looked at the building-sized floating jellyfish. "A giant blob with dozens of tentacles. I don't know why, but I'm not too eager to come close to that creature."

* * *

Things had been quite controlled for the other group, until all Metroids decided to fuse into one giant jellyfish. Weird thing about it, was it didn't even move to attack, just floated there. 

Dragon Mercury looked up at the jelly looming over them and then flinched. "I hope it doesn't want a hug."

"Flame Sniper!" The fire arrow hit the Metroid, but it didn't seem to notice.

Mercury scanned the creature and winced at the data she got. "Its skin is immune to magic."

Nemesis sent her spear flying at the monster, and it fled right past it, falling to the ground. "Well, weapons seem to pass through, but I don't think it's affected by them."

Dragon Mercury looked at the creature, then at Nemesis, then smiled. "Okay, maybe your weapons don't. Dragon's Ice Breath!" He tossed a half dozen spheres into the creature, and their gas was released inside it, causing it to freeze in seconds. It started falling down, however, and the Dragon cursed under his breath. "Oops."

"Oops? It's going to turn that building into puree," Mars said.

"Moon Twilight Storm!" The attack caused the massive ice statue to explode, sending tiny ice shards flying all around. "Guess that ends this battle," she added.

"The battle is over, but the war's about to begin,"

"You again?" Moon snapped at the man standing on top of an antenna.

"_That_ is the Game Master?" Dragon Venus asked. "A loon in a Rockman suit?"

"Laugh all you want, because next time, I'll be the one laughing."

"There he goes," Mars muttered as the villain vanished.

"Think he means what he says?" Moon pondered.

"Oh, come on... Next time he'll probably send the ducks from Duck Hunt," Dragon Sun mused.

* * *

Meanwhile, Haruka and Michiru were talking to Sailor Pluto at their house in Koto. 

"They're moving out. I think they may have located the Talismans."

"Then we'll have to stay alert. If they attack, we need to make sure the other Senshi don't interfere."

"What about Saturn?"

"I'll talk to her," Pluto said, "I'm sure she'll help keep your identities unknown."

"Tell her to stay out of our way, too."

"I can't do that."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both," Pluto said. "Give the others a chance, they may be helpful. "

"We can handle this on our own," Haruka said.

"Yeah. We've been dealing with those women for a long time."

Pluto nodded. Things were about to get interesting for the Senshi, indeed.

* * *

**A/N:** The guy with the shadow clones isn't Naruto, it's Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden. 

Next episode's title should say all you need to know about it: Sailor Moon vs. Street Fighter.


	67. Sailor Moon Vs Street Fighter

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 7: Game Master.**

** Episode 67: Sailor Moon vs. Street Fighter.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 24, 2007_

* * *

Usagi followed her prey, as stealthily as possible. She smiled to herself as she kept up with the girl, who was seemingly distracted. Yeah, poor girl had no idea... Though Usagi herself had no idea why she was following the girl instead of just talking to her. 

"You know, if you were going for a surprise attack, you should've remembered I can sense your power from miles away."

The blonde realized her prey wasn't where she'd last seen her anymore, and turned to a seemingly amused face. "Uhm... Hi, Hana."

"Why the stalking?"

"Sorry about that, but you seemed like you were doing a lot of thinking. I didn't want to interrupt you."

"Well, that's a moot point," Hana said. "So, was there anything you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yeah. You haven't been at the gym for three days. What's wrong?"

"I'm not a Senshi."

"You're welcome there, though. Is there anything else bothering you?"

Hana let out a long sigh. "Yeah. I can't stay away from Terry, but at the same time, I still feel something for him. I can't ignore that, no matter how hard I try."

"Have you told him that?"

"Yes. I just don't want what happened before to happen again."

"Running away from your troubles isn't going to solve them."

"I'm not running away."

"You're avoiding them," Usagi said. "I think you need to talk to Ami, you could be her friend if you try."

"I'll try," Hana said, then chuckled. "Guess what they told me about you is right."

"What?"

"That you may look naive and air-headed, but you're quite good at helping people."

"Who said that?"

"Sorry, she said I had to keep it a secret."

Then it was most likely Rei, Usagi realized. "Nevermind. Let's go. "

"Where?"

"To the base, Terry told me to drop by later."

Hana nodded with a smile. Rei was right, in all she had said about Usagi.

* * *

Terry looked away from the two girls fighting as he heard a noise. "Hi, Hana. Thought you said you wanted to be alone." 

"Blame Usagi," Hana said rapidly.

Mako and Karin walked out of the 'arena.' "That's enough training for us."

Terry nodded. "Well, now that we're all here, let me introduce you to someone..."

"Who? I don't see anyone," Usagi noted.

"Aiko, are you there?" Ami asked.

"Affirmative," a voice said from somewhere in the base.

"Aiko?" Rei asked. Just what were the two mad scientists up to now?

"Run Virtual Self program," Terry ordered.

A young girl appeared in the room, and everyone but Ami and Terry gasped. The girl had bluish-blonde hair and dark blue eyes, and her face seemed oddly familiar. She was wearing a knee-long blue dress, and, to make things weirder, she was quite transparent.

"Eek, a ghost!" Usagi shouted.

Terry laughed at that. "That's no ghost, that's Aiko."

"... You gotta be kidding," Brad muttered.

"I agree," Rei said.

"Hmmm... That girl looks..." Naru said, then looked at Ami and Terry. "Like a mix of Terry and Ami's faces."

Usagi shrugged. "Well, they created her, so she's kinda their daughter."

"You're refering to that computer as a 'she'?" Rei noted.

Chie walked around the image. "And here I thought things couldn't get any weirder."

Terry shrugged. "We still have a lot to improve about her. She's lacking a lot of things, and not only in her utility programs..."

"What is it able to do?" Mamoru asked.

"My scanning covers most of the Tokyo city area, I also have full access to the base's security system, and can record your training to review your strong and weak points in case you..."

"Don't do that," Terry said.

"Is there a problem?"

Terry looked at Aiko. He knew it was just a projection, but it still felt weird not talking to her directly. "Yes. Don't answer questions not meant for you."

"Affirmative."

"And stop saying 'affirmative,'" Ami said.

"Okay."

"So it's a human-like Tamagotchi?" Brad asked.

"No, our goal is to create a fully sentient AI. One that has self-awareness and free will."

"You should've called her Hal."

"If I had feelings, I think I'd be upset," Aiko said.

"My father told me about a similar project once," Hotaru said, "And he seemed pretty sure it would be impossible."

"A computer running on magic seemed impossible to me two years ago," Terry said.

"It runs on magic?" Rei asked.

"Yeah, just like Mercury's computer. Uses the air's mana to work, and... It absorbs a very small ammount of our own mana when we're around, and stores what she doesn't use in case she's low in energy. "

"Nice, a mana vampire."

Aiko looked at Hotaru. "A mana battery, actually, just like you all are."

Usagi stared at Aiko. "Well, she looks human, but still... She doesn't blink or breathe, and her face's emotionless."

"A lot like Hotaru when we first met her, huh?" Minako joked.

"Your sense of humor makes no sense," Hotaru muttered.

* * *

"You're running out of time." 

"I'm aware of that," Game Master said to the woman. For some unknown reason, the woman that had 'recruited' him always stayed unseen. He wasn't one to bother asking why, specially considering the power he could feel in her. "I'm bringing the heavy weaponry."

"No more silly characters, I hope?"

"Oh no, this is a group that will surely hit the Senshi hard."

"Good. Remember, if you manage to kill one of them, I'll reward you greatly."

Game Master turned to leave as the woman disappeared, then turned around. Was there someone in the alley besides him? No, it was just his imagination.

As the villain walked away, Pluto watched him from atop a nearby building.

"Can't I join them yet?"

The Time Senshi turned to the voice in the shadows. "You know timelines must remain intact for your future to be preserved. Besides, you'll have an important role in their next war."

The other figure paused for a minute. "So I've heard. I guess I'll continue my training until I can join them."

Pluto nodded. "That you shall," she said, and both vanished.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the base, the crowd had thinned visibly as most of the Senshi had decided to call it a day. Terry was working in the computer, or rather, Aiko's programming, while Ami and Hana talked in the far side of the large room. 

"... And I figured staying away wouldn't help."

"I agree," Ami said. "It would do more bad than good. Our team could use someone with your powers, and you're not a bad person when you're not berserker."

"You don't know any unclaimed guys around, do you?"

Ami smiled. "Not really."

"Unclaimed, nice way to put it," Terry said walking to them. "There are several girls in the group who're not dating anyone, if that helps."

Hana laughed. "I'll stick to guys for now, thank you very much."

"For now?" Terry mused.

"Enemies detected," Aiko said.

"What's their location?"

A map of Tokyo appeared in the screen. Several red dots could be seen in several areas. "Guess they want us to split," Ami said.

"Given how spread-out the enemy forces are, that would be the best solution," Aiko said. "Besides, the energy readings I'm seeing aren't too high, a single Senshi should be able to handle each enemy. "

Terry nodded at Aiko's explanation. "Then let's split. We'll tell the others about it while we go to the closest one."

Ami produced her communicator and sighed as all she got was static. "I think they already know."

* * *

Saturn looked down at the thin man in the flashy yellow shorts. "I was wondering when Game Master would use that game." 

The man turned away from the car he was wrecking and smiled. "Here comes a new challenger..."

Saturn rolled her eyes at him. "As brainless as all the other game critters."

"Yoga Fire!"

The Death Senshi leapt off the roof, dodging the fireball. As she looked around, she noticed Dhalsim was nowhere to be seen. "Oh, I get it."

Dhalsim appeared just behind Saturn and smirked. "Yoga Flame!" As he shot the flame, however, he realized Saturn wasn't there anymore. He teleported just in time to dodge an energy blast, and frowned. "I see this will not be an easy battle."

"I agree."

* * *

Mako barely had time to dodge as the sumo wrestler jumped at her. "For something so fat, he sure moves fast." 

"Who are you calling fat, girlie? Take this!" Honda snapped as he used his trademark hundred hands slap technique.

Mako was knocked back and landed painfully on her butt. She looked around, noticing all civilians had fled the area, and smiled. "Who are you calling 'girly,' freak? Jupiter Twilight Power!"

"Good, I was worried you would die without putting up a fight."

"Shut up and fight."

* * *

"Kiko-Ken!" 

Venus reeled back as the attack hit her. "That hurts, but try this. Morning Star Smash!"

Chun-Li looked at the incoming attack and smiled. "Kiko-Sou!"

"Okay, so you can stop my attacks. Big deal."

"Round two?" Chun-li asked.

Venus nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

"You're in trouble, little girl!" 

Earth looked at the russian wrestler and laughed. "I think you're the one in trouble. Earth Quake Punch!"

Zangief smirked as Earth rushed at him, then sidestepped her and grabbed her arm, using her own momentum to toss her up in the air. He then jumped up and clutched her face, sending her flying down head-first.

Earth stood up groggily and shook her head to recover her bearings. "Okay, this will be fun after all."

"Sure will," Zangief said as he rushed her.

* * *

Lilith looked at the man in front of her amusedly. "Ever been told your hair looks stupid?" 

"I have," Guile said, "and those who said it were in pain for quite some time afterwards."

"I'm not scared."

"You will be. Sonic Boom!"

Lilith looked at the incoming energy attack and smiled as it's trajectory changed, missing her completely. "You missed."

Guile's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered. "Okay, so you can deflect missiles. Try this!" He rushed at her, going for a jab to the jaw, but just as he run, a breeze picked up, carrying an empty glass bottle right into his path. The man didn't see it, and tripped on it, flying over Lilith's head. "Damn it, how did you do that?"

"Luck's a bitch," Lilith noted, "and I can control her."

Guile stood up and smiled. "Then I think I'll enjoy beating two bitches instead of one."

* * *

"Think those two will be any challenge?" 

Kage looked at Brad and shrugged. "No idea." They'd both been in the same area when the enemy had shown up, and were right now looking on as Fei Long and Dee Jay kicked and punched cars to pieces. "I say we kick them down before they know we're here."

"Sound like a plan. Venus Twilight Power!"

"Sun Twilight Power!"

* * *

Cammy sulked through a quite packed area. People stared at her suit, but she didn't quite mind. However, she was tired of waiting for the Senshi to show up. 

"Your cosplay sucks, girl."

Cammy looked at the dark-clad woman that had just appeared in her path. "Who are you?"

"Name's Nova."

"Well, I'm Cammy, and I'm here to fight the Senshi. You're not one of them, so just leave."

"The Senshi are my friends," Nova said, "so I think I'll have to stay."

"Suits you. Cannon Drill!"

Nova smiled as she shot a telekinetic blast. Cammy was sent flying over a car, landing in a quite painful way. "Oh, I know where you're from now."

"Good, now shut up and fight."

Nova floated up and glared at Cammy. "Okay."

* * *

Mars winced as she rubbed her leg. That man, whoever he was, wasn't a pushover. She could tell it was one of those videogame characters, but just what game was it? 

Her opponent started walking to her, looming over her as he stopped. "Give up and I'll kill you quickly."

"Burning Soul!" The surprise attack worked, as it sent the tall man flying back several meters, and out of the temple grounds. "Good, now I can kick his ass without worrying about the temple."

Thunder Hawk stood up just as Mars reached him. "I see, so you can put up a fight after all."

Mars smiled and produced her bow. "Let me show you."

* * *

"You know, I thought the plan was not getting involved." 

Neptune leapt over an energy blast and looked at Uranus. "We can't let these two wreck our neighbourhood either."

Uranus dodged the claw-wielding man's leaping attack and grabbed him by the mask, tossing him into a trashcan. "Well, then I guess we should end this quick. World..." Uranus's fist lit up as she reeled it back, then she punched the ground with all her might. "... Shaking!" A blast of air shot forwards at ground level, hitting the can and sending it flying right into a brick wall. "Still alive?"

Vega crawled out of the wrecked can, his hair a display of garbage. "I'm going to slice you in half for that."

Meanwhile, Neptune turned to look at their other foe, Sagat. "For a videogame character, you're not too weak."

"And you haven't seen anything yet," Sagat said. "Tiger Knee!"

Neptune ducked as Sagat tried to knee her face, and summoned her new attack. "Deep Submerge!" A watery ball hit Sagat dead on, sending him down to the ground. "As a matter of fact, I've seen the game you're from, so I know what to expect."

Sagat stood up and charged at her again without a word.

* * *

"A boxer and an ugly moron," Dragon Mercury said. "Game Master must be running out of good troops." 

The green creature jumped up in the air as he growled and grunted incoherently, while the boxer just glared at them.

"Blanka and Balrog, so the other enemies must be the rest of the Street Fighters," Ami noted. "I don't think I have enough melee skills to fight them."

"Then just blast that green thing from afar. I'll take care of Balrog."

"I like that plan," Mercury admitted. Blanka growled at her, and she shook her head. "Will all his minions be weird?"

"We're talking about videogame characters," Dragon Mercury noted.

Mercury nodded. "Was afraid you'd say that."

* * *

Dragon Earth tried to stab his foe, but the blond man leapt away. This wasn't the best date he'd been at, but at least they were having fun. 

Moon was, meanwhile, trying to hit Ryu with her disc. The fighter simply kept on using his Hadoken technique to bounce the disc back, and the fight had turned into a contest to see who would tire down first.

Unknown to them all, Game Master was looking at this particular fight from atop a nearby building. "I don't think Moon can defeat Ryu, but just in case... You two go next."

"Those two losers will at least tire Sailor Moon down," one of the figures behind Game Master said.

"So it will be easy to finish her off," the other one added.

Game Master laughed. "Indeed... This is game over for the Senshi."

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know, this took me a while to write. I just kept finding other things to do besides finishing this one. As you see, this one game will take more than one episode to beat... And is proving to be an actual challenge for a change. 

As for Aiko... I think every group of superheroes need a sentient computer. She's not sentient yet, but give'er time.


	68. New Challengers

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 7: Game Master.**

** Episode 68: New Challengers.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 30, 2007_

* * *

"Sonic Boom!" 

Lilith chuckled as the energy blast missed her. "I guess you're out of luck."

Guile looked around. It was clear what his enemy's powers were, and in the middle of a city, she had more than enough weapons available to defeat him. And also, his attacks, either melee or ranged, didn't work against her.

Lilith rose an eyebrow as Guile laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, but I would move if I were you."

Lilith looked up and saw a disc antenna falling towards her. "Shit." She leapt aside, barely missing being crushed under it, but that also let her open for an attack.

"Bad move. Sonic Boom!"

The lucky Senshi was sent crashing into a car and coughed as she tried to stand up. "Rotten luck..."

"Time to end this," Guile snapped as he prepared for another energy blast.

Lilith looked at him, a thin white aura around her. "I agree. Lilith Twilight Power!"

Guile's jaw dropped, he was sure whatever that Senshi was doing, it would mean pain was coming his way.

As the transformation ended, Lilith stared at Guile. "Hmmm... Still no energy blasts to throw, too bad."

"Hah! And you can't use your luck powers. I win."

The lucky Senshi smiled at that. "That's where you're wrong."

Guile didn't really understand what she meant until the concrete around him cracked, sending him falling face-first into the foul-smelling sewere waters below. He recoved quick, however, and leapt back out, glaring at Lilith. "Luck or not, you're going down. "

Lilith didn't bother answering, instead she rushed at Guile, delivering a powerful punch to his chest. Guile tried to kick her away, but slipped as his boots were still wet, and fell back. Lilith kicked him back up, sending him flying up and right towards an iron fence.

Guile was still stunned by the hits, but felt the pain of something drilling its way through his stomach all too well. "How..."

"Simple," Lilith said, "I know luck alone isn't enough to win, so I have some brawl to back it up." As Guile's body vanished, she walked away, wondering if the others had any trouble facing their opponents.

* * *

Nova's battle was almost too easy. Cammy couldn't really hit her as she constantly phased out of the way or knocked her away with psi blasts. 

"It's a pity," Nova said, "but this battle's going to end now."

As Nova started gathering energy, Cammy smiled. "Not yet, girl. Time to play my triumph card."

Nova heard that at almost the same time she felt a pair of feet slamming into her back. She was sent staggering forwards and didn't have time to turn around before something else hit her, knocking her to the ground.

Cammy looked on as the twins Juni and Juli used Nova as a punching bag. After a minute of onslaught, the twins both kicked Nova up, and right to Cammy's location. Cammy leapt up, delivering a powerful kick that sent Nova crashing through a building.

"Well, she wasn't that hard," Juni said.

"Yeah, what a weak girl that was," Juli agreed.

Cammy was about to say something, when she noticed a glow behind the building her foe had crashed into. "Girls, watch..." It was too late, as Nova appeared floating over the twins, shooting an invisible blast which sent them both flying up. The blond watched in shock as Juni and Juli were frozen in mid-air, then turned to glare at Nova. "Let them go!"

"As you wish," Nova said, and sent the two flying down, dragging Cammy with them. "And now, as I was saying before you cheated, this battle's going to end now." She aimed her hand at the trio of army girls, and the blast this time came from below them, cracking the concrete and vaporizing them.

As she got ready to leave, however, she remembered the crowd that had been watching the battle, from a safe distance. They started cheering at her, so she smiled and waved at them before leaving.

* * *

"Is everything okay out there?" 

Seia looked at the General's face in her tank's screen. He seemed a bit worried, most likely about Mako. "Yes sir, Jupiter seems to have everything under control in this area."

"What about the others?"

"Reports indicate Lilith and Nova already took care of two other threats, but the rest of the Senshi are still fighting."

"Inform me if anything else happens," Kino said.

Seia opened her tank's hatch and looked out. She smiled as the fat sumo wrestler scrambled by, followed by a massive electric dragon. "I don't think these Street Fighter guys can stand against the Senshi," she said to herself. Just then, there was a zapping noise and the area right behind a building lit up. Jupiter walked out from around it and to Seia. "Done playing games?"

Jupiter shrugged. "They really look tougher in the games."

"Maybe because you use the same level of power in those. Whoever's using these game characters to fight, is quite desperate."

"Or insane," Jupiter noted.

* * *

As Zangief's body vanished, Earth sensed her communicator. "Huh? Aiko?" 

"All the team's done with their fighting. Go to the place marked in this map as soon as possible, Moon may need your help."

Earth looked at the map shown in her comm and growled. "Gee, that's on the other side of the city."

* * *

As the other battles raged on, Moon and Dragon Earth faced a quite even battle. Difference was, the enemy didn't seem to run out of energy, no matter how many energy blasts they threw, but Moon and the Dragon were already feeling the exhaustion from the long battle. 

After dodging a couple energy blasts, Moon decided to risk running out of juice, and summoned her crystal. "Moon Twilight Storm."

Ryu and Ken looked at the incoming attack and did their attack's movements in unison. "Hadoken!"

The two blasts seemed to fuse as they spun around each other, creating a massive blast that knocked the disc away, and hit both Moon and Dragon Earth, sending them crashing to the ground rather violently.

"I think it's time to get rid of them," Ryu said.

Ken nodded. "Let's do it, pal."

"Hadoken!"

"Hadoken!"

Again, the blast formed was quite large, but this time, something got in the way of it. "Death Scythe!"

Moon cringed as Saturn was knocked back by the explosion she had caused. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Saturn said as she kneeled on the ground. "But my fight with that freak Dhalsim drained me."

"Good, now we can kill three of them in one shot," Ken said.

"Nightmare Shot!"

Saturn looked up to see Bison, Akuuma and Game Master fall off a quite tall building. "Heh. Guess that's where Nemesis was."

Game Master looked up at the building. "Damn it, I didn't think Senshi would do such dishonorable things."

Nemesis leapt off the building, landing quite near the others. "What can I say, I'm a Senshi of Darkness, shadows fit me better."

Ryu glared at the Senshi. "I'm growing tired of you kids. Hadoken!"

"Flame Sniper!"

The flame arrow destroyed Ryu's energy ball, and the villains looked on as the rest of the Senshi team reached their battleground. "Okay, this doesn't look so fun," Ken commented.

Ryu looked at Akuuma and Bison. "Let's try a combo."

"The four of you together?" Game Master said. "That sounds like fun. "

"Guys, attack them before they hit us," Mercury said.

"Too late," Ryu said. "Hadoken!"

"Hadoken!"

"Hadoken!"

"Psycho Crusher!"

The three energy balls fused with Bison's aura as he turned into a human missile. The explosion resulting from the impact sent most of the Senshi flying. Moon, Mars and Mercury were the only ones to stagger up, as the rest was in too much pain to move.

"I guess... These idiots aren't pushovers after all," Mars commented.

Mercury nodded. "Our attacks could work, but we are low in energy already."

Nova appeared in the scene just then. "Hmm, I see I got here right in time." She looked at Bison and smirked. "Oh, I just dealt with your girlfriend, I guess I'll have to take care of you too."

"Can she beat them all?" Moon asked as Nova started trading energy blasts with the villains.

"I don't think she can," Mars said, "but she's distracting them."

"Still, we may not be able to kill them all before we run out of energy," Mercury said.

Moon looked at her friends, then at the villains, and something in her mind clicked, a memory of the past. "What about the Stardust Stream attack?"

"The what?" Mars asked, then blinked. "Wait, I remember now. I don't know if we can use it at this level, but it's worth a try."

Mercury nodded, she could remember using that attack in the past as well. "Let's do it. Sailor... Her hands lit up as small ice crystals circled them, and she aimed at the enemy.

"Stardust..." Moon's hands also lit up, as well as her crystal.

"... Stream..." Mars said. Her hands were blurred by a bright red fire.

"Hit!" The three shouted in unison.

Bison heard the shout at the same time the others did, and turned just in time to see a massive, multi-colored energy beam coming their way. "I don't need psychic powers to foresee pain for us."

Nova reeled back in the air as the attack hit its mark, causing an explosion that left a neat, wide crater where the fighters had been. "Okay, it's official, I'm never messing with you girls."

Moon smiled then fell to her knees. "That was cool... But tiring."

"I agree," Mars said as she leaned on a wall.

"Fifteen thousand power units," Mercury said idly. "I wonder if our power even has a limit."

"I hope not," Earth said as she staggered up, "but I also hope I don't have to go blond to get stronger at some point." That caused the others to laugh despite their exhaustion.

"Guess what, Game Master escaped," Dragon Sun said. "Are villains always this predictable?"

"Or more," Saturn said.

* * *

Neptune looked at the area around them. "Hmmm... Think we could've dealt with them without so much property damage?" 

Uranus stared at the dented walls, crushed cars and toppled trees and nodded. "Probably, but it wouldn't have been fun."

"Point taken. Let's go home before those witches come to play."

* * *

Game Master sulked around his room. It just wasn't possible, how could the Senshi defeat such skilled fighters? He'd have to come up with a very good plan for next time. Maybe if he... Yes, that would be perfect. 

As he laughed, there was a knock on his door. "Son, are you okay?"

"Uh... Yes mom, I just remembered a joke they told me once..."

As Game Master's mother walked back to the kitchen, she sighed. "I'm worried about him."

"Oh, let him be," Game Master's father said. "He's just playing games, it's not like he's trying to take over the world or anything like that."

* * *

**A/N:** The "Double Hadoken" bit was first seen in the Street Fighter movie (the anime one, not the Van Damme pseudo-movie.) 

I know I left most of the SF characters out of the spotlight this one episode, but I didn't want this episode to get too long and too repetitive (there's not that many ways to kill a person with elements without going for upgrades I don't want to use yet.)

What's the Game Master's plan for next episode? Wait and you'll see, I'm sure it won't disappoint you.


	69. Game City

** Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 7: Game Master.**

** Episode 69: Game City.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: September 17, 2007_

* * *

Three days after the attack of the Street Fighters, some of the Senshi were at the base, resting while they could. 

"Game Master's a joke."

Ami shook her head at Karin's statement. "That last battle wasn't so easy, at least for me."

"I know, but still... I don't think he'll get better."

"I hope he doesn't," Chie said.

"I wonder why he didn't use Mario, Sonic or Rockman yet," Terry said.

"Maybe he's saving the best for last," Rei said. "All villains we faced so far did that."

"The worse is, we don't know who he is," Usagi noted.

"Maybe he's an alien with no human identity?"

"Why the visor, then?"

Ami nodded at that, Usagi was making a very good point. "I've considered all options, and the Game Master must be someone who likes games a lot, with either enough money to build whatever is needed to bring those characters to life, or magical powers."

"You're the one," Brad joked pointing at Terry.

"I'm not... Or am I?" Terry said in an ominous voice.

"All jokes aside," Ami said, "I really have no clue who Game Master is."

"Guess we should wait, sooner or later we'll figure it out," Usagi said.

* * *

Things in Tokyo were quite calm, not counting the pyro with the flamethrower that had robbed a bank and was, right now, fighting the police on his way out. "This is your last warning, put the money and your weapon down or else..." the warning was interrupted by a jet of flames that forced everyone to duck out of the way. 

Nova had been watching the 'show' for the last minute or so, and had been about to give that freak a lesson, when something else caught her attention.

A group of strange airships were flying over the city, apparently in a dogfight. First thing she noticed about them was, they were shooting laser beams as they fled. Then she realized where she'd seen them before. "X-Wings? Tie Fighters?"

The flamethrower psycho turned to look at Nova. "Oh, look, it's the flying bitch."

"That's Miss Flying Bitch for you," Nova said, still looking up, "and I don't have time for you right now, hothead."

"Like hell you..."

Nova saw one of the ships shooting at her, and phased out of the way. As she appeared in another rooftop, she could hear and explosion, and realized things were really heating up for the pyromaniac. The laser had surely pierced the fuel tanks and ignited them at the same time.

* * *

Watching his troops attack the city, Game Master couldn't help but laugh. "The Senshi are an army, so I guess I should stop sending small squads against them." He snapped his fingers, and a few dozen koopas appeared. "Go, my monsters, and destroy Tokyo!"

* * *

"There, I think I'm done with the language upgrades," Ami announced. "Aiko?" 

"Yes mom?"

Ami blushed. "Guess some quirks remain."

"That's no quirk, you are the one who created me."

"Her logic's flawless," Karin joked. "She really got some of your traits, huh?"

"Her talking will sound more human now."

"Acknowledged," Brad said in a robotlike voice.

Aiko suddenly looked up. "Game Master's attacking the city."

"What district?"

"They're all over the city," Aiko said. "I estimate a total of over nine hundred entities."

"That's a lot of videogame critters," Minako muttered. "Okay, I guess it's time to kick some pixels."

"Kick some..." Terry groaned. "Minako, Brad's influence is bad for you."

"She loves my bad puns," Brad said. "Or is it the wallet?"

"Come on, guys, we shouldn't let those critters cause any damage to the city," Minako said and rushed to the elevator.

"It's the wallet," Terry whispered with a grin. Brad just shrugged.

* * *

"You're firing at what?" 

"X-Wings," Seia answered. "But we're outnumbered everywhere. There's a group of creatures at every part of the city right now."

"Where are the Senshi?" the General asked through the comm.

"Ice Wyrm!"

Seia looked up to the sky and saw a massive winged lizard gnawing on a Tie Bomber's metal. "They've just arrived, sir."

* * *

Earth, Lilith and Jupiter stared at the army they were facing incredulously. A group of trolls and goblins wielding massive clubs and axes wasn't something they saw everyday, but what actually surprised them was who the creature leading this attack was. 

"Attack!" Link shouted as he charged the two Senshi.

"Great, an elven Robin Hood wannabe and his army of merry bugs," Earth muttered.

"They're outnumbering us five hundred to one."

"Love the odds," Lilith commented.

* * *

Venus and Dragon Venus were facing a similar situation, but in their case, the army they were facing was metallic. Dozens of robots shaped like bees, beetles and other animals, and a group of strange animals was apparently leading them. 

"So, are those who I think they are?" Venus asked.

The Dragon nodded. "Sonic and friends. But I wonder where Robotnik is?"

Just then, an UFO-like ship appeared, filled with laser cannons and rockets. The bald man inside looked at the two Senshi and laughed tauntingly.

"Brad, shut it," Venus muttered.

"Charge!" Sonic shouted, and the robots all rushed to the two heroes.

* * *

Mars, Mercury and Saturn had, meanwhile, found a third group of creatures. It was quite an army of androids, lead by one they all knew. 

"Are you ready to die, Senshi?" Rockman asked.

"Death? I can tell you a thing or two about it," Saturn said. "Skip the taunting and let's end this."

"Willybots, destroy them," Breakman ordered.

* * *

As all the battles raged on at ground level, some of the Senshi were keeping the spaceships flying around the city busy. It wasn't an easy task, as there were one too many spaceships, and not enough Senshi. 

Dragon Mercury looked on as his wyrm blasted a half dozen space invaders' ships to dust, then grimaced as a massive UFO floated his way.

"Phoenix?" Dragon Sun asked looking up at the ship.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Dragon Mercury noted. "I found Moon Cresta's ship a few minutes ago."

"It's like an old-school paradise."

"It would be, if these ships weren't bent on wrecking the city."

"And wrecking us, too."

Dragon Mercury turned to the voice and smiled. "Hi, Nova."

Bird-like spaceships started coming out of the large UFO, and lazily floated towards the trio. "Please..." Nova muttered and concentrated.

Sun flinched as he saw the ships explode. "That was fast."

The UFO dropped a few dozen more ships, and Dragon Mercury sighed. "Guess this will take a while."

* * *

Moon stood up and shook her head to recover from the dizziness. As she did, she saw a few bomb-like creatures slowly walking to her. "I won't fail for that twice," she muttered. "Moon Tiara Action!" The tiara blasted the bombs, and she took the chance to look around the battlefield. 

Nemesis and Dragon Earth were busy fighting the koopas, who were admittedly too many for them. Meanwhile, Mario, Luigi and that ugly turtle monster watched the battle amusedly.

"Moon Disc Spiral!"

Bowser shot a flame blast from his mouth, knocking the disc away. "You can't hurt us, little girl."

"So you say..." She focused for a second, then smiled. "Let's see if you can handle this. Moon Twilight Storm!"

Yoshi, the green dino Mario was riding, opened his mouth and ate the attack. Moon's eyebrow twitched as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Mario's pet is hungry," Bowser said.

"Maybe we should-a let him eat-a fried Senshi?"

"Sounds fun," Luigi said. Both Mario brothers took fiery flowers from their pockets.

"Crap, this is bad," Moon noted.

"It's-a time to play!" Mario said as he shot a fireball at Moon. The other two followed suit, and soon they were using Moon as a practice target.

* * *

"Sir, things aren't looking good," Seia noted. "The Senshi are clearly outnumbered, and we're trying to help, but we need more troops." 

"I'm sending all our men there," Kino said. "And the police forces are also going to help."

"About time they did something."

* * *

Game Master had observed all the battles, and knew his plan was working. The Senshi would, most likely, defeat this invasion fleet, but they would waste most of their energy doing so. So all he'd have to do was rush in and kill as many Senshi as possible before they recovered. 

Yes, this time around, his plan was perfect. He would not... His mind was brusquely knocked off his brooding as he was knocked off his feet by an energy blast. Looking up, he could see the annoying alien twins floating there, smiling at him. "You pests, don't you know who I am?"

"Indeed," Ail said, "you're Rockman's dumber brother."

Game Master didn't bother snapping back, just shot a massive energy wave at them. As the wave passed, there was no traces of the alien twins. "Heheh... I didn't think they'd fall so fast."

"We didn't," Ann snapped from behind. "There's such a thing as short-range teleportation, you know?"

Game Master nodded. "Indeed... But I don't have time to play with you right now. Begone!"

As Game Master snapped his fingers, a few dozen assorted flying monsters appeared, rushing at the twins. The villain walked away as his pets dealt with the twins. "Now, let's see if any of the Senshi is still standing..."

* * *

"Burning Soul!" 

The fire blast smashed into Iceman dead on, killing him instantly. Mars looked around and saw Mercury and Saturn both kneeling on the ground. True, Iceman was the last of the Willybots, but Rockman and his allies were now walking to them.

"Man, I hoped they'd have some energy left," Rockman complained.

"Just kill them and let's look for other Senshi to fight," Breakman said.

A small, round airship floated in, and a voice came from it. "You stupid robots, leave the Senshi to me!"

"No way, Willy."

"My robots did all the dirty work for you, blue moron."

"Wanna fight?" Rockman snapped as he pointed his blaster arm at Willy's ship.

Mars looked at Mercury and Saturn, but both shook their heads. She had little energy left to go, but she had to do something. It was clear once the smoke cleared in the argument Rockman and Willy were having, the winner would finish them off.

"... And besides you're a loser, you've always..."

"She's shining."

"Who?" Rockman asked Willy. Was this a distraction tactic?

"Sailor Mars," Breakman said. "She's shining."

Rockman risked turning around and saw that, indeed, Mars had a red aura around her. "Damn. This is all Willy's fault."

"Mars Star Power!"

"Guess this battle is over," Saturn commented.

"Damn it," Rockman muttered as his armor turned cyan. "Eat ice, magma breath!"

Mars looked at the incoming ice blast dismissively. "Fire..." Her hands were awash with flames, and she kneeled, her palms touching the ground as she completed the phrase. "Tornado!"

Mercury had to admit, the attack was impressive. A small flame cone had appeared where Mars touched the ground, growing in size as it rushed forwards, soon becoming a large fire vortex that run over Rockman's attack, then did the same with him and his allies.

"Okay, that's dealt with, now..." Mars started but stopped as a familiar figure appeared in front of them. "You?"

Game Master chuckled. "You Senshi are so easy to fool. You and your friends are tired now, so I'll finish the job myself."

* * *

**A/N:** I really hope I was vague enough last episode to surprise everyone with Game Master's newest plan. Will he succeed this time around? We may find out next episode... Or not. 


	70. Level Up

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 7: Game Master.**

** Episode 70: Level Up.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 12, 2007_

* * *

Everywhere he looked at, he could see a battle raging. It was both amazing and frightening, to see this many creatures flying, running or crawling around the city, and they were all from videogames. 

But he knew better than exposing themselves to their rage. For some reason, they hadn't caused much material damage other than setting a few cars and trees aflame in his area.

"Looks bad, doesn't it?" He asked turning to the only other living being in the room.

"I trust the Senshi to deal with this," the small creature said.

"Yeah, me too, Luna. After all, my sister's one of them."

Luna walked to the window and looked up at the sky. Dragon Sun was just done destroying a small group of Space Invaders ships, and was ascending to meet what seemed like spaceships out of Galaga. "I'm quite uneasy about this... Videogame characters shouldn't be so hard to beat."

"You don't play videogames a lot, do you Luna?"

Luna looked at Shingo. "No fingers make that quite hard for me, you know?"

"I suppose," Shingo said and turned back to staring out the window.

Luna walked out of the room and headed for the kitchen, but something made her stop dead in her track. She looked around and seeing Ms. Tsukino wasn't looking at her, she swiftly leapt out the window.

If what she'd felt was true, the Senshi would need her help this time.

* * *

Game Master stood waiting, arms crossed, for any of the Senshi to move. "Come on, girls, you can't all be that tired." 

Mars didn't bother answering, instead rushing forwards to tackle him. Her opponent was ready for that, and leapt out of the way, shooting a small energy blast that hit her midsection, sending her crashing down to the ground face-first.

That, however, left him open for an attack. "Grim Edge."

Game Master spun just in time to see the attack heading his way, and quickly summoned an energy shield. He kept an eye on both Mars and Saturn as he waited for their next move.

What he had failed to see, was that Mercury wasn't kneeling on the ground anymore, and had moved right behind him. "Hail Snare!"

Mars stood up just in time to see Game Master falling down, his armor going a deep cyan as ice started forming on it. "Nice going, Ami."

Mercury nodded. "The advantage of not being the fighty type, is that most enemies will tend to overlook my actions when in a brawl of sorts."

Game Master vanished from under the net, reappearing a few meters away. "I didn't think you had any energy left to go," he admitted. "But now, playtime is over, I'll..."

An unseen force hit him just as he was gloating, sending him skipping forwards. Before he could recover, he was hit with a greenish blast of water, which sent him rolling forwards a few meters.

"What was that?" Mars asked.

"There," Mercury said and pointed. Two figures could be seen in a nearby alley, their forms obscured by the shadows. The figures vanished into the shadows before she could get a reading of them, and he frowned. "Wonder who they are?"

"No idea," Saturn lied. Wind and water, it was obvious who they were, but she couldn't tell the others. Not yet, at least.

Game Master staggered up again. "Okay, if we're done with the backstabbing, then..."

This time, it was a golden energy beam that hit Game Master. As the Senshi turned, the three could see a dark-haired woman clad in a golden dress that somehow reminded them of the suits they wore. "It's Mystery Senshi Day or what?" Mars muttered.

The figure didn't bother answering, instead she rushed at Game Master and knocked him into a fountain, leaping up just in time to avoid the water herself. She landed on top of a liquor store, winked at the fallen villain, then dashed away.

"What the... I'm going to kill that bitch!" Game Master snarled, forgetting about the three Senshi, and fled after his newfound opponent.

"So... Now what?" Saturn asked.

"We leave before he remembers he was about to kill us," Mars said.

* * *

As he slashed a robot down, he risked looking to his side. Minako was doing the best she could to fight, but there were enough robots to keep them both busy, and Sonic's speed made it unlikely for them to hit him. And then, there were his allies to take care of as well. 

Dragon Venus looked on as Venus barely dodged Sonic's rolling dash. She was agile, indeed, but... "Oh, I got it. Mina, here's some help. Swift!"

Venus felt something different in her body as magic surrounded her, but realized she didn't have time to figure out what the spell did. As she looked at Sonic's form rolling at her, however, she could actually see the hedgehog, as if he were moving at normal speed.

"Go Mina!" Dragon Venus cheered as Venus dodged Sonic's charge with a speed no human could reach, kicking the hedgehog away before he could react. Tails tried his best to help, but his speed was nothing compared to Venus now.

The Dragon saw Robotnik aiming his ship's cannons at Venus' general direction and grimaced. He had almost forgotten that fat bastard, but he was sure he could stop him from interfering. "Inferno!"

Tails turned and froze as he saw Robotnik's ship surrounded by flames. As the fire faded, the ship was just a pile of molten metal. "Guess the old man's a gonner."

"Twilight V-Laser!"

Sonic was once again going to attack Venus, but stopped in shock as he saw her attack smash through Tails' chest. As the two-tailed fox vanished, the hedgehog growled in anger.

"Oh crap," Dragon Venus muttered. "Mina, beat him before..."

The warning came late, as Sonic's fur became golden, his spikes grew larger, and he dashed at Venus once again. But this time, not even the Dragon's speed spell helped her dodge, and Sonic hit her several times before finishing his barrage with a kick to the chest that sent the Light Senshi smashing through a building.

"Why you..." Dragon Venus snapped. "Light Rain!"

Sonic dodged the attack and laughed. "Your attacks are too slow, kid. "

As Sonic charged, the Dragon smirked. "I don't need to attack you. Light Shield!" Sonic smashed head-on into the shield, bouncing back as the Dragon prepared another attack.

"Morning Star Smash!"

Dragon Venus looked to the side as Sonic vanished. "Mina, are you okay?"

"I'm..." Venus started but then kneeled on the ground, her suit fading. "That barrage hurt more than I thought," she said.

"Okay, let me heal you."

"We don't have time for that, we have to help..." Venus started then coughed up some blood.

"You can't help anyone like that. Heal."

Venus sighed as Brad's spell slowly healed her body. "I should've known it would end like this, videogames always kick my rear."

* * *

Up in the sky, the battle was almost over, as not many enemy ships or aircrafts were left. "Think we can leave the rest to the army?" Dragon Mercury asked. 

"Why, tired of playing already?" Dragon Sun asked back. "No, but I want to check on Ami, they may need our help down there... Aren't you worried about Hotaru?"

"Why should I, she can take care of herself."

Ail appeared near them. "I've already talked to Rakurai. She said, and I quote, 'don't worry, we can take care of what's left in the sky. It's not like we're useless.'"

"I don't think they're useless," Dragon Sun said, "but they often, like the saying goes, bring a sword to a gunfight."

"Swords are useful in a gunfight, once you're out of ammo," Dragon Mercury countered.

Nova fled to them. "Leave your chatter for later, I'm detecting a massive energy beacon moving towards Moon's location."

"Big bad boss is coming out to play." Dragon Sun noted.

Nova nodded. "That sums it up."

* * *

Jupiter cartwheeled to dodge an axe, punching one of the creatures right through a parked car, then groaned. "I do love brawls, but just where are all these green things coming from?" 

Earth was just done kicking a troll away, and she took a moment to catch her breath. "I don't know. Maybe if we had Mercury's scanning..."

Lilith looked up in time to see a couple arrows flying at her. Fortunately, a goblin was rushing at her just then, so she grabbed it and used it as a meat shield. "I love luck."

"Yeah, but that elf bastard is sniping us while we fight these monsters," Earth said.

Jupiter nodded. "Sooner or later, one of those arrows will hit its mark. We need to find a way to get rid of him and the monsters."

They had been, all the while, fighting the seemingly endless army of monsters. One of the creatures tried to chop at Jupiter, but she stopped the axe with her hands (it was a good thing the modified gloves were that strong,) then snatched it off the monster's hands and slashed it in half before it could figure out what was going on. She then tossed the axe at an incoming monster, its blade neatly cutting through its skull and killing it instantly.

Another creature came rushing at her, a large, fat orc. Jupiter simply kicked its groin, sending it barrelling up and out of sight.

Again, a rain of arrows came from above. It came closer to hitting them, and the three Senshi gathered as the creatures advanced on them. "Damn, that guy's annoying."

"Maybe if we can bring him down to ground level..." Lilith noted.

Earth smirked. "That's a good plan." She rushed at the nearest goblin, grabbing its arm before it could dodge, and swung it up, smashing it into the wall near link. "Chie, a little luck would help. "

Lilith nodded. "Gotcha." Earth used another 'goblin missile,' and this time the goblin hit right below Link's position at the rooftop. The elf staggered as the roof started to give in, and fell down a good five stories.

"That must hurt," Jupiter noted.

"It's not done yet... Thanks for the help, by the way."

"What do you..." Jupiter started, then saw the one orc she'd sent flying up coming back down, straight to where Link was. There was a loud boom as the creature hit the ground, raising a small cloud of dust and cracking the concrete near the landing spot. "Neat."

As the dust cleared, however, Link wasn't under the orc, but on top of its corpse. He didn't waste a second, using the three Senshi's surprise to his advantage. He shot several arrows at them, and both Lilith and Earth fell down.

Jupiter had been hit too, one arrow had pierced her flesh near her left shoulder, but as she looked back, she saw Earth and Lilith had been hit by several arrows each.

Link smiled thriumphantly, until he noticed Jupiter's body shining. "They told me you weren't very bright, but now I see they were wrong, " he mused.

Jupiter didn't bother answering, she pulled the arrow off as electric arcs encased her. "Jupiter Star Power!"

Link looked around and saw all his 'soldiers' cowering back. "What are you doing? Attack!"

"Wraith's Cry!"

As Saturn's attack drained all his troopers, Link realized he was clearly outnumbered. "Four to one is not fair."

"Says the one who was a hundred to one a minute ago," Saturn countered.

Mars started summoning her attack, but Mercury shook her head. "Rei, leave this one to Mako. I think she'll take care of him in a few seconds."

As if to confirm Mercury's words, Jupiter's transformation ended. The Lightning Senshi didn't stop to look at her new suit, instead rushing at Link.

Link reached for an arrow, but stopped as he saw Jupiter's body shine again. "What the..."

Jupiter leapt at Link with still a few dozen meters left, and as she did, electricity gathered around her, forming a sort of shield around her, shaped like a dragon's head. "Lightning Kick!"

The elf screamed in pain as the kick connected with his chest. The dragon head lunged forwards, as all the electric power in it was knocked into his body. He was gone even before Jupiter fell down from her kick, leaving the electric arcs to crack the concrete for a few second before they also vanished.

Jupiter turned back to see Saturn already taking care of Lilith and Earth, and sighed in relief. "Hey, are you two okay?"

"Yeah, luckily those arrows didn't hit any vital organs," Lilith noted.

"I just got a message from Aiko," Mercury said walking to the others, "every threat has been dealt with except for..."

"Let me guess, Usagi's not done with her foe yet?"

Mercury looked at Mars amusedly. "How did you know?"

"Maybe because that's how it always goes," Mars said. "We go to help her, we get our rears kicked, then she powers up and saves the day. "

"You say it like we are in some kind of kids' toon," Lilith mused.

"By the way, why did the orcs stop appearing?" Jupiter asked.

"No idea," Mercury admitted. "Maybe because you killed Link."

As the group walked away, Luna looked at them from atop a tree. "Sometimes it doesn't feel right lying to them."

"We're not lying, we're just not telling them the whole truth," Artemis said. "So, was it fun to use that power again?"

"Sort of... You should've seen Game Master's face when he lost me. It's easy to escape when they're looking for a human and they only find a cat."

"You could've defeated Game Master," Shade noted.

"But we can't return possessed creatures to normal," Artemis said. "She would need one of the Senshi for that, and would have to explain a thing or two... Or lie."

Luna nodded. "And as I said, I hate lying to them."

* * *

**A/N:** Before I get mauled for not including Knuckles here: Know your game history, Knuckles wasn't introduced until 1994, and though Amy Rose was already around, I don't remember her being a playable (or _likeable_) character back then. 

As for Link... He's not in my favorites list, but also not in my hated list. While I've played Zelda games, the ones I've played are those from back in the early 90's.

Next episode's the last for the Game Master arc. If you still didn't figure out who the villain really is, you're in for a _big_ surprise.


	71. Boss Battle

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 7: Game Master.**

** Episode 71: Boss Battle.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 15, 2007_

* * *

Nemesis was pretty sure that, after this battle was over, she would never touch a Mario game again. She'd been bitten, stomped on, and sent flying away by explosions more times than she could count already, and the army of koopas just kept on attacking. 

And as far as she could tell, Mario and Luigi were shielded. Moon's attacks were absorbed by Yoshi whenever she used them, and the dinosaur had shown he could spit the blasts back at her on a whim. While the army of koopas wasn't strong on its own, it was also a never-ending flood, and she could see what they were trying to do.

A few fire blasts hissed by, missing her face by mere milimeters, and she once again focused in the battle. She leapt up, summoning her spear as she did. "Nightmare Shot!" The spear jammed into the concrete as she fell, releasing tendrils of darkness in all directions, and momentarily clearing the area of their minor problem.

She saw Bowser shoot a large fireball at Moon, which got dodged. Dragon Earth tried to rush at Bowser, only to get fire-blasted back by Mario and Luigi.

Moon glared at their foes, her body shining. "I'm tired of fighting stupid game characters," she snapped, "specially those who cheat. Moon Star Power!"

Luigi and Bowser backed away, but Mario laughed. "It's-a useless, girl. Yoshi will eat everything you shoot."

Moon's transformation had ended, and Nemesis noted it was similar to the others, not counting her boots, gloves and skirt, which were all white with blue trimming. She reached her left hand out, drawing a circle in the air with her index, and leaving a white ring behind. She then smiled as her right filled with energy. "Let's test that theory, Mario. Moonlight Flash!"

The Moon Senshi punched the center of the ring with her energy-charged fist, sending a semisphere-shaped blast of energy forwards. Yoshi prepared to eat the blast, but Moon rose her left hand, and the attack mimicked her movement. As the blast hovered right above its target, Moon rapidly swung her hand down, bringing the blast down on a very confused Mario.

The explosion that ensued caused the three Senshi to cover their eyes, but as smoke cleared, there was nothing left of their enemies. "Okay, I guess that's it for this attack."

"Oh, but you're quite wrong there, Sailor Moon."

Moon looked up and saw Game Master floating over the scene. "You... "

"It's time for a boss fight," Game Master said. "Oh, look, the sidekicks are here."

"Come tell me that and I'll show you a sidekick," Earth snapped.

Game Master snorted and looked at all the Senshi, who had finally arrived. "Save your insults, Earth." He then turned to Moon. "I'm here to challenge you, and you alone, to a fight."

Moon knew what his game was, he knew she was tired and wanted to take advantage of it. "What's the catch?"

"If I lose, I'll stop my attacks for good. But if you lose, I will keep on attacking... And today's battle will look small compared to what I have in stock for Tokyo."

"Don't do it, it's a trap," Mars said.

"I agree," Mercury nodded.

"I'll keep my word if I lose," Game Master said. "But if you don't trust your leader enough, then..."

"I'll do it," Moon said. "I'll fight you."

"She never listens..." Mars muttered.

"Okay, then it's settled. Ladies first," Game Master said.

Saturn smiled for a split second before summoning her glaive. "Wraith's Cry!" The attack, however, wasn't directed at Game Master. It run through all the Senshi before hitting Moon and vanishing.

"What was that for?" Earth muttered as she kneeled on the ground.

Saturn pointed at Moon. "She needed a recharge." True, Moon's body was shining slightly, and she looked more than ready to kick Game Master's rear.

"Oh, that's nice," Game Master said as he floated down to the ground. "It doesn't matter, because my attacks are far stronger than yours." He turned to the others. "If any of you further helps her in any way, this fight will be forfeit and I'll resume my games."

"Moonlight Flash!"

Game Master wasn't expecting Moon to attack him while he was distracted, but reacted fast enough to summon an energy shield. As her attack hit, he reeled back, looking stunned. Moon summoned her sword, running to him and ready to slash him down. He, however, was faking it, and summoned a large gun, firing it before she could react. The bluish energy beam from the gun hit Moon, dragging her back and through a wall.

Nova appeared near the group, just as Moon rushed out of the wall, shooting a Twilight Beam attack at Game Master. "What are you guys up to?"

"The game freak challenged Moon to a fight," Mercury explained. "And said if she won, he'd stop attacking."

"Thing is, we can't help her," Saturn said.

The psichic stared at the battle for a few moments before nodding. "I can sense that man's power, and Moon is up to his level."

The battle continued, with both Moon and Game Master fighting almost evenly, though whenever Moon seemed to get the upper hand, Game Master would do something to even the odds. The fight lasted for several minutes, until a barrage of missiles hit the villain, sending him reeling back. "Hey, who did that?"

Jupiter produced her comm. "Seia, tell your troops to stop attacking. "

"You sure you can handle him?"

"Yes."

Game Master frowned. "Okay, I'll let that one pass, but..." only then he noticed Moon had vnaished while he was distracted. "Hide and seek, huh? I can play that too."

"Moon Twilight Wave!"

The attack came from above, knocking Game Master to the ground and visibly denting his armor. He stood up glaring at Moon, who was hovering over him in her airboard, and shoot a large, yellow energy beam at her.

"Kamehame-ha?" Dragon Venus pondered. The others ignored him as they kept their attention focused in the battle.

Moon leapt off her board, barely missing the beam. She landed right behind Game Master, bringing her sword up. The sword was blocked, however, by an energy blade summoned by the villain. "Well, well, never heard the saying 'don't bring a sword to a gunfight?'" he asked.

"I did," Moon said. "That's why I have this. Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

Game Master leapt away, deflecting the tiara with his sword. He'd seen that trick before, so he knocked the tiara away with an energy blast, before turning to Moon. "You're not that bad a fighter after all, Usagi."

Moon nodded. "And I'm not out of tricks yet. Moon Disc Spiral!"

Game Master used his sword to knock the attack away and laughed. "Please, once the surprise factor is gone, those attacks are quite usel--"

Moon looked on as her own tiara hit Game Master from behind, sending him staggering towards her. "Moonlight Flash!"

This time, the attack was at nearly point-blank, and sent his helm rolling away as it knocked him back. Nemesis was the first to find her voice as she stared at the face of their enemy. "Umino?"

Moon walked to Game Master, or rather Umino, her face showing shock and confusion. "It can't be..."

"Yes, it's me, Usagi," Umino said. "And now that you know who I am, I can't let you win this." He said that casually, almost taking Moon by surprise as he lunged forwards, slashing at her with his sword. Moon used her own to block it, but Game Master kicked her away and laughed. "Screw what I said before, you're nothing without your friends helping you."

Moon winced as she stood up. Once again, she found herself fighting someone she cared for, but this time around, she wouldn't run and hide. She knew the only way to stop him would be defeating him, and she intended to do just that.

Game Master smirked as Moon charged at him. "Always the heroine." He shot an energy blast at her, taking her off-guard, and then vanished. Before anyone could figure out what he was up to, he reappeared right behind her, stabbing through her with his energy blade. "But heroines can fall too."

"Usagi!" Dragon Earth didn't even wait to see her fall to the ground, he knew she was gone, and was already charging at her murderer. He didn't mind who the boy was, he'd killed her, and for that he'd pay.

"Please..." Game Master said and shot an energy blast at him.

"Earth King's Shield!" The shield blocked the blast, and he slashed down at Game Master. The villain, however, phased out of the way and laughed. "Come back here!"

"Sorry, but you're not going to succeed in what your girlfriend failed. By the way, I hope you like my present."

Dragon Earth's mind registered what his foe had said, and looked down just in time to see a round, metallic object. A bomb like those a certain bounty hunter used, he realized a split second before it exploded.

Game Master laughed as the Dragon was knocked away. "Now, kids, this has been fun, but it's time to..." He frowned as he couldn't teleport. "What the hell?"

"That'd be my fault," Nova noted. "I'm sorry, but you're not getting away this time."

"Okay, who will be the next to fall?" Game Master said, then saw a spear hitting the ground next to him. "Naru?"

Nemesis glared at him as she walked forwards. "You... You're not Umino. Whatever you are, you killed Usagi, and you won't get away with it. Nemesis Star Power!"

Dragon Earth was leaning on a wall, barely able to move. He smiled as Nemesis' body was shrouded by darkness. "Get him, Naru."

Game Master chuckled as the transformation ended. Her suit was completely black, just like in her previous forms, and even the transparent skirt under her normal one had a black hue. "Go ahead, Naru, I can take whatever you throw at me."

Nemesis' glare hadn't lessened at all, and she reached her hands forwards, dark energy immediately shrouding them. "Dark Fear!"

Game Master readied to block what he guessed was a beam or blast, but none came. After a few seconds of waiting, he smiled. "What's wrong, can't use your new power?"

"Not every attack's about shooting flashy beams around, Umino," Nemesis snapped, then her hands moved to face each other. As she did, dark energy shot from the ground, forming two man-sized, claw-like hands that clasped around Game Master as she clasped her own hands together. She pressed her hands closer, and Game Master screamed in pain. "Die!"

"Wait, Naru," Mars said. "Umino's still there."

Nemesis stopped her attack and turned to Mars, then gasped as she heard Game Master's body's thud. "No..."

Saturn was almost done resurrecting Moon, but looked away as she felt another death. She could also see Nemesis' energy raising. "Naru!"

Nemesis' eyes had taken a dark hue as she stared at Game Master's body, and as she turned, it was obvious she was trying to keep her emotions at bay. "What?"

"Calm down, I can revive him," Saturn said.

Nemesis fell on her knees, her eyes returning to normal. "It doens't matter... I killed him."

Moon opened her eyes and rose to a sitting position. She immediately noticed Nemesis and gasped. "What happened?"

"Game Master killed you," Mars explained, "but Nemesis took care of him... A little too well."

Saturn rushed to Umino's side, noticing his armor was gone, leaving him in his normal attire. She closed her eyes and concentrated, searching for the soul that would still be near.

Moon kneeled besides Nemesis and put an arm over her shoulders. "Naru, it's okay..."

"It's not. I killed him, I left darkness control me."

Nova could almost guess how the redhead felt right now. She remembered her own bruise with her own dark feelings, and it wasn't something she'd like to repeat. "It's over now."

Saturn fell on her back as Umino awakened. "Guys, if any of you is planning to die, you'll have to wait for a few hours." There wasn't any trace of humor in her voice, she was too tired to even try being funny.

Umino walked to Nemesis and looked down at her. "Naru."

Nemesis looked up, a smile showing for a second before sadness returned. "Umino, I'm sorry, I..."

"No, I'm sorry. I let that thing control me, I was watching all of it, and I would have probably done the same in your place."

"It doesn't make it right..." Nemesis said as she stood up.

Umino hugged her. "I don't blame you for what you did, Naru. Don't blame yourself. Learning from our mistakes is something we all must do."

Nemesis would, at any other time, have swiftly moved off his hug and probably been mad at him, but right now, she couldn't care less what the others would think. "I... I guess I can try to forgive myself. "

"That's a good start," Saturn said, still lying on the ground.

"I can't believe you were Game Master," Jupiter said. "So, what now, you know who we are, right?"

"That's true, Mako, but I've known for a while. A few weeks before Venus joined you, I started suspecting something. And I saw you transform, Moon."

"You did?" Usagi said.

"Yes, but I also knew you didn't want your identities known. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Nemesis took a step back and smiled at him. "So, back to normal."

"Or what we can call normal," Dragon Sun said. He then frowned. "You don't know who turned you into Game Master, do you?"

Umino shook his head. "No, she kept her identity a secret whenever she talked to me, I haven't even seen her face."

Dragon Mercury sighed. "I could bet a million or two that 'she' is allied with Onara."

* * *

Onara saw A walking back and forth and flinched. "I take it you're not happy with the results?" 

"Not only that, but I feel the Mugen Gakuen group moving," A said. "And the creature inside Game Master was my last youma."

"I can make more of them. It'll take a while, but it's possible."

"Good, go ahead. I'm sure we'll need them someday."

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, Umino was the Game Master. Surprised? I hope you are.

And yes, he did know about the Senshi, remember the one episode where Karin and Chie found out about the Senshi? I think that was the first time I gave a hint on him knowing about them.

What's next? A little snow, and after that we're on to the Death Busters saga.


	72. Cold Rising

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

** Act 8: Death Busters.**

** Episode 72: Cold Rising.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 22, 2007_

* * *

She was what one would call a colonizer. Her race was immune to cold, but heat, on the other hand, could kill them easily. Even being this close to such a small star was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. She had to focus, however, on her task. This planet, already a beautiful blue and white in some parts, was her next target. The Earth, as the sentient creatures in it called it, would soon become her new home. 

"Beautiful Earth, I'll make you even more beautiful, and then you will be mine..."

She watched as a swarm of ice shards shot from her comet, and straight to the Earth, then laughed sinisterly.

* * *

Usagi was at her bedroom, a bored look in her face. "Luna, you think the Game Master attack was the last we'll see of evil?" 

"I'm not sure, I really hope so, but..."

"But?"

"I've got the feeling something is about to happen. Something evil approaches."

Right then, there was a knock on the door. "Usagi?"

It was Shingo's voice, Usagi noted. She looked at Luna who had a funny face and shook her head. "Come in."

Shingo walked in. "Hey, Usako, you know Nova, right?"

"Yes, she's a friend," Usagi said. And in the last few months since Game Master was defeated, she'd been the only one of her group of friends still actively fighting. Usagi always surprised herself when she thought how much she missed being Sailor Moon.

"Could you get me her autograph?"

"Why her autograph?" Usagi asked. "Why not mine?"

"You girls never sign autographs," Shingo pointed. "Though I can guess why. If you did it, fans wouldn't leave you alone."

"I don't think Hana minds the attention," Luna said. "She's more than happy to pose for the cammeras."

"Hana? Cute name," Shingo said, then realized he'd said it outloud and blushed.

Usagi smiled. "Maybe I can introduce her to you. Wouldn't that be better than an autograph?"

"You can really do that?"

"As long as behave," Usagi warned.

"I promise," Shingo agreed.

"Okay..." Usagi thought for a moment before nodding. "I know she's been in the base a lot lately. Maybe we'll find her there."

"And I finally get to know that base of yours," Shingo said.

* * *

Naru sat boredly at the counter. Today had been quite a quiet day, and though she liked helping her mother at the jewelry, she also missed the action. 

But deep in her mind, she dreaded having to fight again. Ever since Nephrite's death, she felt like she was always forcing her anger and sorrow down, and her Senshi form's element, darkness, made it harder on her. When Game Master killed Usagi, that had been the last straw, and she let her anger and pain flare for a while.

She couldn't afford to do that again, she knew the darkness she controlled as a Senshi could easily take over again, and she could end up hurting someone else, like she'd hurt Umino.

However, fate wasn't a fair player, she realized as she heard noises outside the shop. Looking out, she saw something out of a nightmare: A white layer of ice slowly creeping forwards, and anything it touched became frozen solid, even animals and people.

"Mom, get out of here," Naru said as her mother joined her in watching the ice's advance.

"Naru, you go ahead, I'll close the store and follow you," her mother countered.

Naru sighed. "Okay, but hurry, the ice's going to be here soon."

She run out of the store as fast as she could, knowing her mother would be in danger, but also that Nemesis would be far better off against the ice. After transforming, she reached for her comm and groaned. "Great, no signal. Are they always going to have comm jammers?"

She sensed something and her eyes widened. As she looked down, she saw her feet surrounded by ice. She wasn't frozen, which was good, but the Osa-P was now a block of ice. "Mom..."

Feeling her anger rising, Nemesis looked for whatever was causing the freeze, though it was a difficult task for her, as her feet weren't used to ice. At least not this kind of ice, it looked unnaturally smooth, unnaturally crystal-like.

* * *

As Usagi walked in, followed by her brother and Luna, she smiled. The base was almost empty, as Dragon Venus and Venus were sparring, while Ami and Hana were chatting. "Hi guys." 

Ami looked at Usagi. "Hi." She noticed Shingo and smiled. "I was wondering how long it would take for him to sneak in."

"I'm not sneaking in," Shingo said. "I asked Usagi about Nova, and... "

"And she told you you could meet her," Hana said, "or rather, me."

"Oh... You're... Uhm... Hi," Shingo stammered.

"No need to be nervous," Hana mused. "I'm as human as you, not counting my psichic power."

Shingo frowned. "But how do I know you're the real..."

"Nova Armor On!"

It was, actualy, the first time Usagi, or any of the others, had seen Nova transform. Just like with Zero's suit, a black liquid poured out of the bracelet in her right arm, covering all of her body and forming a black eye mask.

"My friends are never going to believe I met Nova."

Nova smiled at Shingo. "As long as my secret's safe..."

Shingo nodded. "I won't say a thing. I've been keeping Usagi's secret for a while now."

Luna looked around uneasily. "Uhm... Aiko, can you do a scan of the city?"

Aiko appeared in the room and nodded. "Scanning... Several areas of the city seem to be shrouded in some kind of magic field. I can't get through."

"Use the satellites," Ami said.

"But dad said..."

"In this case, I don't think he'll mind," Ami noted.

Aiko nodded again and an overhead view of Tokyo appeared in the large screen behind her. The view zoomed in, soon making it clear almost half the city was covered in white patches of ice. "It seems to be ice. Magically created."

"Someone's freezing the city?" Minako asked. "Let's call the others. "

Ami looked at her communicator and shook her head. "We're right under one of those ice layers, and it's blocking our signal."

"From how things look, I would guess they already know about it," Shingo said.

Usagi looked at the screen and grimaced. The city was rapidly being covered by ice, and they had no idea who was behind it. It would be another war, most likely. "Okay guys, let's go. Shingo, stay here. "

Shingo nodded. "I'm not in the mood to play in the snow."

"There's no snow," Aiko noted, "only ice."

"It was just a figure of speech," Shingo muttered then saw the Senshi and Nova enter the elevator. "So, what's there to do in this place?"

"I have several videogames installed."

Shingo smiled. He'd been at the base for only a few minutes, but he already liked the place.

* * *

Nemesis looked at the item. A small ice shard, embedded into the concrete. As she was about to kick it, she noticed one of the ice creatures sneaking up on her. She stabbed her spear through the monster and then returned to her task. She gave the shard a mighty kick, and it shattered. As it did, the ice started melting away, and so did the icy monsters. 

The Dark Senshi looked at them as they writhed in pain. They were seemingly female, made completely of ice, and looked like some kind of ballerinas. The name 'Ice Dancer' seemed to fit them well in her mind. It was then that she saw an explosion in the direction of the Hikawa Shrine. She was sure the others would need her help, and Rei was the closest one to her house.

Looking back at the store, she sighed in relief as she saw it was back to normal.

* * *

"General, the city's under attack." 

Kino looked at the soldier and nodded. "What is it this time?"

"Ice creatures, sir. They're spreading ice all through Tokyo. There's also reports of other cities under attack in Europe, America and even Africa."

"We'll be the main target, most likely." He pressed a button in his desk. "All soldiers report to your squad leaders at once. This is not a drill, the city's under attack."

The soldier was already hurrying away, and Kino sighed. He sometimes wished he had known this would be the "alien gateway" before signing up for his job.

* * *

Jupiter picked the small shard and looked at it. "So much trouble for this thing?" 

Earth looked on as Lilith dropped an ice-covered tree on a group of ice monsters, crushing them. "I say we break it now, worry about what it was later."

Jupiter crushed the shard in her hand. "I agree." She immediately noticed the ice retreating. "What do you know, it worked."

"Let's find the others," Lilith said.

"Still not working," Earth added looking at her comm.

"Then we'll have to do it the old way," Jupiter said as she summoned her board.

* * *

Dragon Mercury was angry. Really angry. He didn't mind ice at all, it was his element at all, but they'd turned his mansion into one massive ice cube, and that was enough to piss him off. 

But also, as he'd found out quite soon, his elemental attacks, even the Ice Wyrm, were useless against these mosters. They seem to feed on the ice energy, rather than be harmed by it. So, he was forced to use his swords and his melee skills instead. Not that he didn't like a brawl, but he was growing tired of splitting icegirls in half.

"Crescent Beam!"

One of the creatures exploded as a light beam hit it. He turned to see Mercury, Moon, the two Dragons and Nova flying over the horde of icy enemies. "What took you so long?"

"There's monsters like these all around the city," Moon said. "We've cleared the base, but I think taking care of the rest will not be easy."

"We need to regroup," the other Dragon added "With Mars or Sun with us we could surely clean up those shards easily."

"Shards?" Dragon Mercury asked as he leapt in his own board, noticing the monsters couldn't reach him if he floated high enough.

Mercury nodded. "There's small ice shards in the center of each of these ice layers. If they're destroyed, the monsters die. But my powers are useless."

"Same here," her male counterpart admitted. "Here."

As Mercury caught one of the swords, Dragon Venus gasped. "Does she know how to use one of those?"

"Terry's taught me enough," Mercury said. "I'm not one to go offense, but he thought it would be useful for me in case something happens to him."

"Anyways, how can we regroup if we can't call the others?" Venus asked.

Dragon Mercury smiled. "Let me work on that. Get rid of the shard, tho, I'd like my mansion back from the Ice Age."

"Ami?"

Mercury looked around and pointed. "That way."

Venus nodded and fled off. Several seconds later, there was a flash in the distance, and the ice started melting away. The creatures all fell to the ground, in visible pain.

"So..." Venus said looking at the Ice Dragon.

"So, I've managed to override the magic aura they're using to block our comms," Dragon Mercury said. "I don't know if it's coincidential or they actually wanted to block us, tho."

"That doesn't matter," Moon said. "Call everyone and tell them to meet us here. We can plan our strategy better after we're regrouped. "

Luna walked to them. "Senshi, I think I know what sent these shards here."

"You do?"

Luna nodded and pointed up. "Look."

They all looked up and gasped. A small, dark blue circle could be seen in the sky, it was as thin as a needle, but seemingly growing larger. "What the heck's that?" Dragon Venus asked.

"A comet," Mercury said. "Made entirely of ice. It's big enough to make a district-sized crater, too."

"Then we need to destroy it," Venus noted.

"I will not allow such thing to happen."

They turned to the cold, female voice and noticed two things. One, that the ice around the area had reappeared in a blink. And two, that the woman that had appeared as suddenly as the ice was just like the other creatures, but twice as tall, and wearing what could be described as a royal gown.

"Who, or what, are you?" Moon asked.

"I'm the Ice Queen Kaguya," the woman said, "and this world will be mine soon. But beings with your skills could be useful to me. Specially the two that control ice. You can join me, or you can die. "

"We choose neither," Dragon Mercury snapped. "Leave our planet alone, ice witch."

"So be it," Kaguya said and rose her hand. Countless creatures rose from the ice itself and surrounded the Senshi.

* * *

**A/N:** This arc is, as you could see, loosely based in the Sailor Moon S movie. _Very_ loosely. That's because out of the three movies (which I think are all stupid, but nevermind that,) the S movie was the worst for me. 


	73. Winter Fury

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

**Episode 73: Winter Fury.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: November 1, 2007_

* * *

Seia looked back and grimaced. The ice's speed wasn't good enough to catch up with her tank, but she had been the only one to escape it. She looked at the screen as a very worried Kino appeared in it. "Sir, I'm sorry to say this, but all our ground vehicles are frozen. From what I saw, the Senshi are taking care of the problem." 

"Return to the base."

"I'll be there in ten minutes. And the ice will be there in twelve, unless the Senshi win."

* * *

"The whole city's affected," Mercury said as she scanned the area with her visor. "But people frozen isn't dead, they're in some sort of cryogenic sleep." 

"Food tastes better alive," Kaguya said.

"That's repulsive, but then again, your looks aren't any better."

Kaguya saw Saturn standing on top of a building and laughed. "Save your insults, Senshi. My ice may not be able to cover you as easily as the other humans, but it's only a matter of time before you freeze."

Nova appeared right then, along with the rest of the Senshi. "See, I told you I could do it."

"So that's where she'd gone," Venus commented.

Nova nodded. "I thought we would need to gather everyone fast." She then looked at Kaguya. "So, this is the boss, Mrs. Freeze?"

Kaguya frowned. "You... You're not a Senshi. How can you resist the cold?"

"I may not be a Senshi, but I've got my own kind of power," Nova said, then concentrated.

Kaguya felt the air around her grow hotter, and heavier, and immediately knew the cause. "You..."

Nova opened her eyes as she felt her limbs freeze. "Impressive, but can you freeze me before I kill you?"

The Senshi decided to help, and sent a barrage of attacks at the Ice Queen. The Queen was sent flying back by the onslaught, and crashed through a building before staggering up.

"Guess we got her attention," Jupiter commented.

"Nova, are you okay?"

Nova nodded at Mercury as the ice around her arms and legs started melting. "Nothing I can't handle." She then noticed her suit's arms and legs were starting to fade in and out. "Damn, forgot that."

Kaguya laughed. "Pitiful creatures, is that all your power?"

"Think that thing's got any melee skills?" Dragon Sun asked.

"Let's find out," Dragon Mercury said.

As the Dragons all charged as one, Kaguya looked at them dismissively. "I don't need to fight you, weaklings." She rose her hand, and a dozen ice dancers appeared. These ones, however, had swords, and their suits looked almost metallic.

While the Dragons engaged the new creatures, Moon turned to Mercury. "Got any idea how to defeat her?"

"Sorry, she doesn't seem to have any weak points," Mercury said.

Saturn, who was also scanning the creature, nodded. "She's right. This will pretty much be a power struggle."

"No, it won't," Kaguya snapped. "I'm tired of you, kids. Die!"

A large energy wave shot from the ice woman's body, freezing the Dragons instantly, but it bounced off an invisible barrier as it reached the girls. Nova fell to one knee and panted. "I'm out of juice."

"My attacks should be doing a lot of damage," Mars noted.

Mercury nodded. "Yes, but her body's so cold, not even fire can get to her."

"I'll offer you this once more," Kaguya said. "Join me, and you will live."

"And let you turn our world into an icy tomb? Never!" Moon snapped. She summoned her crystal, which started shining.

Kaguya's minions were destroyed by the crystal's energy, but the Queen herself didn't seem to notice. "Your will is strong," she said, "but you won't defeat me." She clapped her hands, and several icy columns rose from the ground, encasing all the Senshi. "It's done, this world is finally mine."

* * *

"We must help them," Artemis said. "I don't care if they figure out who we are, we can't just leave them frozen." 

Luna nodded. "I guess we..." She stopped as a figure appeared in front of them. "Pluto?"

"They don't need your help this time," Pluto said.

"Are your protegees going to help them?"

"No. This is a war where only one element can win," Pluto said. "And I think things are about to get interesting."

As they turned to where the Queen was, the Mooncats could see one of the Dragons' icy prison shining.

* * *

Kaguya had also noticed that, and stared in shock as the ice column exploded outwards. "That's not possible. Nothing can escape my ice!" 

"Ice is my element, bitch," Dragon Mercury snapped.

"I guess I'll have to kill you, then."

Another icy column cracked, and the Dragon smiled. "I suppose we'll see who's the real queen of ice."

Mercury looked around her as she walked out of the broken column. "Everyone..."

"Ami, I'll keep her busy, you find a way to stop her."

An icy blade formed in Kaguya's hands as the Dragon run to her. "Don't worry, you two will make a fine meal."

As the two fought, Mercury turned to look at her friends. All frozen, and her power would only help their prisons. She then realized something and her eyes widened. She summoned the Mercury Sword and looked at Moon. "I have to get her out of there."

Dragon Mercury, meanwhile, was struggling to keep up with the Queen. He was skilled, but the woman was over three meters tall, and her physical strength, despite how fragile she could seem, was beyond his own. He leapt away from her, and risked looking at Mercury. She was using his other sword to try and crack Moon's prison, but it was apparently hopeless.

Kaguya wasn't one for waiting, so she rushed in, tackling the Dragon while he was distracted. As both landed, however, she could feel something hitting her side. Looking down, she saw his sword embedded in her stomach. "Touche," the Dragon snapped.

"Cute, but it takes much more than that to kill me," Kaguya countered. She clutched his arms and smiled as he was, once again, encased in ice.

Mercury had given up on freeing Moon, and was scanning Kaguya when Terry was frozen. She saw the woman leisurely walking to her, and realized she was alone. Kaguya pulled the sword off her body and tossed it aside, and Mercury saw liquid slowly running down the woman's body. "Blood?" Then it hit her. The blood was liquid, despite being inside her cold body. "So, you're not invincible after all."

"I may not be invincible, little human, but you don't have the power to stop me."

Mercury smiled. "That's where you're wrong, Kaguya. We share the same element, but there's something you don't know about me."

"And that is?" Kaguya asked. She was now only a meter away from Mercury, and more than ready to freeze the human for good.

"Your blood is not cold enough," Mercury said casually as she summoned her net. "And that is your weakness."

Kaguya rose her sword and smiled back at her. "Too bad you're going to die before you get to exploit it."

Mercury smiled again. "Not quite. Mercury Frost Web!"

Kaguya growled as Mercury's net expanded, wrapping around her and leaving her no room to move. She fell to the ground, glaring at her foe. "Stupid human, as soon as I break free, I'm going to run my blade through your heart!"

Mercury concentrated, aiming her hands at the wound in Kaguya's stomach. "For an ice queen, you're quite hotheaded. Let me cool you down. Mercury Frozen Rage!"

Kaguya screamed in pain as Mercury's beam hit her. She could feel her blood freezing, it was impossible, she couldn't be defeated by her own element, it wasn't fair! "Impossible..."

Mercury gave her a humorless smile. "I'm a Senshi, there's no impossibles for us."

Kaguya stared at her for a few seconds before she stopped moving, her whole body turning a deep blue color. Mercury looked around and saw the ice melting, freeing her friends.

"Mercury?"

"Wait, how... Moon, did you beat that ice with?"

Mercury smiled at Jupiter. "Actually, it was me."

"But... Your power was ice."

Moon smiled at Mercury. "It's good to know you guys can handle things even I can't."

Earth looked at Mercury in awe. "Just... How did you do it?"

"Me and Terry, we both got out of those prisons. Terry was frozen agian, but he managed to wound Kaguya."

"And?"

"And," Mercury continued, "she bled. Liquid, crystalline blood. I simply knocked her down and then froze her blood."

Mars cringed. "That's a nasty way to die."

Saturn was looking up, and Mercury did the same when she noticed it. "Guys, look!"

"The comet, it's shrinking?"

"Kaguya's magic was probably linked to it, just like it was linked to the ice she summoned," Mercury explained. "With her gone, the comet will soon melt down as well."

Nova, or rather Hana, sighed. "Well, this was fun, but I'll have to fix this thing now."

Dragon Mercury smiled. "I can fix it, I guess."

"I had almost forgotten how sensitive to ice and electricity that suit is."

Mercury looked around, noticing people was starting to come out of several buildings. "Guess we should continue this elsewhere."

"Don't look at me," Hana said, "I can't teleport without risking my secret."

"Hop in," Terry said as he summoned his board.

Hana looked at Mercury. "If she doesn't mind..."

"I don't," the Ice Senshi said.

* * *

As the Senshi left, Luna sighed. "Guess you were right, Pluto." 

Artemis looked around. "Uhm... She's gone. Go figures."

"I'm impressed," Shade said. "Ami's grown into quite a warrior, despite herself."

"They all have," Artemis said. "Think this will be their last enemy?"

"It never is," Luna muttered.

* * *

And so, peace returned once again to Tokyo, but the Senshi knew it woudn't last. They were enjoying the break, and their lives slowly returned to normal. 

"Sir, there's a youngster here, he says he's one of your friends."

Terry looked away from the weapon racks he was inspecting and smiled at Samuel. "Who is it, Sam?"

Umino's head popped into view. "Your old friend, Umino," he said.

"Okay, you may leave," Terry said to his butler. He then looked at Umino, who was staring at the weapons in awe. "What are you up to?"

"I'll go straight to the point, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What kind of favor?"

"Well..."

* * *

"They're moving out." 

"Then it's time for us to act."

"What about the others?"

"They wouldn't understand. We need those talismans, no matter what sacrifices we must make to get them."

* * *

**A/N:** I bet you didn't think Mercury would be the one killing this villain. Poor Moon, everyone steals her kills lately... As for Umino's favor, I'm not saying a thing. 

Next episode will be the starting point of the Death Busters saga, which will cover the first half of the Sailor Moon S plotline.


	74. Brand Old Senshi

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

**Episode 74: Brand Old Senshi.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: November 7, 2007_

* * *

Rei looked up at the sky. It had suddenly gone pitch black, making the street she was walking through look eerie. As she looked around, she saw people seemed to be frozen in place. 

"Destiny can't be changed. The Silence is coming."

She looked up as she heard those words, and saw several shadows in the buildings around her. "Who are you?"

Instead of answering, one of the shadows shot something at her. She saw a diamond-like object fly out of her chest, then she fainted.

* * *

Rei woke up with a start, sweat running down her face as she looked at her surroundings. "A nightmare," she whispered. But was it a nightmare, or something else? She'd have to check the fire later on, maybe she would find some answers to her questions.

* * *

As soon as Usagi walked into the classroom, she noticed something. Karin and Chie were there, sitting near Mako. "Hey, what are you two doing here?" 

"We got switched to this group," Karin said. "I wonder just how it happened," she added looking at Terry.

"Guilty as charged," Terry said.

"Who knows, if Senshi keep on crawling from under the woodwork, we could actually fill a group," Minako commented.

Just then, two new students walked in. A girl with short, wavy, light green hair, and a boy with blond hair, equally short.

"Hey, he kinda looks like my ex..." Mako commented.

"Should I be jealous?" Karin mused.

"Not bad at all," Minako admitted.

_'If only they knew...'_ Hotaru mused.

Terry looked at the newcomers and nodded. "They're both pretty." The girls all looked at him confused. Except for Hotaru, who was staring at the two silently.

Just then, Haruna walked in. "Good morning, class... Today we've got four new students in our group. Two of them come from another group, " she said looking at Chie and Karin, "but the other two are from a different district." She looked at the two new students. "Haruka Tennou and Michiru Kaiou, right?"

"That's us," the blond said.

"Why are you wearing that kind of clothes?"

"I like boyish clothes better," Haruka said.

"Wha... Haruka's a girl?" Minako exclaimed.

"My, my, Mina, I didn't know you were into girls," Chie teased.

"Am not," Minako muttered.

Haruna ignored the group's usual antics. "So, you girls studied at the Mugen Gakuen?"

"We did," Michiru said, "but we like this district better."

Hotaru stared at them and frowned. There was something different about them, but she couldn't tell what.

* * *

Later that day, Rei was telling the others about her dream. 

"Weird nightmares you have," Brad commented.

"That's the thing," Rei said, "I never have nightmares, but the few times I do, they predict things that will happen."

"The Silence is coming?" Usagi repeated. "What exactly is that 'Silence'?"

"It must have something to do with the object Rei saw just before waking up," Ami said, not taking her eyes off the book she was reading.

"Ami, we come here to train, not to study," Chie commented.

"You should be studying," Ami noted. "We'll be in highschool next year, and it won't be easy."

Usagi would have argued that, but she knew Ami was right. However, right now, she was more worried about Rei's dream. "How many figures did you see?"

"I'm not sure. Half a dozen, at least."

"This year's General flavor," Naru mused.

"We should stay alert," Hotaru said. "If that premonition comes true, we may all be targeted."

* * *

The woman looked at the two figures who always stood in the shadows, refusing to show their faces even to them, their followers. "Is it time?" 

"Yes, it is. Kaorinite, you will..."

"... go and search for the Talismans. This is..." "...your first target."

She had always wondered why they spoke like that, too, but had never dared asking. Looking at the picture, she nodded. "What about our former students?"

"I'm sure they'll try to get the Talismans..."

"...for themselves. Here."

The redhead looked at the egg that had appeared, hovering in front of her. "What is this?"

"A Daimon egg. Our master sent them to help our mission. These..."

"...creatures can fuse to objects and get the Talismans for us."

"I understand," Kaorinite said. "This world will soon belong to our Master."

* * *

Rei sat in the fire reading room, concentrating. After several seconds, she finally asked what she wanted to know from it. "Sacred fire, please show me the face of our new enemy." 

As she looked at the fire, she could see several images. Shapeless creatures crawling around the streets of Tokyo, the same figures she'd seen before, and a large building. As she looked on, the building's top exploded, and a massive creature loomed over the city. Through all the images, she saw four symbols in the back, one of them was a black crescent moon, which she knew was Nemesis' symbol, but the other three, she knew nothing about.

* * *

Outside the shrine, meanwhile, Kaorinite appeared near a tree, making sure nobody was looking at her. She then reached out her hands, the egg appearing in them. "Now where should I..." she looked at a tall tree near the shrine and nodded. "That'll be perfect." she pushed the egg against the tree, and it vanished inside. "This will surely be fun to watch," she mused as she teleported out. 

A minute later, Rei walked out of the temple, looking around uneasily. "Strange. I could've sworn I heard voices out here." She then grimaced and looked at the tree. "This thing is full of evil energy!"

The three started shaking, and a pair of beady eyes appeared near its top, looking down at Rei. "Makuuji..."

"That can't be good," Rei muttered. "Mars Star Power!"

The tree ripped its roots off the ground and towered over Mars. "Makuuji..."

"You said that already," Mars snapped. "Whatever you are, you're evil, and I won't let you crawl around my shrine. Mars Fire..."

"Makuuji!" the tree's eyes shone with light for a split second, then shot twin beams that hit Mars' chest, making her fall back. As she fell, she could see a small crystal coming out of her chest.

"Makuuji..." The tree said as it reached for the crystal.

"World Shaking!"

A wind blast knocked the tree back, and it looked up to see two figures standing on top of the shrine. "Makuuji!"

"What's going on here?"

The tree turned back to see Sailor Moon standing near the stairs, looking quite confused. "Makuuji!"

One of the figures took the distraction to get the crystal, and leapt back up. She then examined the object and frowned. "This is not a talisman."

"Too bad," the other one, who'd shot the blast, said.

Moon looked at the two, forgetting about the tree for a moment. They were both wearing Star level Senshi outfits, their colors were deep blue and light green, respectively. "Give that back!"

The blue-skirted Senshi looked at her almost condescendingly. "We have no use for this, so here."

Moon grabbed the crystal as they tossed it her way, then gasped as she saw them turning to leave. "Wait! What about the monster?"

"Our mission is to get the Talismans," the green-skirted Senshi said. "There's no talisman here, so we don't need to stay."

Moon glared at the two as they left, but was reminded of the tree monster's presence as it slapped her side with a branch. "Ow... Okay, let's make this quick. Moonlight Flash!"

"Makuuu..." the tree wailed as it was hit, then vanished.

"Guess they don't make monsters as tough as they did," Moon mused. She then looked at the crystal. "Whatever this is, Rei needs it."

She walked close to Mars and kneeled, looking at the crystal. As she did, it moved to hover over Mars' chest, then vanished into her body. "Wh... What happened?"

Moon smiled as Mars woke up. "You were attacked, but I dealt with that tree. There were two more Senshi here, but they didn't stay and help."

"We should go ask Ami, she may find the answer to that."

"Or maybe Hotaru. I bet those two are the 'second team."

Mars stood up and winced. "Crap. I feel tired."

"Maybe you should stay and rest."

"No, I want to know what that crystal was, and if they could do the same again."

Moon nodded. "Let me call the others."

* * *

And so, minutes later, the group was once again meeting at the base, Mooncats included. As Usagi finished her story, the others looked at Hotaru inquisitively. 

"What?" Hotaru muttered.

"You know who those two are."

"Sailors Uranus and Neptune," Hotaru said. "But I only fought with them in one battle. If you want to know more, ask Kage."

Kage winced. He was never too talkative when around the others, and didn't quite feel the whole friendship thing had really washed over him yet. "Yes, I know who they are. But that's all I'm saying. You're not supposed to know it yet."

"Why are they so... Cold?" Usagi asked.

"They were never too friendly," Kage said, "and Pluto didn't tell me much about what they were doing in Japan. But I can bet those 'Talismans' are important to them and the enemy for a reason."

"Oh crap," Ami said.

The others turned to the Ice Senshi, who'd been typing in her computer since Usagi finished her story. "What's wrong?" Terry asked.

"Those 'Talismans' seem to be what was known as soul crystals back in Silver Millenium. They are, so to speak, a solid representation of the soul."

Rei flinched. "So, what if my crystal had been taken away?"

"A normal human who had their soul crystal taken out of their bodies could die in around five minutes. Senshi have more endurance, but I think you wouldn't have survived for more than fifteen minutes."

"Good to know," Rei muttered. "But wouldn't Hotaru revive me, in that case?"

"Revive someone without a soul?" Hotaru said. "You know what a zombie is, don't you?"

"So, let's make a wild guess," Kage said. "Maybe those 'Talismans' are special soul crystals."

"I have no data about that," Ami admitted.

"What about you?" Rei said turning to the Mooncats.

"We knew about the soul crystals, but not those Talismans."

Artemis nodded. "But I bet the enemy will only be after Senshi."

"Why?"

"Your soul crystals are special."

"Mana is stored in the soul," Brad said. "Or at least, that's what mom told me once."

"Since we're basically mana batteries, our crystals should be stronger than those of normal humans," Ami said.

"Kage, tell us who Uranus and Neptune are. We need to talk to them. "

"I can't."

"But..."

Hotaru stood up and walked to Usagi, looking at her straight in the eyes. "If they cross the line, if they put any of us in danger over whatever they're after, I'm going to make them regret it."

Usagi frowned. "I won't let you resort to violence. They're Senshi too, they have to listen to reason."

"You got it wrong," Hotaru said. "I'm not asking for your permission. If they mess with my friends, Senshi or not, I'm not going to hold back."

As Hotaru left the base, Karin sighed. "Can't say I don't agree."

"Ami, can you try to find anything on those Talismans?"

Ami nodded. "I can try."

"Good," Usagi said. "If we can figure out what they're looking for, then maybe we can convince them to join us."

* * *

Hotaru walked into her bedroom and grimaced as she saw who was waiting for her. "Hello, Setsuna." 

Pluto looked at her, showing no emotion. "Hotaru, I want to know if what you said to your friends is true."

"Eavesdropping isn't polite."

"I'm serious," Pluto said.

"I'm serious too," Hotaru said, looking at the woman with as little emotion as the time guardian was showing. "I don't care what those two think, if thanks to their action, or inaction, one of my friends' life is at risk, I'm not holding back."

"So, you're going to fight them if needed?"

"If it comes to it, I'll kill them."

"I thought you had changed, Hotaru."

"I have. I cared about nobody but myself."

"Not what I meant." Pluto looked at the girl for a few more seconds before nodding. "But I can't say I wouldn't act the way you do. Just remember, despite what they may say or do, they're still Senshi."

"If you say so..."

"Can't you trust your mentor's judgement?"

"I can. I don't trust their judgement."

Pluto let out a long sigh. "I give up."

Hotaru stared at the point Pluto had been standing in for several seconds before walking out of the room. Despite herself, she knew she was as reluctant to fight other Senshi as her friends were. But her words were true, she would not hesitate to fight them for her friends' sake.

* * *

**A/N:** The fact two of the Senshi know who the 'new' Senshi are will make this arc quite interesting, as you can already see. As for what other differences there'll be, well... You'll have to wait for them. 


	75. Luck Of The Draw

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

** Episode 75: Luck Of The Draw.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: November 13, 2007_

* * *

"So that first target wasn't..." 

"... a carrier. Nevertheless, we need to keep on..."

"... searching for the Talismans."

"What is the next target?" Kaorinite asked.

"This girl."

Kaorinite looked at the picture her two leaders handed her, and nodded. "This time, I'll make sure there's no interferences."

* * *

"I'm starting to think it's impossible." 

"Hmm?" Ami looked away from her book and saw Terry staring at the console. "What is?"

"Building a truly sentient computer. Aiko's close, but still not the same."

"You brainiacs and your computers..." Mako mused from the 'arena.'

"I frankly doubt they ever succeed," Hotaru admitted, "but if they do, it will be interesting to watch." She was getting ready to fight Mako, as she wanted to test her own endurance without her powers.

"Okay, this is as far as I can go with this program," Terry commented. "Aiko, are you there?"

"I'm here, father," Aiko said as she 'appeared' sitting in a bench near him, and staring at him with a smile.

"She's breathing, she's blinking, she has all the facial expressions of a human, she can keep an intelligent conversation... What's not there?" Ami pondered.

"A soul," Hotaru said looking at Aiko. "I can detect them, and I've felt it in those Omega tinmen. The Omega, however, have a soul, but no real self-awareness."

Terry chuckled. "I'd love to know how to program a soul."

"No information on that here," Ami said looking at her computer.

"I'm pretty sure they didn't have AI programs back then," Terry said. "And if they did, maybe we're not supposed to know."

Mako looked at Hotaru. "So...?"

Hotaru nodded. "I'm ready."

Ami looked up from her book again as Mako charged. That kind of training was needed, she knew it, but she still didn't feel like she would need melee skills in battle, other than the pointers Terry gave her.

Hotaru ducked, dodging Mako's straight, then delivered a knife hand to her leg. Mako stumbled forwards, and Hotaru used that to her advantage, knocking her other leg off balance and bringing her down to the ground.

"Not bad," Mako said.

Hotaru nodded. "I told you, Pluto trained me. She knew if I only trained with my glaive I'd be rendered useless if they knocked it away from me."

Mako charged again, apparently going for a jab. Hotaru ducked like before, but realized her mistake as Mako kicked up. The kick connected, sending Hotaru skidding back. "What's wrong?"

Hotaru kneeled on the ground and panted. "Tired."

"You really need to work on that endurance."

Mako turned to Terry. "Yeah, I guess she needs it."

"I can drain energy out of my foes, I really don't need high endurance."

"Good point, but what if you were forced to fight as a civilian?"

"Then I'd have to make a strategic retreat," Hotaru admitted.

* * *

"You will soon join them. Are you ready?" 

"More than ready."

Pluto smiled at her protegee. She'd improved a lot in the last few months of training, and she was sure her help would be very appreciated by the Senshi.

"Why can't I join them now, though?"

"Patience has never been your strong point," Pluto mused. "Your interference could affect the timelines."

"A mosquito flying by during a fight could affect the timelines," the other woman said. "Whoever built them was a rookie."

Pluto was going to comment on nobody building the Universe, or the limbo they were in right now, but then again, she could never be sure of that. "You've waited for half a year, waiting a few more days won't kill you."

"Says you."

* * *

Chie was, meanwhile, walking with no real destination in mind. She was worried about the new enemy, and also about those two new Senshi. She didn't realize she'd walked past one of her friends until he spoke to her. 

"You look troubled."

She stopped and looked back. Well, 'friend' was a bit of a loose term in this case, as the guy wasn't too friendly towards anyone in the group. "Hi Kage."

"Hi. So, what's the matter?"

Chie smirked. "You know, this is the first time we spoke outside the base, or a battle."

Kage nodded. "I'm not one for socializing, and I don't feel like befriending any of the other Senshi."

"Thought you and Hotaru were..."

"She's the only one I consider my friend, maybe it's because she used to be as cold and unfriendly as I still am."

Chie looked at him and smiled. "Why are you talking to me?"

"Have to start somewhere, I guess," Kage noted, "and the others are usually gathering, it's hard to speak to one of them at a time."

"I see..."

"Though I gotta admit, this may be the first time I see you without your girlfriends."

"You mean Mako and Karin," Chie said. "They're on a date, I didn't want to spoil the mood."

"You know, I kinda envy you."

"Why?"

"Your powers. You're one of the two Senshi I know that can use them in civilian form."

"The other one being Dr. Who," Chie commented.

Kage laughed at that. "I bet she loves the nickname."

Chie blinked. It was the first time she'd heard him laugh. "You know, my powers aren't all that good. I mean, I have to keep them to the battlefield, otherwise they may backfire on me."

"The mooncats explained me that," Kage nodded. "Still, I would love to use gravity at will, not only in my Senshi form."

Chie sensed something and turned around, just in time to see an energy blast coming her way. She smiled as the blast's trajectory curved out, missing her completely. "You missed."

"Kabudai!!!"

Kage looked at the monster. It looked like an overgrown beetle, only its 'skin' was green. "Too bad I left the insecticide home."

Chie shrugged. "If you can't spray them, crush them." As she spoke, a tree near the bug started toppling, but the bug noticed it in time and leapt aside. "Hey, I'm the lucky one here!"

"You're not!"

Kage flinched as he saw Chie being hit by an energy blast. He then looked at the crystal floating over her. "Gotcha!" Something knocked him back as he tried to grab the crystal. An air blast, he realized. "Uranus?"

The beetle's attempt at getting the crystal was rewarded by a water blast. Kaorinite looked at the two Senshi dismissively. "You two brats... I thought you had learnt your lesson last time."

"You witches were never good teachers, Miss Kaori," Neptune said.

Uranus tried to jump for the crystal, but Kage tackled her aside. "What are you doing?"

Kage smirked. "If you want that crystal, you'll have to get through me first. Sun Twilight Power!"

The beetle tried to leap at Dragon Sun while he was distracted, but the Dragon stabbed his sword back, ramming it through the monster. AS it exploded, Uranus and him were both covered in a greenish goo. "Gross," Uranus muttered.

"Hey, at least your uniform matches your girlfriend's now," Sun snapped.

"World Shaking!"

"Solar Bolt!"

Sun's beam wasn't enough to stop the air blast, and he was sent rolling back. As he stood up, he saw Uranus examining the crystal. "Give it back!"

"In a moment, 'brother,'" Uranus snapped.

Kaorinite dodged Neptune's water blast for the tenth time and saw an opening as Uranus looked at the crystal. Jumping right over Neptune, she shot an energy blast at Uranus, knocking the prize off her hands.

Dragon Sun took the crystal and rushed to Chie's side. As the crystal was absorbed, he sighed in relief. "Leave now, before I'm forced to beat you down."

Kaorinite glared at him. "Do you realize what you've done?"

Uranus and Neptune looked at her. "Go ahead, blast her."

"Moon Twilight Storm!"

The blast knocked Kaorinite back a few dozen meteres. Neptune and Uranus gasped as they saw the whole Senshi team there, ready to fight.

"Fire Soul Bird!"

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

As the two constructs hovered in front of the two rogue Senshi, Dragon Sun smirked. "I guess they want you to leave."

Uranus growled at the group. "You brats..."

Chie stood up and winced. "I feel like crap."

Neptune looked back and sighed. "Kaorinite left."

Mars glared at the two, her bird still blocking their way along with Jupiter's dragon. "Go ahead, try anything."

"Hmph. I've got no time to waste with kids," Uranus snapped and started walking away. Neptune followed her.

"That was an easy fight," Jupiter commented.

"For you," Chie muttered.

"Was that redhead one of their 'Generals'?" Moon asked.

"I suppose," Dragon Sun said. "Why?"

"I was expecting them to be stronger than anything we've fought."

Mercury nodded. "Same here, but that woman's only as strong as Rubeus."

"So it's not that they're weak, but that we're strong," Mars mused.

"Our two dear friends, however, are at Star level," Saturn commented. "It's good that we're all at the same power, it's easier to scare them off."

"Think they'll come after me again?"

Dragon Sun shook his head. "No. Uranus had enough time to examine that crystal. If it really had been a Talisman, she'd fought for it, not walk away. And I bet that woman knows that too."

* * *

Half a city away from there, a certain masked heroine was looking down at the city. It was a quiet day, not counting the foe the Senshi had just fought. An explosion caught her attention, and she saw four men leaving a bank, carrying large bags of money. "Time to play." 

The man stopped running and glared at the woman who had appeared on top of their escape car. "Damn it, it's the psycho."

"I'll take those, gentlemen," Nova said and focused in the bags, sending them levitating up and out of the robbers' reach. "Now, how about you give up without a fight?" Gunshots were their reply, and Nova shook her head as they bounced off her suit. "You guys never learn, do you?" Before the four could do anything else, she shot a psi wave, knocking them all off.

"Hey, that was pretty neat."

Nova looked up and saw the alien 'twins' floating there. "What are you up to?"

"We were in the area and decided to watch the fireworks."

"Too bad it ended fast," Ann noted.

"Yeah, sometimes I wish this was more of a challenge," Nova admitted.

* * *

**A/N:** Nova should really be careful what she wishes for. You'll find out what I mean in the next few episodes. 

About the daimon's name: Kabudai is a word play, Kabuto means beetle, and dai is for daimon.


	76. Fun And Games

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

**Episode 76: Fun And Games.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: November 26, 2007_

* * *

Usagi had to admit that, despite the beating she got whenever she tried, it was still fun to play these games. And some of her friends came here often, despite their 'jobs' and their training. It was one of those times where she could almost pretend she led a normal life. 

"You're never going to beat Ami, Usako."

Usagi looked at the score table as she, once again, lost. "I know that. I play this because I like it, not because I want to be the best."

"You can have fun and be the best, too. Just look at the top score. "

Usagi nodded at that. Terry was right, Ami had only played this game twice, and both scores remained the highest. In fact, ever since she'd beaten it, the game had became quite popular, but nobody got close to the one hundred thousand points (and then some) Ami had scored.

She realized something just then. "Where's Ami?"

"Studying," Terry said, looking at the Sailor V arcade and deciding against spending the next hour playing it. "I wanted to check on the rest of the gang, but so far, you're the only one I find that's not doing... Well, anything."

Usagi had known Terry for a while, and knew something was bothering him. "What's the problem?"

"No problem," Terry said, then motioned her to go outside.

Usagi followed him, and as they walked away from Crown, she decided to try again. "Come on, I know when something's nagging you."

"You're like the annoying sister I never had, sometimes, you know?" Terry mused. "See, I'm worried about this whole talisman issue. What if they come after Ami next?"

Usagi looked at Terry in disbelief. "I've seen you angry, even furious, I've seen you confused, but I don't think I ever saw you... Scared."

Terry stopped and leaned on a tree. "Can't say I'm not. What if I can't protect her? Or get that crystal back, if the enemy gets it?"

"In that case, it won't be like with Hana," Usagi said. "We won't be able to revive her. But, this could happen to anyone else."

"How can you be so calm about it?" Terry asked.

"By not thinking about it. By trusting the others."

"Aren't you scared about it?"

"Of course I am," Usagi said. "Don't you see... I'm not only scared of this enemy we're facing. After what happened with Game Master, I won't have a second chance. Not unless some alien comes riding an asteroid and brings some mean of resurrecting me. I'm scared of death as anyone else is, but I won't let that stop me from doing what's right."

"So..."

"Just trust us. Trust yourself. None of us will let anyone die if we can help it."

Terry nodded, and the two walked in silence for a while. He chuckled, breaking the silence, and Usagi looked at him questioningly. "It's funny. During our little trip to the future, there was something I didn't tell you, something about Queen Serenity."

"What is it?"

"You know, seeing your future form, the Queen of that utopia, she... You, looked so regal, so wise. So, I thought back then, not like you."

Usagi looked at him, not hiding her upset at his words. "Hmph."

"But after all the battles we've been through, I've come to realize something. And what you just said confirms it."

"Huh? What?"

"You've already got what it takes to be that Queen. There may be a thousand years span between both your forms, but I can see you're her."

"Should I feel jealous?"

Usagi smiled as Ami walked to them. "Not at all. He's a charmer, but I already got my own prince."

Ami smiled back. "What he said, though, is true. You're our leader for a reason, and it's got nothing to do with brains, or brawl, or skills."

"So... What are you up to?"

Ami looked at Terry. "I'm done studying, so how about we go to the base and see if Aiko's done some progress?"

Usagi tailed behind them, suddenly feeling a familiar presence. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but she was sure she'd sensed it before. Whatever it was, though, she could feel no malice in it.

* * *

"Eavesdropping isn't nice, Princess." 

ChibiUsa turned back to look at Pluto. "I'm just pondering why you brought me to this era if I can't join them."

"Not yet, at least. You can't let them know you're around, but..."

"That doesn't mean I can't help them, does it?" ChibiUsa said guessing Pluto's line of thought.

"You would do it even if I told you not to."

"Won't that affect the future?"

"No, as long as you don't let them see you."

"Them?"

"Any of them. The Senshi, the Death Busters, even the sidekicks."

ChibiUsa nodded again as she saw her mother's young self walk away. To the blonde, it hadn't been too long sice she last saw her, but to her, it had been years.

Or not, depending on what point of view she took. But as far as her mother's past self went, ChibiUsa hadn't seen her in years.

* * *

Kaorinite looked at the picture. Naru Osaka, the one known as Sailor Nemesis. She was quite eager to tackle her and take that crystal, but for some reason... Naru wasn't alone, as a nerdy-looking guy was talking to her. Kaorinite and the others knew only the basics of the Senshi, what their human identities were and such, but this kid, she had no idea. If she were to make a wild guess, from their body language, she would say they were in love. 

Normally, Kaorinite would have just knocked the kid off and faced Naru, but something was triggering her mental alarms. Something about the guy, some sort of hidden power. So, she had decided to wait until he was gone.

But, seriously, how could humans talk about nothing at all for hours? It was really annoying.

* * *

Naru had a double view on what had happened weeks ago. Yes, the shadow of what she had done then would possibly be with her for her whole life, but also, thanks to what had happened, she realized she didn't want to keep on hiding her own feelings from herself anymore. 

"What's in your mind?"

She looked at Umino and smiled. "Nothing important."

"Should we go home? I don't want your mother to be worried like she was last time."

"No, it's..." Naru started, then saw Kaorinite walking to her. "She's one of them."

Umino stood up and put himself between Kaorinite and Naru. "Naru, run."

Kaorinite chuckled and tossed an egg at the bench they had been sitting on. "Not so fast."

The bench morphed fast, growing a head on it's top as it grew metal wires off its sides, which held Naru in place before she could react.

"Now, kid, get out of the way."

"Never."

Kaorinite smirked. "Wrong answer." She shot an energy blast at him, but he did something with his arm, and the blast was reflected. "What the fuck?"

Naru was wondering the same thing, as she'd seen Umino's arm be covered by metal plating briefly. "Umino?"

"I was hoping I never had to use this, but if it's to protect you, then... Game Start!"

Despite herself, Naru felt a rush of fear as she saw Umino's body covered by something similar to his Game Master armor. "No..."

Game Master turned to Naru. "Don't worry, I'm not evil. This is just something... I asked a friend of us to build for me."

Kaorinite saw him distracted and chuckled. "Don't give me your back, kid. Die!"

Game Master moved (too fast to be seen) out of the way, and Kaorinite's blast hit the bench daimon, causing it to lose hold of Naru. "Thanks for the help, Umino, but I can handle this freak. Nemesis Star Power!"

"Fight the guy, I'll get the girl," Kaorinite ordered the daimon.

Game Master leapt back as the daimon attacked, then tackled it, knocking the creature into a tree. The daimon wasn't down yet, though, and stabbed forwards with its wires, scratching its foe's leg.

"This suit's made of Zero, it'll take more than a scratch to hurt me, " Game Master gloated.

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

The first attack was meant for Nemesis, who was sent staggering back by the wind blast, and the second knocked Game Master to the ground. Kaorinite looked back to see the two rogue Senshi looking at her. "Thanks for the help, girls."

"We're not helping you out of charity," Uranus snapped.

"You're still helping her," Game Master snapped as he stood up. The daimon promptly tied him up in wires, rising him above the ground. "Oh, that's cute, but you're missing something." He vanished and appeared right behind the creature. "I can teleport."

Kaorinite turned away from Nemesis as an explosion knocked both off their feet. When the smoke cleared, she saw her daimon was no more, and that Game Master was getting ready to attack her. "Shit."

Uranus and Neptune leapt over her, and glared at Game Master. "Boy, leave now before you're hurt."

"Why are you doing this?"

Uranus snorted. "You wouldn't understand, so just leave."

"I won't let you hurt her."

"Our mission is to get those talismans before Kaorinite's group does, " Neptune said, "even if that means sacrificing human lives."

"You're right, then, I don't understand you."

"Too bad," Uranus said. "World..."

"Deep..."

"Shaking!"

"Submerge!"

The water and wind mixed, creating a small water whirlpool. Game Master rose an energy shield to stop it, but only managed to slow it down. As he rolled on the ground, the rogues turned to see Kaorinite had finally taken the crystal out of Nemesis' chest.

"Hmm... Not a talisman, what a pity." She looked at it as her other hand lit up with light. "It will still mean one less Senshi to worry about." A white energy blast hit her, causing her to drop the crystal. She turned to the source, but saw nobody there. "What?"

Uranus had meanwhile picked the crystal, and tossed it at Game Master, who was standing up and glaring furiously at the three. "Here, kid, your girlfriend needs it."

Game Master took the crystal, his glare still furious. "This doesn't change a thing. You're still evil as far as I'm concerned."

"Let's go," Uranus said to Neptune, ignoring him. "Our job here's done."

Game Master kneeled near Nemesis, putting the crystal back in her. As she opened her eyes, he smiled at her. "It's okay, I got rid of them."

"You did?"

Nemesis stood up and saw Moon and the two Mercuries walking to them. "Guess you're late, Usako."

"Nice suit," Dragon Mercury commented. "Wonder how he got it?"

Mercury smiled at him. "I saw the blueprints, silly."

"Eeeh... Too much for that secret."

"What was that attack, Moon?" Game Master asked.

"Attack?"

"Sure. You hit Kaorinite during the fight."

"Uhm... We just got here," Moon noted.

"Then who..."

Naru winced as she turned back to her normal form. "I don't care, I feel tired. Let's go."

As the two left the scene, Moon smiled. Naru was leaning on Umino, and she could guess it wasn't only out of weariness. "So... You built that suit for him?"

"This time around, yes," Dragon Mercury admitted. "Won't let him summon videogame characters, but he can use everything else the characters may have."

"So he could run at top speed, shoot energy blasts and have superstrength?" Mercury asked.

"Yeah, but the energy in that suit isn't infinite. In fact he's relatively weaker than any of us."

Moon's mind was racing as the three left the park. What Umino said had, for some reason, left her wondering. Somehow, she could tell the presence she had felt earlier was related to that, but why?

It was, she suspected, something that would be revealed to her sooner or later. But was that a friend, a foe, or something neutral like the two rogues seemed to be?

* * *

**A/N:** One of the reviews I got (not that I'm not thankful to all of them) raises a good question, and I don't often answer to reviews, specially in A/N format, but this may be a question worth clearing out here. Who knows, if there's other questions raised by the plot in the future, I may answer them in this format too. 

_SailorStar9:_ The answer to your question is simple, I've always felt some details had been kicked in too late into the story (some can't be introduced earlier, and I'm not spoiling them for anyone who doesn't know how the old plot went,) and Aiko was one of them. I felt like (and I possibly did) rush her 'evolution' and so, in this version, wanted her to get much more screentime before her change.

And this episode answered the question about what would happen to Umino next. I hope nobody minds the Senshi getting yet another sidekick (it's the last one, I swear. At least, the last permanent one.)


	77. Thunderstruck

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

**Episode 77: Thunderstruck.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: November 30, 2007_

* * *

Onara looked at the dozen men, who in return looked at him, as if to read his intentions. "So, gentlemen, what is your decision?" 

"You're leaving things out, but I suppose you don't want it to be too easy on us, now do you?"

"Despite her being a pest, she is the product of my work, in a way, since it is thanks to me that she is alive and fighting crime. While you could hold that against me, I would see that as unwise."

"A suit that resists bullets, even armor piercing ones, but falls to ice and lightning? Ridiculous."

"Unbelievable, I would say." Onara mused. "Almost as much as her ability to lift objects with her mind, knock anyone against a wall, or even... She could focus in your heart, and make it stop. But, she is a waste, since she is using all that to help people, rather than what I revived her for."

"So, if you can't have her power, you would rather let her die? Why not give us her real name, then?"

"My sponsors would not approve of it. And upon finding I did it, they would surely kill me, and you all."

"That's a lie," one of the men said and popped a gun out of his suit.

Onara simply looked at the man as he shot at him, the bullets harmlessly bouncing off his labcoat. He then reached his hand out, and an almost transparent tentacle whipped out, stabbing the offender through the chest.

As the other men all looked at him and the now dead attacker in turns, Onara simply cleaned the blood off his concealed armor and smiled at them. "I suppose nobody else wants to try their luck? Good. " He turned to leave, but decided to leave an extra piece of information. "By the way, if I were you, I would really go for electricity. The suit may be equally weak to both that and ice, but the body behind is human, and I know Nova could withstand a little cold, but I am not sure what effect an electric overload may have in her body, or her mind."

* * *

Usagi smiled as she walked into the base, where most of her friends were gathering. Minako was using the training arena, fighting against an imaginary foe as Ami used the computer to scan her. 

"You know what month this is, right guys?"

"June," Rei said.

"Yeah, so we're only weeks away from my birthday."

"Yay," Rei muttered. "Yes, we know that."

"Well, good to know you're happy for me," Usagi muttered back.

"Don't mind Rei," Terry said. "I'm sure she was born scowling."

Minako stopped her imaginary battle and turned to Ami. "So, got the data you wanted yet?"

"Hmm... This is strange. Aiko has no bugs, but this data has to be wrong, somehow."

Terry looked at the data and winced. "Twenty-five points? No way."

"I've run similar readings on the others while they trained," Aiko said appearing next to Ami. "And they all show a similar raise, though from what I saw it depends on how much they train and their current power level as a Senshi."

"And you didn't tell us because...?"

"You didn't ask," Aiko said matter-of-factly.

"Computers," Rei muttered. "So, what do these numbers really tell us?"

"To put it short," Terry said, "right now, Minako's combat skills could overpower the best fighters in the world. As far as human fighters go, anyway."

"The readings also indicate a substantial raise in all cases from the time training became regular."

Usagi didn't quite get all of that, but she could understand the main point. "So, the more we fight and train, the stronger we'll be, even as humans?"

"Yes," Aiko said. "Given a few years of training, you could have more power than your first level Senshi transformations had, without even transforming."

"Amazing," Ami said. "But, Aiko, next time you notice something like this, please tell us right away."

"Yes mom."

Rei chuckled as Aiko 'vanished.' "Strange, I really can't think about her as just a computer anymore."

"You don't call her 'it' anymore, either," Terry noticed. "So, guys, do you believe me now?"

"I guess all that talk about training wasn't just talk," Minako said. "So, Usagi, care for a fight?"

Usagi smiled. "Sounds like fun." She then winced. "Did I just say I thought fighting is fun?"

"Been around Terry and Brad too much, I guess," Minako joked as Usagi walked to the platform.

"And Kage, too," Rei said. "Wonder where he is?"

"Not too sociable, is he?" Terry mused.

"He just needs a bit of the Usagi treatment," Usagi said.

"Yeah, she could befriend a rock," Rei said. "And I say that as a good thing," she added.

"Ready?"

Usagi turned to look at Minako. "Let's go."

* * *

Miles away from there, meanwhile, Karin and Mako were standing on top of a building, looking at the city below. "You were right, the view's nice from up here." 

Karin smiled as Mako looked down. "Be careful, a fall from this high would be painful."

"I've been knocked off higher places and survived," Mako said. "So, how come you have a key of this building?"

"Oh, right, Chie never told you guys where she lives. We're standing a few meters above her appartment right now."

Mako nodded. It wasn't strange, after all, she didn't know most of the group's parents. "So, do you come here often?"

"Ony when I want to be alone," Karin said, "but I guess I like it better when you're around."

Mako blushed at that. "You tell that to all the girls you date?"

"I guess I do, since you're the first," Karin mused.

Mako and Karin leaned to each other, but stopped as an energy blast hissed right over Mako's head. "Wonderful timing," Mako muttered.

Kaorinite laughed as she walked to them. "Oh, sorry, did I interrupt anything important?"

Mako glared at the woman. "Sure did. Jupiter Star Power!"

"Earth Twilight Power!"

"Up here you won't have anywhere to run, Jupiter. Your crystal's as good as mine!" Kaorinite gloated.

"Who's running? Lightning Kick!"

"Vine Crush!"

Jupiter's attack knocked Kaorinite back, and Earth's one trapped her, leaving her defenseless. "Hey, what's with the bondage?" Kaorinite snapped.

"Not my fault, it's not like I choose what my attacks look like," Earth noted.

"Okay, let's end this fast," Jupiter said. "Lightning..."

"World Shaking!"

The attack knocked Jupiter to the ground. Earth looked up to see the two rogues standing on top of the building's water tank. "You..."

"Out of the way," Uranus warned.

Earth stood between them and Jupiter. "No way you're hurting her."

Kaorinite blasted the vines trapping her with an energy burst, then smiled at Earth. "Little girl, you should heed my pawns' words."

"We're not your pawns," Uranus snapped.

Kaorinite shrugged and aimed her hand at Earth. Earth rushed forwards and went for a flying kick, but the redhead was faster. "Die! Huh?" Kaorinite said in disbelief as her attack missed, and was kicked off the roof by Earth.

"I knew all that noise had to be because of you, harpies."

Uranus and Neptune leapt down to the roof and looked at Lilith dismissively. "Luck is nothing against skill."

"You may be right," Lilith admitted, "and I don't want to trash my building, so..."

"Tough luck," Uranus snapped. "World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

Lilith leapt over both attacks, landing next to Earth. "I guess it's time to kick their rears."

Earth nodded and summoned her staff. "Dust Storm!"

Uranus and Neptune stood through the dirt wave, and Neptune glared at them. "You two don't stand a chance against us."

"We can always try." Lilith rushed at the two harpies, but Uranus sidestepped her, knocking her down. Neptune grabbed her wrist and knocked her out of the roof.

"As I was saying, you have no way to defeat us."

"Oh, the two brats are right, little rockgirl."

Earth turned in time to see Kaorinite shoot a blast at Jupiter. The two rogues had distracted her! "Mako... No..."

Kaorinite looked at the crystal that floated out of Jupiter's chest and sighed. "Damn it, another dud." She clutched the crystal, ready to destroy it, but stopped as she saw Earth glowing. "Oh, not that again..."

"Earth Star Power!"

Uranus and Neptune both leapt over Kaorinite's head, using her distraction, and shot their attacks almost in unison. "World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

Kaorinite was knocked down again, but she stood glaring at the two rogues furiously. "Make up your fucking mind already, are you helping me, or these stupid kids?"

"Neither," Neptune said. "We're saving the world."

Whatever Kaorinite was about to say, was interrupted by an airboard smacking her straight in the face. As Kaorinite went down, Lilith leapt back up to the roof. "That takes care of that bitch. Now..."

Uranus tossed the heart at Earth, who was glaring at her. "Here, give your girlfriend this."

Earth tossed the crystal to Lilith. "You do it, Chie."

"What about you?" Lilith asked.

"I'm going to beat these two."

"You wouldn't," Neptune said. "We helped you."

"Nature's Fury!" In a blink, a man-sized rock appeared in front of Earth, and she punched it with all her might. The rock shattered, and the shards all shot at the two rogues, along with an energy beam.

The blast knocked the two off the building, and though the fall hurt, they stood up ready to fight back. "That bitch..."

"That bitch is my friend."

Neptune turned around and saw the rest of the Senshi group were there, ready to fight. Earth, Lilith and Jupiter leapt off the roof, and the two rogues grimaced.

"What are you going to do, bully us?" Uranus snapped.

"Would be fair, as you and your friend Kaorinite keep on bullying us," Moon snapped back.

"We're not her allies," Neptune noted.

"You help her," Mars said, "and that, for me, is enough to make you our enemies."

"Guys, let's go."

Moon turned to Jupiter. "Mako?"

"They're not worth our time," Jupiter said. "And they could be useful in the future, distracting Kaorinite."

As the Senshi left, Uranus and Neptune also turned to leave. Saturn, however, appeared in front of them. "The others may agree with Jupiter, but I don't. I'll tell you what I told Pluto before. If any of my friends is hurt because of you, I'm going to kill you both."

Uranus met Saturn's cold gaze without effort. "Is that a threat?"

"A threat? No, it's a promise. Saving the world isn't worth anything if you stop being human for it."

Neptune looked at Uranus as Saturn vanished. "What's wrong with that kid?"

"I don't know, but she must be foolish to think she could beat us."

"Her friends could help her."

Uranus chuckled at that. "Are you serious? They're scared of killing a rat, they won't let her attack us like that."

Neptune nodded and followed Uranus as they walked away, but for some reason, she wasn't so sure Saturn's threat was that empty.

* * *

**A/N:** Again, question answering time. 

_SailorStar9:_ I never liked the Stars season, but one of the challenges, as a writer, that I've found to be actually worth my time, is writing those characters I don't like, and keeping them in character. The season will have change (too many differences in the plot already,) but the Three Lights won't.

So, yeah, I don't like the Starlights, but I liked Urawa even less, and I if managed to write him right (well, judging by the thirty minutes of screentime the guy has,) I think I can manage to do the same with the three Kou.


	78. Daimon Beach

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

**Episode 78: Daimon Beach.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 3, 2007_

* * *

_'They never learn, do they?'_

The black-clad heroine watched amusedly as a small group of thugs walked out of a bank, waving their guns around at the crowd, and heading for their escape vehicle. It was showtime, once again.

"Damn it, it's Nova!"

The gang immediately aimed their guns at her. Nova smirked as she concentrated, disassembling the weapons before they could even shoot at her. "I would usually make this fun for me, but there's too much of a crowd here, so..."

Suddenly, a dozen electric arcs shot from the crowd around them, all concentrating on Nova's body. She screamed in pain as the lightning struck, and fell to the ground, panting heavily.

"Well, well, you never thought we would figure out your weakness, did you?"

The man that walked out of the crowd was tall, wearing a brown business suit, and his face was a display of scars. "Who are you?" she asked. She wasn't worried about the suit, since her mask wasn't a part of it, but still, electricity hurt her a lot, enough to keep her from using her powers. She just needed a few seconds more, though, and then she could try something.

"Let's just say I'm part of a group that doesn't want little girls ruining our business."

Nova stood up and glared at the man. In a second, she had all her power focused in his throat. However, her attack didn't last long, as the many henchmen the man had in the crowd all walked to her, shooting their electric weapons again. This time, however, they didn't stop shooting.

"So, heroine, how does it feel to be powerless? How does it feel to face something you can't ever hope to defeat?" the man snapped after he recovered his breath.

"How about you tell us?"

The man turned around and saw one of the Senshi there. Sailor Jupiter, from what he knew. "You, here? I thought you freaks only cared about alien invaders."

"Nova is a friend," Jupiter said, "and I'm not going to let you hurt her."

The gang all stopped their attack on Nova, instead focusing their blasts on Jupiter. It was, they soon realized, a foolish idea, as Jupiter's body absorbed all the electricity without any visible damage. "Hold your fire!" the boss ordered.

"Nova, can you give them a lift? I don't want to hurt any innocents. "

Nova had recovered enough by now, and nodded. "Up they go!"

The man found himself lifted up to the air, along with the attackers. They all shot at Nova, but the arcs all turned in a different direction. As they followed their 'attack' they gasped as Jupiter absorbed them. "Fuck, this isn't going as planned."

"Thanks, I can always use more power," Jupiter said. "Jupiter Stun Spark!"

True, that attack was meant for healing evil creatures, but with her current power level, it was the only attack that wouldn't kill a normal human, or at least injure them badly. It was still strong enough to knock anyone off, as she was demonstrating the agressors.

Nova let the now unconscious gang fall down, and walked to Jupiter. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," Jupiter said. "Think they'll be back for more?"

Hana lifted one of the guns with her psi skill and examined it. "Hmmm... If they do come back, I want to have a way to beat them."

"Maybe our resident bookworms will know," Jupiter said, then sumoned her airboard. As they fled out of the area, she smiled. "Oh, by the way, the group's going to the beach tomorrow, want to tag along?"

"I don't know, who else is going?"

"Everyone but Kage. I sometimes wonder about that guy..."

"Okay, I'll bite. Been a while since I took a break from my 'job. '"

* * *

"Kaorinite, your failure to get the Talismans is..." 

"... Not helping our mission. Remember we..."

"... Must have them ready before our master can..."

"... Come to this world."

Kaorinite bowed to the two. "I have tried to find it, but it's hard to tell who the carriers are. Are you sure they're Senshi?"

"They're magical beings, that's..."

"... What we know. We will have to research on..."

"... The other magical beings in the city, and..."

"... Then you may attack them as well."

"So, who's the next target?"

"The genius girl, Ami Mizuno, she is..."

"... The brains of the team, if she doesn't..."

"... Have a Talisman, you must make sure her..."

"... Crystal is destroyed."

"I will not fail again," Kaorinite said.

As she vanished, the two figures kept staring at the place she'd been standing on. "We somehow..."

"... Doubt that."

* * *

"I love sundays," Chie commented. The group was riding a bus, heading for the beach. "Terry, your idea was great." 

"Yeah, we'll get to look at cute girls in swimsuits," Karin mused.

"Now, now, I'm going to get jealous," Mako said. "So, how did you get this thing?"

"I bought it last year," Terry said. "I just hadn't used it yet."

"And you know how to drive it?"

Terry was, indeed, driving the bus as it sped through Tokyo's streets. "If it's got wheels, I can drive it."

"I don't know many normal kids our age who can drive a car, leave alone a bus," Rei commented.

"Normal? What's that?" Terry joked.

* * *

As they reached the beach, everyone noticed something amiss. "Hey, there's nobody here," Usagi said. 

"What, did you buy the beach too?" Mako asked the 'million man.'

"No," Terry said.

"Guess it's just our luck," Chie commented. The others looked at her. "What? I didn't do it."

"It's a pity, too," Brad said. "I was hoping to stare at some cute girls in swimsuits." He noticed all the girls in the group glaring at him. "What? Oh wait, I didn't..."

"Too late," Minako said with an evil smile.

* * *

"Uhm... Girls, I think we overdid it. Burying him in the sand like that isn't nice." 

"Don't worry, Ami," Minako said. "After all, we only buried him up to his knees."

"I see that," Terry mused. Brad's legs could be seen coming up from a small sand mound. "But I think you should take him out of there. "

A minute later, Brad was finally free of the sandy prison. In the meantime, Terry and Ami had walked off and were talking. "I thought you would be a lot more... Distracted," she said.

"Huh? Why?"

"Girls in such showy clothing," Ami mused. "You're a guy, after all. "

"I've already looked at them," Terry said, "not gonna lie to you."

Ami chuckled. "And you can keep yourself in check around them?"

"Why do you think I wanted to walk away?" Terry said with a wink.

Ami chuckled again. "So, do you know how to swim?"

"I'm quite good at it, yes," Terry said.

"Hmmm... I don't think you'll be able to keep up with me."

"Is that a challenge?"

Ami walked to the water and nodded. "I guess it is."

"Let's go, then."

* * *

Meanwhile, most of the Senshi were just sitting and looking at the sea. Chie came walking to them with a white ball under her arm. "Say, girls, want to play some volleyball?" 

"Where did you find that?" Mako asked.

"Near the water," Chie said. "A lucky find, I guess."

"Luck won't beat skills."

"Who said I don't have skills too?" Chie noted.

"Point. I saw a net around here," Mako said. "Let's go get it."

As she followed the others, Rei scanned the area with her eyes. For some reason, she felt as if something was lurking.

* * *

"Hey, we're going to play some volleyball. Want to join in?" 

Hotaru looked down from the rock she was on, and shook her head at Usagi. "No, I'm not too good at sports."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"Enjoying the day," Hotaru said sharply. "Besides, I can feel something most of the girls won't notice."

Usagi guessed what she meant. "Damn, not here..."

"Unfortunately, yes. I think our friend Kaorinite and the two harpies will be around today."

"Well, that sure makes the day funnier," Usagi muttered.

"Sarcasm doesn't fit you."

"I know."

* * *

Hana was, just like Hotaru and Rei, aware of the lurking enemy. "But where is she hiding..." Even reaching out with her powers, she couldn't see where the enemy was. 

"She'll show up sooner or later."

Hana turned to see Mamoru walking her way. "Oh, you can feel evil too?"

"No, but when the three that can start acting like you are, I can guess something's up."

"Yes, I can feel one of those... Daimons. It's somewhere in the beach, but I can't see it, even with my power."

"I'm sure Kaorinite won't attack anyone who's grouped with many others," Mamoru said. "At least, that's what I would do if I were overpowered like she is."

"So you would attack someone who's far from the others?" Hana asked.

"Should I be jealous?"

Mamoru turned to see Usagi walking their way. "Hi odango."

Usagi smiled at him. "What are you two up to?"

Hotaru appeared besides them, making Usagi jump. "Guys, I think I know who the target will be."

"Who?"

It was then that they heard an explosion in the water.

* * *

Terry was swiming with Ami. Or, trying to keep up with her. He was surprised she could swim that well, not that he was a good swimmer, but Ami was hard to keep up with. "Hey, Ami!" 

"What's up?" Ami asked stopping to look at him. "Tired yet?"

"As a matter of fact," Terry said, "yes."

"We can go back if you want."

"Oh, but I wouldn't like your friends to interfere."

Before Ami could turn to the voice, she felt something hitting her back, then everything went black.

* * *

"Girls, Ami's in troubles!" 

The others stopped their match and turned as Usagi, or rather Sailor Moon, rushed to them. "Where's she?"

"There," Mako said as another explosion came from the sea. "Let's help her."

"Damn Kaorinite, she waited for them to be far enough..."

"She's not stupid, after all," Karin said.

"You kids are going nowhere."

Chie winced as Uranus and Neptune rushed at them. "We don't have time for these two."

"Leave them to me," Moon said.

"But..."

"I can manage," Moon said. "But I don't think Terry can beat Kaorinite alone."

As the others rushed away, Uranus smirked. "Pluto calls you Princess, but I'm not sure she's right. Someone who puts an individual's life before the world's sake doesn't deserve to be called a leader."

"I don't think you know what being a Senshi is about, then," Moon said.

"World Shaking!"

Moon staggered back as the attack hit. "I don't really want to fight you, but if you insist..."

* * *

Dragon Mercury was really worried. He was surrounded by several jellyfish-like daimons, and Kaorinite was now looking at Ami's crystal, as she stood on top of one of the monsters. "Give that back, bitch!" 

"Why should I? Even if it's not a talisman, it's still something dangerous. Or rather, the one carrying this is dangerous."

"Ice Wyrm!"

It was the only thing he could do while holding Ami above the water, and it apparently was good enough. Two of the jellyfishes were frozen solid by it, and Kaorinite growled at him. "Why you..."

"Lightning Kick!"

The attack took Kaorinite by surprise, and she was sent bouncing on the water, the electricity of Jupiter's attack zapping her with each bounce, until she landed in a heap on the beach. A barrage of attacks from the other Senshi took care of the jellyfishes.

Jupiter and the others floated on their airboards as they looked at the unconscious Ami. "Terry, is she okay?"

"Where's the crystal?" He asked.

"Damn," Jupiter muttered as she realized it had been knocked off Kaorinite's hand. "Sorry, I ..."

"That was stupid, Mako. I would've liked to keep that crystal where I could see it."

"I said I'm sorry," Jupiter snapped back.

"That doesn't..."

"Terry, knock it off," Nova warned.

"But..."

Saturn looked down to the water and grimaced. "It's down there, right under us."

Jupiter leapt off her board and put her arm around Ami's waist. "Go get it."

Dragon Mercury nodded and swam down. After a few seconds, he resurfaced, the crystal in his hand. He put the crystal near Ami's chest and it went back into her body. "That was close..."

As Ami woke up, Jupiter smiled. "Welcome back."

"You can stop hugging her now," Earth said.

Jupiter blushed. "I wasn't..."

Dragon Mercury smiled. "Mako, I'm sorry about my outburst."

"Don't worry," Jupiter said.

"I think Kaorinite's much smarter than she seemed," Ami said. "Attacking us here was quite a good strategy."

"Where's Usagi?" Dragon Mercury asked.

A shout of "Moonlight Flash" could be heard from the beach as the area lit up. As the group rushed back to the shore, they could see Moon looming over a couple beaten-up Senshi.

"Guess she could beat them, after all."

Uranus stood up, wincing as she noticed a cut in her arm. "Impossible, we're as strong as you."

Moon smiled as the others reached the area. "You are, but your ways are wrong."

"Save us the lecture," Neptune snapped.

"Should we get them?" Mars asked.

Moon looked at the two rogues limping away. "No, let them go."

"How did you beat them, anyway?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"Easy, I began gathering energy for my attack since the fight started. That gave it a lot more power than it normall has."

Ami winced. "I feel like... Uhm..."

"Like shit?" Mako asked. "Yeah, having that crystal thing out isn't a nice experience."

"So, who wants to go for a swim?" Usagi asked. The others looked at her. "What?"

* * *

**A/N:** Nope, there won't be a Senshi getting a new level every two episodes, like in former arcs. I'm only going to get everyone to Star level, and maybe someone up to the next one, but overally, I want the group to stay at a relatively low power level until Stars is over. 

And don't worry, this isn't the last Nova will see of those electric weapons. Yakuza are just too stubborn to give up after one attempt.


	79. Earthbound

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

**Episode 79: Earthbound.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 8, 2007_

* * *

The class was waiting for their history teacher, but were quite surprised to see the principal walking in instead. "Students, your History professor, Yamanachi, had to move out of the city for personal reasons. So from now on, your new professor will be..." 

As the woman walked in, several of the students recognized her._'Setsuna?'_ Uranus and Neptune thought.

"No way..." Hotaru said. Dragon Sun didn't say a thing, just looked at Setsuna questioningly.

"... Setsuna Meiou."

"Good morning, students. I hope we can get along, and I'm sure you'll find my class to be very interesting."

"History, interesting," Minako said. "I doubt it."

Setsuna ignored that as she turned to principal Sato. "I think I'll manage, they look like a good group."

As Sato left, Setsuna noticed the looks her former 'protegees' were giving her. "Okay, class, let's start today's lesson..."

* * *

"Kaorinite, your last battle showed us..." 

"... That you alone can't beat the Senshi."

Kaorinite growled but kept her cool. "So, what's your plan this time?"

"You will attack..."

"... The one known as Sailor Earth, but..."

"... You won't go alone."

As the last word was spoken, Kaorinite saw someone teleporting right besides her. "You?"

"We redheads have to stand together," the other woman said.

"Eudial, you must create..."

"... A distraction. That way..."

"... The Senshi won't be able to save her friend."

"What about the two rogues?" Kaorinite asked.

"You can defeat them..."

"... If you stop underestimating them."

Kaorinite nodded, then turned to Eudial. "I'm counting on you to keep those kids busy."

"Of course. It was about time I got a share of the fun."

* * *

After school, the Senshi were at their base. Well, some of them, as most of the group was taking a day off from training. 

"That new teacher is good," Usagi noted. "She speaks of history almost as if she was there when things happened."

"Quite a fun thing to say, considering who she is," Ami said. "Right, Hotaru?"

"What do you mean?" Hotaru said, playing dumb.

"I've searched for clues on who our two rogues are," Ami said, "something you could tell us yourself, by the way,"

"That's not going to happen," Hotaru said.

"I know that. However, while searching for them, I found a bit of info on Sailor Pluto in my computer. She was called Princess Moment back then. Moment of Pluto."

"Setsuna Meiou... Meiousei," Terry said. "Moment of Pluto. It's so obvious, one could easily overlook it."

"I told her she needed to change her name," Hotaru said. "I knew you would find out sooner or later. Didn't think it would be this soon. "

"But I did." Everyone turned to the voice. Setsuna was standing there, looking at them with an unreadable face.

"So, I was right," Ami said.

Setsuna nodded. "Yes, I am Pluto. I really hope my girls aren't giving you much problem."

"Not at all, considering they help the enemy," Rei said.

"They can be a bit too idealistic," Setsuna admitted, "but they're the same as you. They're trying to save the world."

"Can you tell us what exactly are we searching for?"

"You have most of your facts right," Setsuna said. "However, all I can tell you is, the Talismans look different than normal crystals. "

"Why is the enemy trying to keep the crystals, then?"

"They don't want to keep them, they want to destroy them."

"So they're trying to get rid of the enemy," Terry said. "Can't say it's a bad strategy."

"It's strange seeing you out of your post for this long," Hotaru commented.

"I will be needed in the battle soon, and so will my newest trainee. "

"Another Senshi?" Minako said.

"Ask no questions and I'll tell no lies."

"You could tell your other trainees to stop being such harpies," Hotaru noted.

"Even if you don't want to admit it, in most of these battles, Uranus and Neptune have done more good than harm."

"I'm still going to kill them if they hurt my friends," Hotaru said, then looked at Usagi, "even though I know most won't approve my attitude."

Just then, Aiko 'appeared' near Ami. "I'm detecting an evil creature in Odaiba. From my scanning, it's someone with the same power levels as Kaorinite."

"Another 'General,'" Terry said.

"But why go there?" Ami pondered. "None of us is there right now."

"I guess we'll have to go and ask her," Usagi said. "Are you coming?"

Setsuna shook her head. "I have to go back to my post for now. I'll see you at school."

"Figures," Rei muttered.

"Then again, she could probably vaporize whoever this new witch is on the spot," Minako said, "and despite myself, I gotta say that wouldn't be fun for us."

* * *

Mamoru was looking at a jewelry display case. So far, he hadn't seen anything he liked. It was almost amusing, how choosing a gift for her was much harder than choosing something for himself. But she was worth the time, and then some. 

His musings were interrupted as he heard an explosion. Looking outside the shop, he saw Kaorinite was perched on the fence, and looking down at someone. "Okay, so I'm not the target," he noted. He saw people running for the nearest exit, and merged with the crowd, looking for a place to transform.

* * *

"Guys, this doesn't look good at all." 

Mercury nodded at Venus' words as she scanned the building. "Everyone at that stadium is unconscious... And their crystals are gone."

Eudial appeared in front of the stadium. "Looks like I did get your attention, brats."

"Who are you?" Moon asked.

"I'm Eudial, second of the Witches Five, and I'm going to have fun killing you all."

Saturn winced as she scanned the woman. "She's absorbing the crystals' energy. Her power is skyrocketing."

"Won't that kill the victims?" Jupiter asked. She had seen the others heading to Odaiba and had tagged along, but something in her mind kept telling her that she should be elsewhere.

"No, but they will be extremely tired once they wake up," Mercury explained.

"They won't wake up," Eudial snapped. "Because you're not winning this one. Now, would you kids kindly get out of those boards?"

"Nah, I think we will shoot at you from up here," Dragon Venus said.

"Not likely," Eudial snapped, then produced a strange cannon out of thin air. "Die!"

The cannon shot an energy wave that knocked all the Senshi off their airboards. "Fuck, the bitch's got a BFG," Dragon Mercury said.

"BFwhat?" Moon asked as they all staggered up.

"Nevermind," the Ice Dragon said. "I think we should try a group attack."

And so they did, but Eudial took the hit and laughed. The group tried again, and she again shrugged the attacks off.

"What? She can't be that strong!" Moon exclaimed.

"She isn't. It's the energy she absorbed."

Moon turned to see the three Mooncats there. "Luna, what are you doing here?"

"It's time for you to learn a new technique that will help you win this fight," Shade said.

"The Planet Attack," Artemis added.

"Planet Attack?" Mercury asked.

"Dunno what it is, but it sounds painful," Dragon Venus noted.

Eudial smirked. "I'll humor your pets." In a way, she was curious as to what the Senshi had in mind, but also, she knew she had to buy Kaorinite more time. "Show me what you can do, Senshi."

"So, what is it about?" Moon asked. She was curious, but she was also worried about the victims. If they didn't hurry, they could all die.

"The reason we hadn't told you this is, your power wasn't high enough. It requires four or more Star level Senshi to work."

"Actually," Mercury said as she looked at her computer, "it requires four or more for the power to work, but one of them has to be a catalyst."

"Catawhat?" Moon asked.

"One of you has to work as the focus point for the attack," Artemis explained. "Preferably the strongest one."

Eudial yawned. "Come on, can't you kids hurry up?"

"What you have to do, is shoot your strongest attack at the catalyst, " Luna explained. "And that warrior will be the one calling upon the Planet Attack."

"Sounds... Dangerous," Venus said, looking at Moon.

"Let's do it," Moon said.

"If it goes wrong, you could be hurt gravely," Shade noted. "You have to not only trust your own skill, but you have to trust those who will be targeting you as well."

"And I do," Moon said, looking at the others. "Guys, come on. We need to get those crystals back before it's too late."

The others nodded, and shot their attacks in unison, targeting Moon.

"Mars Fire Tornado!"

"Mercury Frozen Rage!"

"Mercury Ice Wyrm!"

"Jupiter Lightning Kick!" Jupiter didn't actually hit Moon, as she stopped in mid-jump, but the electricity still rushed fowards.

"Venus Morning Star Smash!"

"Venus Light Rain!"

"Saturn Death Scythe!" Saturn slammed her glaive into the ground, releasing a surge of power that hit Moon just as all the other attacks did.

Moon had timed it almost perfectly, and as the attacks hit her, she aimed her hands forwards. "Star... Planet... Attack!"

Eudial realized in that moment that she should have left the battlefield as soon as the attack was started, but it was now a bit too late. As she looked at the multi-colored, truck-sized energy beam coming her way, she could only hope the energy she'd gathered would be enough. She formed a shield with most of it, but the attack still blasted through, knocking her into the stadium's wall.

As Eudial fell face-first to the ground, Moon kneeled and panted. "Did we... Kill her?"

"She's barely alive," Mercury said, then scanned Moon. "Damn..."

"What?"

"Saturn, can you help her?"

"I feel fine," Moon said, then fell forwards.

Saturn kneeled besides her and used her healing power. "I don't think we'll be using that attack often."

Luna nodded. "It's a risky technique, but you get a higher power output with the same attacks you normally use."

Mercury nodded. "Roughly fifty thousand points in our scale."

Mars tried to do the maths and whistled. "Twice what we would get separately. How is that possible?"

Luna looked at the still unconscious Moon and winced. "Well, the catalyst uses the pain caused by the attacks to boost her own power, channeling all the attacks into one single blast, as you saw."

"We're not using that thing again, then," Mars said. "I don't want Usagi to get hurt like that."

"Rei, it's not that bad." As Moon stood up, the others looked at her worriedly. "Guys, I'm okay. And I'm sure with a little practice, I could learn to minimize the pain."

"What do you mean, that we should go to the base and practice that?"

"No way," Dragon Mercury said. "With that much power, you would drill the wall and then a good mile of underground Tokyo before the attack stopped."

"Okay, so we won't get to practice it," Moon said. "But I wonder where Mamoru was?"

"Yeah, he should be here shouting at us for having you use that tech, " Luna mused.

Moon summoned her comm and sighed. "I'll have ask him, I guess."

* * *

Earth had been having fun at the mall minutes ago, but that apparently wasn't the case anymore. She dodged an energy blast and turned to the palm-like daimon attacking her. "Your aiming sucks, you know?" 

Kaorinite looked down at her from her perch. "Last time we fought, you went all kinky on me with that vine attack, but this time, I'm not going to let you do it again."

Earth smirked. "What, are you teasing me because you actually liked the attack?"

Kaorinite glared at her. "Daimon, get her."

"Earth Nature's Fury!" The attack literally ripped the monsters to pieces, and Earth turned to look at Kaorinite. "You're next."

Kaorinite's glare deepened, but then she smiled. "No, I think you are."

"What--"

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

The two blasts hit Earth, knocking her to the ground. Before she could stand up, Kaorinite leapt down and blasted her, getting her crystal. "Damn it, another fake."

"Rock Rose!"

The blast knocked the crystal off Kaorinite's hand. "Hey!"

Uranus picked the crystal up and put it near Earth, then nodded at the Dragon. "She's safe."

A pink energy beam hit Neptune, knocked her down. Uranus looked at the source and saw a figure hiding in the shadows. "Who are you?"

The figure didn't say a thing, but dashed away. "I'm okay, but who was that? Another enemy?"

"Let's find out," Uranus said. The two rogues run off, leaving Dragon Earth and the now awake Earth to take care of Kaorinite.

"So, what are you kids going to do?"

Dragon Earth glared at her. "Make sure you won't attack anyone else. Earth Star Power!"

"Saw that coming," Kaorinite muttered.

The transformation ended in a blink, and the now Star-level Dragon Earth started gathering energy.

"I'd love to stay and see what new tricks you have, but I gotta run, so..."

"Oh no, you won't," Earth snapped as her staff appeared in her hands. "Vine Crusher!"

"Eek... That again, you pervert!" Kaorinite shouted as the vines wrapped around her.

Unfortunately for her, Dragon Earth had finished gathering energy. "Stone..." A large rock appeared in front of him, just like with Earth's attack, but it rapidly took the form of a fist. "Jab!"

Earth smiled as her brother punched the large fist, sending it barrelling towards Kaorinite, who could only stare at it in shock. As the attack hit, it dragged Kaorinite through the wall and out of the mall. "Nice."

Kaorinite tried to stand up, but fell back down with a grunt. "I... Hate these kids," she groaned before teleporting out.

Dragon Earth sensed something, and produced her communicator. "Usagi?"

"Where are you? We just fought one of the witches here, but she didn't target anyone."

"Kaorinite was here," he explained, "and she was targeting Karin."

Jupiter's voice was heard over the comm, shouting out a few words Dragon Earth was surprised someone her age would know about. As her face showed up in the comm, she looked ready to punch something to dust. "Is she okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry." Earth, who had by now summoned her own comm, said with a smile.

"I should've been there," Jupiter said.

"These women are smarter than we thought," Mercury admitted. "And we should be careful not to fall into this kind of traps again."

"Trap or not," Moon said, "there were civilians in danger here."

"I agree," Mars said. "If we hadn't stopped Eudial, she could've killed them."

Jupiter's face shown that, while she agreed, she still wasn't happy about not being there to help Karin. "Okay, we'll see you guys at the base."

* * *

**A/N:** _Taeniaea:_ No, she doesn't. Mistress Nine is a "free agent" and will be linked to another character in the next arc. (And I know the Elite Moonie Squad wants my head for that.) 

I'm working on Cyber Moon: Crystal and Cyber Moon: Aeons too, but I'm not sure about releasing episodes for those two before having this one series completed, as it would bring up spoilers for Chronicles. On the other hand, it's going to be months (maybe years) before I end this, and I would like to start the other parts of the story and get feedback for them while inspiration's still here.


	80. Dark Nova

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

**Episode 80: Dark Nova.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 9, 2007_

* * *

As usual, Kaorinite was listening to her two leaders, but Eudial was with her now, also awaiting for their instructions." "Even though your last..." 

"... Target wasn't a carrier, we..."

"... Realized the Senshi are easier to deal with..."

"... If we attack more than one place at once."

"I really hope they don't do that attack again," Eudial commented. "I'm lucky to be standing here."

"We know. This time, you both will go and attack..."

"... Two possible carriers, who are often alone."

"I see... You think the Senshi will not be close enough to interfere?"

"We're counting on that, however..."

"... Do not underestimate the two rogues. And..."

"... If he or she is back, try to learn our hidden attacker's identity."

"Yes, whoever she is, she's attacking both us and the rogues, maybe we could ally with her."

"That's true, Kaorinite, but..."

"... If she refuses, destroy her."

* * *

As Haruka and Michiru entered the classroom, they found a quite strange scene: Terry was building a pyramid using poker cards, while everyone waited, holding their breath. Terry put the last card and smiled proudly. "Got it." 

Just then, Usagi came walking in, but tripped with a ruler someone had left lying on the floor and fell down. The pyramid wasn't shaken by the movement, however, and Terry smiled again. "Nothing can take my fortress down!" Those surrounding his seat all sighed in relief at the same time, causing the cards to go flying off the desk. "Eeh... Except for a strong gust, I suppose."

"They're quite a weird group, aren't they?" Haruka said to Michiru.

"Sure are." It was hard for her to think they were the same they faced in battle.

Hotaru looked at them as she stood besides them. "He tried that three times before getting it right."

"No hostile remarks?" Haruka whispered.

"There's a time and place for everything," Hotaru whispered back, "and I think there's still time for you two to change your ways."

"We won't," Michiru said. "Our mission is more important than anything."

"You sound like me last year," Hotaru said. "A pity. Fortunately, I have friends now."

As Hotaru walked back to her seat, Haruka and Michiru looked at each other. Friends? They couldn't afford to befriend the others, if they did, they could be found out. And also, they knew three of them had the Talismans, so they would have to be sacrificed in the end.

* * *

"What are you doing, Onara?" 

The scientist turned to his 'sponsor.' "Simply looking over the data of the Senshi's last battle. Do you realize the power output that attack had?"

The woman nodded. "I do. But the drawback for them is, one of them ends up very weakened afterwards."

Onara shook his head. "Nothing training won't solve, and... That's what they've been doing at their base, I'm sure."

"You think they could master that move if they use it enough?"

"I don't just think they will, I'm sure of it. But also..."

"What?"

"Well, if I can descypher how the move works, I could add it to the Omega."

"Oh, I see. Yes, that is an excellent idea. Unlike the Senshi, we don't have to worry about the consequences of using that move."

* * *

The truck turned fast, knocking a few parked cars into the sidewalk. The patrols chasing it tried to form a box around it, but the driver was apparently skilled enough to not fall for it. One of the police cars was sent rolling as the truck knocked them sideways, but was stopped by an unseen force. 

"Guess the bait worked," the man driving the truck said as he looked at the rearview mirror. Nova was checking on the patrol as it slowly descended. "Guys, get your weapons ready, the psi bitch is here."

The truck made a quite sudden stop, forcing the patrols chasing it to make a quick turn. Several men rushed out of the vehicle, sporting cannon-like weapons, and started shooting them at the patrols. The electric arcs that shot from them caused most of the cars to explode, but, Nova noticed, all the cops inside them had managed to get away before that happened.

She floated down and stood on top of the truck. "So... You guys are back for more, right?"

"You're right, bitch, and this time there's no Senshi to help you," the driver snapped as he got out of his vehicle, aiming a gun like that the others had at her.

Nova sat down on the truck, looking at him with a mocking smile. "You robbed a bank just to catch my eye? I should feel honored, I guess."

"Shut up, girl, it's time to die!" As he said that, the man shot his weapon at Nova. The others mimicked him. However, all they hit was air, as Nova vanished before the beams touched her. "What the fuck?"

"Little advice, boys. Those weapons only work if I'm not aware you're going to use them," Nova said as she appeared right behind the driver. Before he could turn to get her, however, Nova psi-blasted him out cold. His allies weren't going to stand there and let her hit them, however, and they all opened fire against her the moment their driver fell. Nova, once again, phased out of the way and stood on top of the truck. "Seriously, that kind of crap only works as a surprise attack," she said. She sensed something and turned around, but wasn't fast enough to dodge.

Eudial looked at Nova as she fell, her weapon still shining. "Indeed, surprise attacks are the key."

"Who's that redhead?"

"I don't know, but she just killed Nova."

Eudial smirked. "I didn't kill her... Yet," she checked the crystal that had popped out of Nova's body and frowned. "Damn, a dud. I thought I'd get lucky."

"Lady, we thank you for the help, but the bitch's ours."

"Leave, you worthless earthlings," Eudial snapped at them.

"Oh, that's it, bitch," one of them snapped back. They all shot their weapons at her, but to their surprise, the red-haired woman wasn't even phased by the electricity.

Eudial summoned her gun and shot an energy wave, knocking the men off. She then grabbed their crystals and smiled as she absorbed them. "Okay, that was fun, but now..."

"Give those crystals back."

Eudial turned around and felt a tinge of fear as she saw the one who had spoken. Nova was awake, and floating over the truck, a thick dark aura around her. "What the silence is going on?"

Nova's eyes were glazed over, but other than that, she looked quite ready to fight. "I don't need a soul to kick your ass," she said coldly.

"Hah!" Eudial shot another blast at Nova, but the aura around her blocked it. "Uh oh."

"My turn." The blast Nova released caused the truck both were standing on to explode, sending Eudial flying off, and forcing her to drop all the crystals. "And I'm not done yet."

"Nova!"

Turning around, she saw some of the Senshi were there. "Stand back, I'm going to kill that bitch."

"No, you aren't," Eudial said. "Ta-da!"

As Eudial vanished, Mercury looked at Nova. "Her power..."

"I can see that," Jupiter noted.

Nova looked at Dragon Mercury and growled. "I can't... Control..."

Dragon Mercury looked at the crystals Eudial had left. "Awesome, how will I know which one is the right one?"

Mercury summoned her computer. "Give me a minute..."

"We may not have a minute," Jupiter commented. The aura around Nova was wavering and spinning, almost as if it had a life of its own.

"Hurry," Nova said as she tried to keep her powers controlled.

Jupiter started gathering energy, and turned to look at Mercury again. "Come on, Ami, I don't want to have to hurt her."

Mercury nodded. "Just a few more... There!" She leapt off the board and picked one of the crystals up. "Fetch!"

Nova caught the crystal as Mercury tossed it up. As it went into her body, the black aura around her slowly dimmed. "Thank you, guys..."

Mercury smiled at her. "That's what friends are for."

"Cleanup time again," Luna said as she walked to them.

"We could have used your help a minute ago," Dragon Mercury noted.

"Sure, you try running half a mile on these short legs and let's see how long it takes you," Luna muttered.

Mercury smiled. It was good Luna was here, since in their last battle, Eudial had left many more heart crystals behind, and it was thanks to the Mooncats that they could return them all.

"Maybe we could just leave them there," Dragon Mercury said. "They're criminals, after all."

"But they're humans," Nova said, "and besides, death would be the easy way out, they're going to pass a nice few years in prison after this mess."

* * *

Half a city away, a certain blond girl was taking a walk, thinking about how this new 'war' was developing. Sure, their enemies weren't hard to defeat, but they somehow managed to attack when there were few Senshi around to help. Moreso, she wasn't sure about the attack the Mooncats had taught them last time. Sure, it was stronger than anything she had ever tried, but it was also dangerous. 

Also, she wished there was a way to talk to the two 'rogues,' to make them help the group rather than having to fight them constantly. But she couldn't as she didn't know who they were. And Hotaru wouldn't tell her, she had tried that several times already. Despite her curiosity, Usagi could respect Hotaru's decision. The other decision she'd made, however, was a bit unsetting. Would she go ahead and kill the two if one of her friends was hurt or killed?

"You look like there's a lot in your mind."

Usagi almost jumped at the voice. "Uhm... Hi, Kage."

Kage nodded. "You look surprised."

"Well, you're not a... Social guy."

"That I'm not," Kage said. "I hate crowds."

"But?"

"But I am not a hermit."

Usagi smiled and started walking again. "Just like Hotaru, just need someone to help you out of that shell."

"I... Guess," Kage muttered as he followed her. "So, what were you brooding about?"

"This war, our enemies, the two 'rogues' as the others call them..."

"They're quite a handful, aren't they?"

"You know that better than me, I guess."

"I do. And I don't get why they are acting so... "

"I guess that's what happens when you only worry about saving the world," Usagi said.

Kage nodded. "They too need to come out of their shells."

Usagi looked at him. "What about you?"

"I'm not used to crowds, as I said..."

"Just go to Crown, or to the base, and try to talk to the others. I promise it won't hurt."

"But this will."

Usagi gasped as she saw something hit Kage. A daimon! "No!"

Kaorinite rushed at Usagi and kicked her in the gut. "Stay out of this, moongirl."

Usagi kneeled on the ground and panted, trying to recover her breath. As she looked to the side, she could see the monster (which looked like a piece of fence with legs and arms) had taken Kage's crystal. "Give that..."

Kaorinite kicked her to the ground, then gathered energy. "Two for the price of one, am I not lucky?"

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

Kaorinite watched in shock as her daimon was blasted through by the two attacks. "Damn it!"

Neptune got the crystal and looked at it. "Not a talisman."

"There's not many more to go," Uranus commented.

Kaorinite shrugged and turned to Usagi... But she wasn't there anymore. "Where the..."

"Moonlight Flash!"

"She sure loves eating dirt," Uranus commented.

"Give me that crystal," Moon said.

"Here," Neptune said and tossed it at Moon.

"Damn you, kids..." Kaorinite snapped as she stood up. A pink energy blast shot from a nearby rooftop, knocking her back down. "Oh, not that again!"

Moon summoned her sword and glared at Kaorinite. "Leave."

Kaorinite glared back, but followed her suggestion as she saw Uranus and Neptune were also ready to fight.

"That was easy," Neptune commented.

Moon turned around, glaring at them for a moment, before she nodded. "Thanks for the help."

"We are human, despite what some of you guys may think," Uranus said, then both rogues walked away.

Moon put the crystal back in Kage's body and smiled as he woke up. "Welcome back."

"The others were right about it, I feel like crap right now."

Moon nodded at him, then looked up. Who was the one that kept helping them from the shadows? For some reason, she felt like she was going to find out soon.

* * *

"It was good that he wasn't a carrier." 

Michiru looked at Haruka. "But if he was, we would have to get the talisman, no matter what.."

"Yes, of course," Haruka said. "We can't let the enemy get them."

* * *

**A/N:** About Aeons and Crystal: I'm going to release a few episodes before I get to the Stars arc, if I have more than five episodes written for either. Though knowing me, I could just go and release them before schedule (With the obvious warnings about reading Genesis and Chronicles first, of course.) 

_SailorStar9:_ Actually, yes, that was the idea. M9 was controlling Nemesis' body rather than changing her form in the old version, and that will be the case here too (I wanted to keep that a surprise, but it's no big deal. ;) ) At least I'm not getting the other surprise in this arc spoiled. Because it wasn't in the old version (cue evil laughter.)


	81. Dragonheart

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

**Episode 81: Dragonheart.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 10, 2007_

* * *

"We should see the bright side," Minako said. "There's not many of us left without checking."

"On the other hand, it also means there's better chances that one of them is a 'carrier,'" Kage commented.

Ami nodded. "We have Brad, Terry, Usagi, Minako, Mamoru, Hotaru, and probably even Umino as targets."

"You're forgetting the rogues," Terry said.

"Wouldn't they know already?" Ami pondered.

"You're probably right," Terry admitted.

"Maybe we could help Kaorinite check them both," Hotaru said. "Just to be on the safe side."

"You just want to give them a beating," Kage mused.

"Can't say that's a lie. But what are you doing here anyway?"

"After I got attacked, I realized that... If Usagi hadn't been there to help, I would be dead now."

"So you decided to... Socialize?"

"You could say that," Kage said. "But if it doesn't work, I'll blame Usagi for it."

"If she succeeded with Hotaru, she can do it with you too," Minako said.

"I'm right here, you know?" Usagi muttered. "But I'm glad you decided to join us."

Kage nodded. "So, do you guys really train here?"

"Not as much as I'd like them to," Terry said, "but they do."

"I would like to challenge Usagi then."

"Well, I'm not sure..." Usagi said.

"A fight, using our powers, first to be thrown out of the field or to be knocked out loses."

"You should try, Usagi," Rei said.

"Eehh... I don't know..."

"You have a sword, too," Kage said. "It would be fun to see how Hakko's best disciple trained you."

"I just gave her the basics," Terry said, "but it's not like she needs the sword to beat you."

Usagi shook her head. "Okay, let's do it."

Rei smirked. "Poor Kage."

"One beam and he's fried," Minako said.

"Sun Twilight Power!"

"Moon Star Power!"

Dragon Sun moved fast, summoning both his sword as he run, and slashing down at his opponent. Moon rolled to the side, barely missing the slashes, then smirked. "Moonlight Flash!"

The Dragon was faster than she expected, and managed to dodge the blast with a cartwheel. As he stood, he summoned his own attack. "Gravity Hold!"

Moon grimaced as she was knocked to her knees by the 'attack.' She had to think fast, otherwise the fight would be over. "I can't..."

"Solar Bolt!"

Moon closed her eyes, and the Ginzuishou appeared in front of her, creating a barrier that stopped the plasma blast. At the same time, the crystal also cancelled Sun's paralyzing technique, so she was able to move again. It all happened too fast, and the Dragon had no time to dodge this time as Moon leapt right over him. "Moonlight Flash!"

As soon as the Dragon hit the floor outside the training area, Hotaru vanished off where she was sitting, appearing right next to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live... I think," the Dragon muttered.

"As I said, she didn't need the sword to beat you," Terry said. "I've been around these girls long enough to know what each can and can't do."

Usagi smiled as she turned back to normal. "I could get used to this kind of training."

"I thought you didn't like fighting?"

"Not when my friends' lives are in danger, or when the world's sake is decided by the battle. I will still fight evil, but I don't have to like it."

"I don't think any of us does, deep inside," Rei admitted.

"I guess next time I'll choose someone who's closer to my own level, " Kage commented. Moon's attack hadn't hit hard enough to cause any injury, but he could still feel his body protesting the beating.

* * *

"We have a new..." 

"... plan that will surely..."

"... fool the Senshi. It's obvious that they..."

"... would protect their city and the civilians..."

"... so if we attack the city, we'll lure them out."

"Sounds good," Eudial admitted, "but even surprise attacks don't seem to work on them."

"If we attack different areas..."

"... at the same time, they would be..."

"... forced to split. We'll send more daimons out than we've..."

"... ever sent before. These two are your targets, make..."

"... sure they don't live through this battle."

Kaorinite and Eudial looked at the two pictures and bowed to the two women, then vanished.

* * *

"Are you sure about sending me out _that day_?" 

"I know the date's important to you, but you know what will happen in this era," Pluto said.

"Her life is more important than any celebration. I'm not complaining, just wondering if I'm really needed."

"Your training is going well, but nothing beats real fighting."

"So I've heard. I just hope I don't end up being a liability for them."

* * *

Later that day, Terry was at the mansion, keeping his mind busy with a sample of the Zero. "Maybe there is a way to make this thing resistant to electricity and ice, but..." 

"Boys and their toys," Ami mused.

"Ami? I didn't know you were here."

"If I'm interrupting something..."

"You? Never," Terry said, "besides I could use some help with this thing."

"Is this Nova's suit?"

"No, just a copy."

"I see... You're worried about those electric weapons."

"You know about it?"

"She told me herself," Ami said.

"Well, it's not just for Hana, I mean... Our boards are made of the same substance."

"Wait, what about Mako's gloves?"

Terry's eyes widened. "Oh, that's true. But I used the same formula for the weapons and the board."

"Maybe something changed? I bet this suit here is based in your old suit."

Terry nodded. "Hadn't thought about that. What would I do without you?"

"Good question," Ami mused. "Terry, I..."

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing her sudden mood swing.

"I came here because I have a bad feeling about today. Don't ask me how, but I'm quite sure you'll be attacked."

"I don't have to worry, then. If it happens, I know you will protect me."

Ami blushed. "I... I'll try." She almost jumped as he leaned close and kissed her.

Terry looked a her as he broke the kiss and chuckled. "You're redder than Rei's suit."

She looked up at him and smiled. True, they had been dating for a while, but she still couldn't help her shyness when it came to kissing and... Other things. Not that they had gone any further than kissing yet. Her blush renewed as she thought about it.

"You're cute when you blush, Ami."

"Only when I blush?"

"Do I really need to answer that?" Terry said with a wink.

"Aww, how romantic... Too bad I hate romance."

Terry looked at the woman that had just appeared in the room. "Kaorinite..."

"Let's dance," Kaorinte said.

"Wait," Terry said. "Let's go outside."

"Hmph. What for?"

"Even if you don't kill me, my dad will if I trash the house again. "

"Oh, alright," Kaorinite said. "I'll still kill you in the end."

As Kaorinite vanished, Ami looked at Terry. "What are you planning?"

"Let's go out so you'll see it," Terry said.

* * *

Usagi was in her bedroom, reading a Sailor V manga (which, she had to admit, wasn't too far off from what Minako had told them she had faced while in England,) when she sensed something. As she summoned her comm, she could see Aiko's face in it. "What's the matter, Aiko?" 

"There's daimons attacking several points of the city, they're knocking the civilians out and getting their crystals."

"Time to play, I guess."

"But I also detected the two women leading these attacks. They're now attacking dad and Brad."

"Are they alone?"

"Mom and Minako are with them."

"Then we... Will have to fight the daimons."

"Usagi, we need to help our friends too," Rei said.

"But all the people being attacked..."

"Daimons are a joke," Mako said, "but the two witches aren't easy to fight. Moreso if the two harpies show up."

"I agree," Hotaru said. "I will go help Terry."

"And I'll help Brad," Naru said.

Usagi nodded. "Okay, everyone else, let's split and stop those monsters."

* * *

Minako was, right now, in an extremely sour mood. How did these bastards attack them at her house? She couldn't transform with her mother there, she just couldn't! 

"Minako, who is that woman?"

Eudial laughed. "Aww, don't tell me your own mother doesn't know?"

"Mina, leave, I'll take care of her," Brad said.

"No you won't," Eudial snapped as she tossed an egg at the couch behind them. "And now..."

Minako growled as Eudial shot Brad. "Screw it, I don't care who sees me transform... Venus Star Power!"

Minako's mother backed away as she saw her daughter surrounded by light. "Minako?"

As the transformation ended, Venus looked at her mother. "I guess after this is over, we'll need to talk." She then turned to the attackers. "Give that crystal back."

"Oh, no, little girl, I'm going to destroy it."

"Why you..."

"Kiss your boyfriend goodbye, kid," Eudial snapped, but before she could crush the crystal, something hit her side. "What?"

Minako's mother stood glaring at the woman, holding a few dishes like the one she'd thrown at her. "You monster, leave my house now!"

"Hmph," Eudial aimed her cannon at the woman, but she was forgetting something. And that would be a painful mistake for her.

"Morning Star Smash!" Venus shouted out her attack louder than she really needed to, and the light blast knocked Eudial through the wall. "Shit... Sorry."

Her mother winced. "Uhm... Don't worry."

Venus turned back to the daimon. "As for you..." she summoned the Dragon sword, and stabbed throug the creature with it. As the daimon turned back into a couch, she grinned. "No need to destroy the couch. "

Eudial run back into the house, glaring daggers at Venus. "You little bitch, I'm going to kill you too!"

"World Shaking!" The attack came from the outside, and knocked the evil woman down to the ground. "You're not killing anyone today, Eudial," Uranus warned.

Eudial stood up, apparently still in a fighty mood, so Venus pressed the point. "Morning Star Smash!"

Thanks to the sword, the attack was almost twice larger than before, and as it hit, Eudial also realized it hurt twice as much. She hit the ground outside, bouncing in the pavement before stopping, and she stood up furiously. Or, actually, tried to, as she couldn't quite move a muscle.

"World Shaking!"

"Not today," Eudial snapped before teleporting out.

"I never thought I'd say this, but thanks for the help," Venus said looking at the rogue. "Where's the other one?"

"Your guy wasn't the only one being attacked," Uranus said. "And don't thank me, I'm just doing what's best for my mission."

"Keep telling yourself that," Venus said, "and you may end up believing it."

Uranus looked at Venus as she walked back into the house. "Weird girl," she muttered before leaving the scene.

Nemesis reached the area just then, and looked around. "Damn, I'm late." She rushed into Minako's house, wondering if her friends were okay after that battle.

* * *

"This was the easiest battle ever for me," Dragon Sun commented. 

Moon nodded as she looked at the others. They had gathered in the Tokyo Tower after the attackers were destroyed. "But there's too many crystals, not even the Mooncats will be able to work fast enough."

"They won't be needed."

Mars turned to look at Pluto, who had just appeared in front of them. "You could've helped us."

"You didn't need the help," Pluto said, "and I took care of what you couldn't."

"What about Terry and Brad?" Moon asked. She produced her comm and blinked. "Aiko?"

"Mom and Minako chased the witches away," the computer girl said. "But Minako had to transform in front of her mother."

"Not really bad news," Moon said.

"You never saw Minako's mother nervous," Jupiter muttered.

* * *

Several minutes earlier, Kaorinite had been waiting for her prey to come out of the house. "Come on, kid, if you don't hurry I'll blast the whole damn house skyhigh." 

The two Mercuries leapt out of a window on the second floor, and stood ready to fight. "Here we are."

"Okay, now I can destroy you both."

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I've been waiting to show one of you bad girls my garden."

Kaorinite frowned. "I'm not interested in flowers and plants."

"Maybe you'll like what lies underneath, then," the Dragon said as he smiled.

Several dozen turrets came out of the grass, all sporting assorted weaponry. "What the heck?"

"Say ow," Dragon Mercury said as the weapons all opened fire at the same time.

Kaorinite kneeled on the ground and winced in pain. She was supposed to backstab them, not all the way around! "Stupid kid..."

"Leave now or I'll shoot again."

"I don't... Think so!" She shouted the last part, as she summoned several daimon eggs, which fused with many of the turrets.

"Oh shit," Dragon Mercury muttered. "Ami, get out of here!"

"Too late," Kaorinite snapped after releasing a second wave of eggs. The turrets had, by now, all been turned into spider-like, robotic gun platforms. "Fire!"

The two Mercuries were knocked back by the barrage, and as Dragon Mercury staggered up, he noticed Mercury wasn't moving. "Ami..." Something hit him, and he fell to the ground.

"Dumb little boy..." Kaorinite muttered as she walked up to him and picked up the crystal. "Not a talisman. Oh well..."

"Death Scythe!"

"Deep Submerge!"

The first attack knocked the crystal off her hands, while the second blasted the posessed turrets to dust. Saturn and Neptune both rushed at her, and she growled. "Damn you two!"

Saturn started swinging her glaive at the woman, while Neptune returned the crystal to the Dragon. "You're not leaving this place alive, witch," Saturn snapped.

"Hah!" Kaorinite rushed in as Saturn rose her glaive to attack, and punched her square in the face. "You little kids aren't going to... "

"Frozen Rage!"

Saturn and Neptune both gasped as they saw Kaorinite flying back, propelled by an ice blast, and slamming into the far wall of the mansion's backyard. "Okay, that takes care of her."

Mercury nodded. "Is he okay?"

Dragon Mercury stood up and smiled. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"I..." Mercury said, then fell unconscious.

Saturn rushed in to heal Mercury. "Hmmm... Nothing serious, but she strained herself with that last attack."

Neptune turned to see Kaorinite was gone, then turned back to see the Dragon standing in front of her. "What?"

"Thanks for helping me."

Neptune nodded. "Despite what some may think," she looked at Saturn, "we're not evil."

"Never said you were," Saturn said, "you're just acting like vultures."

Neptune shrugged and started walking away. "Say what you want, Hotaru, but we're not going to rest until our mission is complete. "

Dragon Mercury smirked. "You two argue like sisters."

Saturn blinked at him. "Uhm... Not quite."

Mercury opened her eyes and looked around. "What did I miss?"

"Consciousness," the Dragon joked.

"Guess having his crystal taken didn't improve his dumb jokes," Saturn muttered.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I ripped the title off one of the best movies ever made. 

If you haven't yet figured out who the 'mysterious figure' talking to Pluto is, you don't have to wait much longer. Those who know, don't say a word. ;)


	82. A Birthday From Hell

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 8: Death Busters.**

**Episode 82: A Birthday From Hell.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 10, 2007_

* * *

"Today, one of the Senshi is..." 

"... celebrating her birthday. All her..."

"... Friends are gathered and waiting for her. You must go..."

"... and get her heart crystal. She's the leader of their..."

"... group, so we think she may..."

"... have one of the talismans."

Eudial nodded. "Are you sure she's alone?"

"There's only one..."

"... other Senshi with her. If he interferes..."

"... you're free to take his crystal too."

"Sounds fun," Kaorinite said. "Let's do it."

* * *

Pluto smiled. "Are you ready?" 

"Sure, but I still don't see how I can be more than a bother to these Witches."

"Trust yourself, Princess," another voice said.

Pluto looked at the second figure. "I take it your mother told you how important your duty is?"

"We've been through that rant a dozen times already," the figure said.

Pluto smiled. She knew they would not fail, at least not if things went as planned.

* * *

"So, Mina, how did your mother take the news?" 

"Quite good, considering I managed to blast a good piece of the front wall of our house," Minako said.

"You don't have to worry about keeping the secret from her, that's good, right?"

"I guess. Ami, does your mother know?"

"No, I only see her in the morning, her job's keeping her busy. I sometimes wish I could tell her."

"Hey you two, stop the yapping and start the helping."

"Mako, don't be an ass," Karin said. Mako stuck her tongue out at her and she chuckled.

The Senshi were all at the base that day, getting everything ready for Usagi's birthday. Mamoru had taken Usagi for a walk, to keep the whole thing a surprise. Hana was also there, along with the mooncats, so the base was a bit more crowded than usual.

"Think she knows what we're doing here?" Hana asked.

"Nah, she's got no idea," Luna said.

* * *

"Been a while since we could spend some time together." 

Mamoru looked at Usagi and smiled. They were both sitting on a bench at the park, taking a break from the walking before returning to the base. "Sorry I can't spend more time with you, odango."

"Don't worry, I've been busy with school myself," Usagi said. "Think they're ready?"

"Hmm? Who?"

Usagi giggled. "They're setting up a surprise party for me, aren't they?"

Mamoru blinked in disbelief. "How did you...?"

"I know my friends," Usagi said.

"I don't think they're done yet," Mamoru said.

"So, where's your gift?"

"Back at the base," Mamoru said.

"Oh... I guess I can wait."

"But we can't."

Usagi looked at the two women that had just appeared in front of her and growled. "Not today..."

"It may be your birthday, Moon, but we'll get the presents," Eudial snapped and summoned her cannon. Before she got to shoot it, however, an energy blast knocked it off her hands. "Damn it, whoever that bitch is, I'm going to kill her!"

Kaorinite scowled as she saw her ally running off. "Damn it, stick to the plan!"

"Moon Star Power!"

"Earth Star Power!"

"Uh oh..."

"Moonlight Flash!"

"Earth Stone Jab!"

Kaorinite leapt aside, barely dodging both attacks. "Okay, this will be funnier than I thought."

Eudial came back just then, cursing under her breath. "Whoever that was, she escaped."

"Usagi, go."

"But..."

Dragon Earth summoned his sword and smiled. "I'm not going down without a fight. You need to warn the others about this, they'll beat them before they get to you."

Moon's eyes watered. "I'm not leaving you here..."

"If they get us both, we're dead," the Dragon said. "Just hurry up so you can get back before I'm done beating them to dust."

Eudial looked at Kaorinite as Moon summoned her board and fled away. "Wrong move, dustman."

Dragon Earth readied his sword. "You're probably right, but right now I don't care about myself."

"Brave last words," Eudial mused.

* * *

Aiko looked to the elevator. "My scanners just picked up an energy spike." 

"Meaning?" Minako asked.

Ami checked the computer. "Someone teleported... But I can't track them down now."

"I can't detect anything now," Aiko said.

"Maybe it was your imagination?" Minako asked.

"She's a... Computer. She's got no imagination," Terry said, then rapidly added "yet."

Rei winced. "Maybe the witches are out there, but hiding."

Just then, Moon rushed in. "Guys, I need your help. They are targeting me, but... Mamoru is keeping them busy."

"Not anymore," Aiko said. "That explains what I sensed."

Moon's eyes widened. "They got him?" No, he couldn't be dead, she was sure she'd know if that happened.

Aiko looked up to the roof and gasped. "You have to see this."

As the screen lit up, everyone could see Kaorinite's face, projected in the sky. "Well, that brings back memories," Rei commented. Maybe Kaorinite was Jadeite's cousin?

"Sailor Moon, I've got your guy here. If you don't come to the Tokyo Tower, I will kill him. Oh, and don't dare bringing any of your friends along."

As the face vanished, the others turned to their leader. Her face was a mix of anger and determination. "I'm going there."

"But... It's a trap," Rei said.

"I don't care!" Moon snapped. "He's in danger because of me, I can't let him die."

"Let us go with you, maybe..." Terry started.

"No. You heard her. I have to do this alone."

Ami nodded. "It's the only logical thing to do."

"I don't care about logic right now," Moon said as she walked into the elevator. "Don't worry, I'll bring him back, then we'll have a party."

Rei nodded. "Give them a beating for us, Usako."

Moon smiled at her as the doors closed. Aiko looked up again. "There's an energy barrier around Tokyo Tower. I guess the enemy's not taking any chances."

* * *

"General, the Tokyo Tower is under attack." 

Kino looked at Seia with a mix of amusement and shock. "Again?"

Tomoe walked in. "Sailor Moon is heading for that place. Alone."

"Why?"

"One of their enemies broadcasted a message for her, telling her to go there alone."

"Broadcast?"

"Yeah... Remember during the youma incidents, one of the 'leaders' did the same thing."

"It's most likely a trap," Seia said.

Tomoe nodded. "Yes, but we should stay out of this."

"Why?"

"From what I could hear, the enemy's got one of her friends as a hostage."

* * *

Moon stood in front of the tower, glaring up at the top. "Okay, now what?" A section of the forcefield vanished, and she nodded. "Guess they know I'm here." Moon walked through the opening, but just as it was closing, Uranus and Neptune rushed in. "What? What are you two doing here?" 

"Helping you," Uranus said.

Moon glared at her. "Didn't you hear the message? They'll kill him!"

"They said none of your friends had to tag along," Uranus said, "and we're not your friends."

"It's not funny," Moon muttered.

"Not trying to be funny," Uranus noted.

"I'm waiting for you, Sailor Moon," Kaorinite's voice said from all around them. "And don't worry, I was counting on these two tagging along. I'd watch my back if I were you."

Neptune shook her head. "Moon, don't listen to her, we'll help you rescuing him."

"Why? It's not your mission to do it."

"Yes, but he's not a carrier, or they wouldn't keep him alive."

Moon stared at her but said nothing. Maybe they were really doing the right thing, for a change.

An elevator came from the top and opened. "Well, it's time to start the party, I suppose," Uranus said.

Moon nodded. "My friends would say I'm being naive, but... I trust you." But I'll still watch my back, she thought to herself with a mental frown.

* * *

"Uranus and Neptune are in the tower," Aiko said. "They're going up along with Moon." 

"Damn, those two..." Rei said. "We have to go there!"

"And do what, get Mamoru killed?" Mako asked.

"The rogues are going to help Kaorinite," Rei said.

Hotaru grimaced. "No. Not this time."

"What?"

"Hotaru is right," Kage said. "I know them, I worked with them for quite a while."

"Still, I'm not staying here with my arms crossed," Rei said. "We need to be close to the tower, just in case."

"I agree," Terry said. "Trap or not, rogues or not, we can't abandon Usagi and Mamoru."

"Let's go, then," Hotaru said. "Even though I have the feeling we won't be needed."

* * *

As Moon walked out of the elevator, she saw Mamoru lying on the ground, unconscious, and Kaorinite and Eudial waiting for her. "Welcome to your doom," Eudial said. 

Uranus took a step forwards, but Moon stopped her with her arm. "Moon?"

"If I don't let them do this, they'll come back for me," Moon said.

"What are you..." Neptune started, then gasped. "But..."

"As I said before, I trust you. If I have one of those talismans, then... Just save Mamoru."

Kaorinite was quite surprised as Moon walked forwards. "What? You give up, just like that?"

"Go ahead," Moon said.

"Wait!" Uranus shouted. Neptune blocked her path. "Mi-- Neptune, what are you doing?"

"Remember the mission," Neptune said. "And also..." She didn't say a thing, but her eyes moved to a dark area of the floor they were in. Uranus looked in that direction and nodded.

Eudial laughed. "You're stupid, moongirl. Why run when you could've just stood still and save us the problem?"

"Because I thought weaklings like you wouldn't be a problem for him."

Kaorinite snarled at that and shot a blast at Moon, then grimaced as she saw the crystal. "What is that?"

Eudial covered her eyes. "So much light!"

"Is it a talisman?"

"It's not," Uranus said, "but the purest hearts shine the brighter."

Eudial grabbed the crystal and chuckled. "Too bad I'll have to destroy it."

"Sorry, but I'm not letting you do that. Moon Twilight Beam!"

Kaorinite gasped as Eudial was knocked into the far wall of the tower. "Who the heck...?"

"Moon Twilight Beam!" A second blast hit Eudial as she tried to stand up, and the villainess fell to the ground, unconscious.

Uranus and Neptune took the chance to attack Kaorinite. "World..."

"Deep..."

"Shaking!"

"Submerge!"

Both attacks merged, forming a small water vortex that hit the redhead dead on. The hit was strong enough to knock Kaorinite out of the tower through the window. "Did she survive?" Neptune asked.

Uranus looked out the window and saw Kaorinite's body at ground level. "She looks quite dead," she said with a smile.

Moon woke up and looked at the one that had attacked Eudial. "What... You, here?"

ChibiMoon smiled at her. "Been a while, Usagi."

Neptune looked around the tower. "Eudial escaped."

"Well, we got one of them, at least," Uranus said. She then turned to Moon. "Listen, I... Guess what you did today was brave."

Moon walked to Dragon Earth, picking the crystal that Kaorinite had dropped when she was blasted out of the tower. As the crystal returned to Mamoru's body, she turned to the two rogues. "See, we don't need to be enemies."

Neptune shook her head. "But we're not allies either. This time, we helped you, but we need to find those talismans, no matter what."

As the others walked into the elevator, Dragon Earth stood up. "Guess this time around I was the one rescued by you." He noticed the newcomer and smiled. "I didn't think I'll see you again."

"Puu sent me here to help," ChibiMoon said. "And I guess she was right, you needed my help this time."

"Were you the one..." Moon started.

"You mean all those blasts coming out of nowhere? Yeah, that was me."

"You look... Older," Mamoru noticed.

"I'm twelve," ChibiMoon said.

"But how, you were only..."

"Don't ask, timelines are too weird to explain easily."

"Guess we're late."

"ChibiUsa?"

"Wow..."

"Terry..."

Moon turned to the broken window and smiled. All her friends were there, and most were looking at ChibiMoon in either shock or confusion. Terry was, she noticed, staring at the pink-haired girl, and Ami was glaring daggers at him. "We're okay, guys," she said. "Now let's go back, I really want a party after all this mess."

* * *

At ground level, meanwhile, Uranus and Neptune were walkig away. Uranus suddenly stopped, looking around with a shocked face. 

"What's wrong, Ruka?"

"Kaorinite... She should be right there," she said pointing at a bloody spot near them. A small crack could be seen, but nothing remained of Kaorinite.

"Maybe she vanished, like those youma did," Neptune said.

"We'll find out sooner or later, I suppose," Uranus said as they walked away.

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, she's back, and not shooting useless little hearts. There's still a few episodes to go before I wrap up the "Sailor Moon S" arcs of this fic, and move on to SS. For once, I'm not looking forwards to it, since SS is the other season I don't like besides Stars (even though the star was supposedly my favorite Senshi.) 


	83. Lighthearted

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 9: The Messiah.**

**Episode 83: Lighthearted.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 11, 2007_

* * *

Half an hour had passed since the battle at the Tokyo Tower, and the Senshi were all back to the base. Usagi was just done opening her presents, and was now stuffing her mouth with food. 

"Some things will never change," Rei said looking at their leader.

"You're more right than you think," ChibiUsa mused.

"So, why did they send you back?" Minako asked.

"I've been training for years, but everyone back home said I lacked any field experience. Since not much's happening in the future, Puu decided to bring me back here to help you."

"Time travelling is a mess," Mako noted. "You were just a little girl last time we saw you, and that was what, half a year ago?"

"Almost one year ago," Karin corrected. "But yeah, she should be what, nine by now?"

Usagi walked to them, leaving the food alone for a minute. "I know I should be freaked out, I have a daughter and she's only four years younger than me... But I'm not."

"If you look at the whole picture," Ami noted, "it's not weird. At least not weirder than the things we face almost daily."

Suddenly, the elevator's doors opened, and a purple Mooncat walked in. The cat was smaller than Luna and the others, but not by much. "Princess, that wasn't nice of you."

"Oh, Diana, good to see you again," ChibiUsa said dismissively.

"You had me walk for miles, kid. I'm not in the mood."

"You need the workout, slacking off at the palace made you quite fat. "

"I'm not fat," the mooncat snapped.

"Sorry to interrupt you," Terry said, "but who are you?"

"I'm Diana, Princess Serenity's guardian," the cat said proudly. "Though she can be quite a handful sometimes."

Minako looked at Diana, then at Artemis, then at Luna, then giggled. "Hah! I knew it."

"Knew what?" Artemis asked.

"To miss-quote an ancient, at least for my era, movie, 'Artemis, I am your daughter,'" Diana said with a wink.

"My... What?" Artemis said, then fainted.

"He took it quite well," Minako muttered.

"Hi, mom," Diana said looking at Luna. "and aunt Shade, too."

Luna looked at Diana and shook her head. "Okay, this is quite weird. "

Artemis woke up and looked at Diana, then at Luna. "Hmmm... I think I can get used to the idea."

"Artemis!" Luna hissed.

ChibiUsa sighed. "I don't know why Puu had to send you along. I'm not a little girl anymore."

"You behave like one most of the time," Diana countered.

"Don't they remind you of someone else," Rei asked Ami.

Ami looked at Usagi, then at Luna, then nodded. "Lucky they grew out of that phase already."

* * *

Next morning, the two Usagi were walking to school. "That was strange." 

"What was?"

"The way my parents still think you're my cousin," Usagi noted. "You don't have that ball thing with you anymore, do you?"

"Yes, I do," ChibiUsa said. "But I don't use it that much now that I've got my powers."

Diana was walking besides them, and she started looking around. "I sense... Something evil lurking."

"Hey, wait for me!"

Usagi looked back and saw Shingo walking to them. "Thought you had left for school already."

Shingo shrugged. "Hey, how comes she's back?" he frowned. "And how is she older than last time?"

ChibiUsa looked at Usagi. "Uhm..."

"Don't worry, he knows," Usagi said. "Shingo, ChibiUsa is... Well... My daughter, from the future."

"Oh, I see," Shingo said and kept on walking. The two Usagi stopped dead and stared at him. "What?"

"Aren't you freaked out?" ChibiUsa asked.

"My sister is Sailor Moon, the city gets attacked by aliens almost everyday, and a few months ago there were videogame characters running around. You being her daughter isn't that weird compared to all that, moreso considering you look a lot like her. In fact, it explains a lot about your last visit."

* * *

"I never thought the Senshi would be able to kill one of us." 

"We greatly underestimated them, but..."

"... there aren't many Senshi left to..."

"... check. Mimette, come forth."

A woman with blond, wavy hair walked out of the shadows. She was wearing a lab coat and looked like a normal scientist. "I've been waiting for my chance to attack," the woman said. "And I'll make Uranus and Neptune pay for killing Kaorinite."

The figures nodded at her as one. "Go and attack Minako Aino, but... "

"... Wait until she's alone."

* * *

Artemis looked at Minako and winced. She was watching TV, but kept on changing the channel every few seconds. He had been around her long enough to know that meant she was upset. "Minako?" 

"What?" Minako said in a growl.

"First off, chill," Artemis said, not letting her tone get to him.

Minako looked at the white cat and froze for a second. "I... Sorry, Art, I'm just in a rotten mood."

"I noticed," Artemis said. "Want to talk about it?"

"It's just the whole crystal thing. I wish they would come for me already. I'm tired of waiting for them."

"You should be careful what you wish," Artemis mused. "But seriously, I can understand how you feel."

Minako sighed. "I'm going out for a walk. Tell mom when she gets home, okay?"

Artemis nodded, and Minako left the room. He smirked as memories of how Minako's mother had reacted when he spoke to her for the first time came back to his mind. Even though several days had passed since then, Artemis was sure the woman was still more than a little freaked out at having a cat speak to her.

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" 

Hotaru looked up at the tall woman. "Yes. Why is Queen Serenity sending that kid here?"

"Don't underestimate the Princess," Setsuna said as she sat down on the couch next to Hotaru. "She's as strong as Sailor Moon was at her level. With time and training, she could be... Stronger than her mother."

"I'll take your word for that."

"You should consider her one of your friends. She's known you... The future you, for all her lifetime."

"But I barely know her," Hotaru said. "But you're right about something, I'll wait until I've seen enough of her before judging her."

"That's good," Setsuna said. "And you'll get to see a lot of her, indeed."

Hotaru was about to ask her what that last bit meant, but Setsuna vanished. "Go figure."

* * *

"Hey, Mina." 

Minako looked up as someone called her name. "Brad?"

"I was heading for your house," Brad said. "What are you doing?"

"Just... Walking, and trying to clear my mind," Minako said.

"Are you worried about the enemy?"

Minako nodded. "I'm sick of waiting for them to come after me, but at the same time, I'm scared... What if my crystal is one of those talismans? What if the villains get it?"

Brad put his arms around her and smiled. "I won't let that happen. They'll have to kill me to get your crystal, Mina."

Minako looked at him for a second, then kissed him. As she broke the kiss, however, she sensed something and turned to her right. "Well, was about time."

Brad summoned his sword and looked at the two women walking to them. "Don't dare coming any closer."

"Dumb boy, it's not like we need to be close to her to get what we want," Mimette said and reached her hand out, palm opened. A blast of light shot from it, but it didn't quite hit its mark. "What?"

"You will surely blame me, but I think it's just your sucky aim."

The two witches looked up and saw Sailor Lilith standing... On a power wire. "Oh, it's the lucky girl," Eudial said dismissively.

Minako and Brad had used the distraction to transform, and were now waiting for their foes' next move. Venus idly pondered where the two rogues were, but that was answered as the two rushed out from around the corner. "Look, Neptune, it's miss Mette."

"Maybe she run out of labrats to torment."

Mimette looked at the two rogues and smiled. "You two weaklings are a minor nuissance to me."

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

Mimette let the attacks hit and chuckled. "Told you."

"Bet if Ami was here she'd say something like 'her power's up to the clouds," Dragon Venus mused.

"Eudial, take care of the lighthead," Mimette said.

Eudial nodded and turned as her ally started using the two rogues as practice targets. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Something, or rather someone, landed on top of Eudial's head, sending her crashing down to the ground. "Forgetting I'm around is stupid," Lilith commented.

Eudial stood up, faster than expected, and shot an energy blast at Lilith. The lucky Senshi moved out of the way, but the blast hit a car near her, and the resulting explosion sent her flying forwards. Eudial shot a second blast, this time knocking Lilith off. "That'll take care of..." As she turned, she noticed the two Venus weren't around. "Hey, where are..."

"Morning Star Smash!"

The blast came from inside a grocery, and knocked Eudial into a wall. As she fell to the ground, the two Venus came walking out of it. "Guess we got her."

"'We'?" Venus muttered.

"You didn't." Before the two could realize what was going on, Eudial had leapt up, shooting at Venus while airborne. Venus gasped as she kneeled on the ground, her eyes glazed over, then she collapsed. "Dumb kid, that lousy shot only tickled me."

Dragon Venus grabbed the crystal before Eudial could. "Hmm... We both know this isn't a talisman, so... Just leave before you piss me off."

Eudial laughed. "You, weakling? I'm not scared of you."

"You should be," Dragon Venus said as a white aura surrounded him. "You hurt my girl, and that may be your last mistake. Venus Star Power!"

Eudial checked her surroundings while the Dragon transformed. Mimette was still keeping the two brats busy, and Lilith was still knocked out. So, it was just a matter of killing the light goon and get their crystals.

The transformation ended, and Dragon Venus pointed his sword at her. "Prepare to die, witch."

"Name's Eudial, brat."

"Like I care. Venus Light..." his sword lit up, giving a blinding light as he rose it. "Geiser!" He rammed the sword into the ground, and for a second, nothing happened. Then, a column of light rose right under Eudial, knocking her back. "Gotcha."

"I'm not done with you," Eudial snapped as she slowly stood up.

"Neither am I. Lilith Star Power!"

Eudial looked at Dragon venus, who was now kneeling on the ground, then at Lilith, who was undergoing a transformation. "Luck can't beat skills."

Dragon Venus nodded. "But she's got a bit of both." If he wasn't so tired from that lightshow, he'd save Lilith the trouble of beating her down, but... He looked at Venus and winced. "Ack, I almost forgot!"

Eudial was ignoring him, and smiled as Lilith's transformation ended. "So, little girl, what's it now, are you going to drop a plane on me or something?"

"I don't need to," Lilith said. Yes, she could feel it, something new in her. "Let's see how you like this. Hex Bolt!"

Eudial gasped as a white, fist-sized energy sphere shot from Lilith's outstretched hands, but noticed the power it had and smiled. "Please, weakling, don't even try," she snapped as she phased out of the attack's way. "And now..."

"And now you kiss the ground," Lilith said.

"Huh?" Eudial sensed something coming at her from the side, but didn't react fast enough to dodge the blast. "How did you..."

"You can call that a lucky shot," Lilith mused. "Hex Bolt!"

Eudial phased out again, but as she reappeared, she saw the blast correcting its course. "What the fuck?"

Dragon Venus chuckled as he saw Mimette being chased around by the energy blast. "Now that's an useful skill."

"But... Tiring," Lilith said as she fought to keep the attack going.

"Morning Star Smash!"

Eudial was knocked into a wall again, and grunted before collapsing. Mimette was apparently faring far better, as both Uranus and Neptune were kneeling on the ground, panting. She turned to the other battle and laughed. "I'll be with you in a minute, kids."

"Moon Twlight Beam!"

"Moonlight Flash!"

Eudial recovered her senses just in time to see Mimette land near her. She saw all the Senshi gathering and grimaced. "Guess it's time to run."

"Agreed," Mimette said, and both vanished.

"Took you guys long enough," Venus said as she saw the two Moons hovering over the sidewalk in their airboards.

"Aiko can't detect the witches, but she did detect your energy rising," Moon explained. "We were the closest to the area."

"I see," Venus said. "Well, at least now I don't have to worry about being attacked."

"Uranus and Neptune run away again," ChibiMoon noted.

"Nevermind, they helped us," Dragon Venus said. "But... Don't you know who they are?"

ChibiMoon frowned. "I do. And I can't tell you, you're not supposed to know yet."

"Yay," Venus muttered.

Lilith sighed. "At least now I got an actual attack."

"You do?" Moon asked surprisedly.

ChibiMoon nodded. "She had a few, back home."

"Were you supposed to tell me that?" Lilith asked.

"If I ever say something you're not supposed to know, I can bet Pluto will come and drag me back to Crystal Tokyo by my pigtails," ChibiMoon joked.

* * *

**A/N:** Usagi's sixteen by now, if you were trying to do the maths. What happened to her fifteenth birthday? Big mean plotholes ate it. 

Lilith's attack is something I planned all along. While the blast isn't strong, the way it chases after its target can be quite an annoyance for her foes. And face it, just dropping props at monsters won't always work.


	84. Crystal Hunters

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 9: The Messiah.**

**Episode 84: Crystal Hunters.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 12, 2007_

* * *

"Don't you guys train here?" 

Usagi smiled at ChibiUsa. "Sometimes." It was one of those days when the base was almost empty. She looked at Ami and Terry, who were checking the computer again, and frowned. "Those two and their technological stuff..."

"Ami, are you sure about it?"

Ami nodded. "Yes, I found out when I came here today. Aiko?"

"Yes, mom?"

Usagi blinked. Aiko's normal dress had been replaced by a shorter, black one. "What's with the dress?"

"I like this one better," Aiko said.

Hotaru stared at the computer girl curiously. "Something's changed. She has a... Soul."

Ami nodded. "I don't know how it happened, though."

"It couldn't have happened overnight," Terry said. "Aiko, when did you, well, started feeling different?"

"I gained self-awareness yesterday, after your last battle."

"And you didn't tell us because...?"

"I wanted to surprise you."

ChibiUsa walked to Aiko as Terry checked the computer again. "I never thought I would be here the day you, well, awakened."

"Know how it happened?" Terry asked. "I can find no clues here."

Ami had already summoned her own computer and was typing as fast as she could. "The crystal..."

"Huh?"

"The crystal, or rather crystals," Ami said. "The Ginzuishou. Usagi's one caused this, but the process was speeded up by ChibiUsa's one."

"Once again, magic kicks technology's ass," Terry said.

"I think both were responsible, dad," Aiko said. "Without your programming and the computer, I wouldn't be here."

"Ami did most of the work there," Terry said.

Ami smiled. "Too bad she doesn't have a body."

"What about the Zero?" Usagi asked.

Terry looked at Usagi for a few seconds before laughing. "I hadn't thought about that."

"It's a good idea," Ami admitted.

"I hope it works, then I can be a 'material girl,'" Aiko said.

"Cute, she's got Terry's sense of humor," Hotaru muttered.

Terry looked at ChibiUsa. "You know, I haven't seen you fight yet. "

"What, is that a challenge?"

"Oh, I don't know, I wouldn't like to hurt a little girl."

ChibiUsa summoned a sword. "Now you've done it."

"She has a sword too?" Hotaru asked.

The pinkhead nodded. "And they're not the same Moon has. Don't ask how that's possible, though, not even Puu could tell me."

"So, are you ready, _Rabbit_?"

"Don't call me that."

"But it fits you more than your mother, what with your ear-shaped hair buns and all..." Terry stopped as he saw the floor move down. "What the heck?"

Hotaru noticed the girl's eyes were glowing red. "She's doing that?"

ChibiUsa nodded. "I have weak telekinetic powers. Something I found out while training, thanks to a certain ESPer friend of yours."

Terry whistled. "You mean..."

"Oops?" ChibiUsa said. "Well, since Puu's not standing next to me and glaring daggers, I suppose that information won't change the future."

"Cool. Now, care putting me down, _Rabbit_?"

ChibiUsa groaned. "You can be quite a jerk sometimes," she said before looking away. Terry fell to the ground with a thud.

"Oww... Okay, that's one useful skill you have," Terry admitted.

"Good. Now stop calling me that nickname or I'm going to use it again."

"As you wish... Pinky," Terry said with a half-smile. ChibiUsa shook her head and sighed in defeat.

* * *

Naru was, once again, helping her mother at the jewelry, but things were rather calm that day. She smiled as Umino walked through the door. "Hi Umino." 

Naru's mother looked at Naru. "There's no customers right now, so go ahead."

Umino looked at Naru, then frowned. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"What about?"

"It's about... Crystals," Umino said. Naru nodded at that and they both walked upstairs.

Naru's mother watched them leave, then turned as she saw a red-haired woman enter the shop. "Good afternoon, may I help you?"

The woman rose a weapon which appeared out of thin air and nodded. "Of course you can. Call your daughter and her guy down, or I'll shoot."

* * *

Shingo was walking back home from schoool when he noticed something was happening at the museum. "Hey, isn't that..." 

His question was answered as he saw the black-clad woman lift a car effortlessly. The men facing her shot some sort of lightning guns at her, but she phased out of the way. In the short time it took Shingo to get close to the battle, Nova had already taken care of all the attackers.

"Amazing..."

Nova turned as she heard the familiar voice. "Oh, it's you."

A crowd had gathered around the area, now that the battle was over. "Didn't think you would remember me."

Nova smiled, then looked around. "I'll have to ask the Senshi how they manage not to attract crowds."

"Fighting creatures that could vaporize any normal human in a blink, " Shingo said.

Nova nodded, then blinked. As Shingo looked around, he noticed they were elsewhere. "How did you..."

"It's one of my powers," Nova, or rather Hana, said.

"My friends still don't believe I know Nova. They won't believe this one, either."

"Just don't tell them who I am."

"Hey, I can keep the secret."

"Good, because if they found out, I would have to brainwash them. Or drop them off a building. Or both." At Shingo's shocked stare, she smiled. "Just kidding."

"Oh, I'm lucky, just a weak sidekick here."

Nova looked at the blond woman who had appeared near them. "Who are you?"

"Mimette, one of the Death Busters, and I'm here for the kid's crystal."

"You'll have to get through me first," Nova said.

"Good, I wanted to have some fun," Mimette snapped and shot an energy blast at Nova.

Nova rose a shield, but the blast hit right through it, knocking her down to the ground. "Damn..."

"Aww, done already? So pitiful," Mimette started, but gasped as something hit her, knocking her into a fashion store. She teleported back to where she had been standing, and glared at the now floating Nova. "What was that, bitch?"

"Psichic powers," Nova said, "and that was just a test."

"You're bluffing," Mimette snapped.

Nova looked at Shingo. "Don't worry, I won't let her get you."

Mimette shot another blast, but this time, Nova dodged it. She reappeared right in front of Mimette, punching her away. "As I thought, nill melee skills."

Mimette growled. "I don't need melee!" She unleashed an energy wave that knocked Nova down, and also hit Shingo. "As the human saying goes, two with one stone," she said as she grabbed the crystal. "Not a talisman... But if we kill Moon's brother, she will be broken."

"Excellent plan, but you bimbos should learn to stop talking to yourselves."

Mimette looked at Uranus. "I beat you and your girlfriend last time, what makes you think you can defeat me?"

"The fact you take things for granted," Uranus said.

"Huh?" Mimette stared at her confused, then felt something hit her back, and next thing she knew, Uranus had punched her straight in the nose.

Nova stood up and walked to Mimette. "I may not be a Senshi, but my powers are just as deadly when you underestimate them," she said as she glared at Nova.

Uranus saw Nova's eyes shine and winced. Whatever she was doing, it wouldn't be pretty. Turning to Mimette, she saw the blond scientist was actually showing fear in her face.

"What is..." Mimette gasped. She never thought Nova's powers would affect her like that. Her lungs weren't working, and she could feel Nova's focus moving to her heart. "Not today," she snapped as she vanished.

"Damn," Nova muttered, then looked at Uranus. "The crystal."

Uranus nodded. "Here."

As she returned the crystal to Shingo, Nova turned to Uranus. "Thanks for the help."

"What are you?"

"You don't know?" Nova asked.

"I heard the rumors, and I've seen the news reports on you, but... What were you doing to Mimette?"

"I can stop someone's muscles from moving, even their lungs and heart," Nova explained. "But I need to focus completely in that person, and it takes a lot of energy to do it."

"Too bad you can't stop them from teleporting out of your reach, then," Uranus said.

Nova turned to Shingo as Uranus walked away. "Are you okay, Shingo?"

"I don't know, I feel like my whole body's jelly."

"Let's get you checked, just in case," Nova said, and both vanished.

* * *

"You think you're going to be attacked?" 

Umino nodded. "I saw a red-haired woman following me around."

"Okay, then let's get out of here and look for the others," Naru said.

"Naru, I need help here."

"Customers?" Umino asked as they both left the room.

As soon as Naru walked downstairs, she realized she had walked right into a trap. "Eudial?"

"Hello there, girl. Don't worry, I'm not here to get you."

"Then it's me," Umino said. "Damn, I hate to be right."

"I knew I would have to eventually tell you this, mom," Naru said, "but I guess the time came before I thought."

"What do you mean?" her mother asked, staring at her in confusion.

Naru turned to Eudial. "You are either brave or stupid, to come attack us here. Either way, you're not going to leave this unscratched. Nemesis Star Power!"

"... Naru?"

Nemesis smiled at her mother. "Yes, now get out of here, these women are dangerous."

"But..." the woman started, then gasped as Eudial shot at her.

"Mom!"

"But but but," Eudial muttered. "I hate humans, too curious for their own good."

Nemesis glared at her and charged, summoning her spear as she did. Eudial barely dodged the initial stab, but the darkness Senshi wasn't letting her go that easily, and her second stab got her arm. "Touche."

Eudial smirked. "Exactly." Before her foe could figure things out, she shot at her at point blank range. "Now, as for you, kid, I'll... " she noticed Umino had transformed and smirked. "Cute, you're up for a fight too."

Game Master said nothing, instead shooting an energy blast at her. Eudial phased out of the way, and he groaned. "Damn, we're wrecking this place."

"Too bad," Eudial snapped. "Try again?"

Game Master again shot at her, then turned around and shot another blast. He had guessed Eudial's next move right, and the redhead teleported right in front of the blast. "Game's on, harpy."

"Game's over," Eudial snapped as she phased out. Game Master again spun to face her, but realized his mistake a second too late. "Gotcha," Eudial said from the side, then shot her gun.

"Deep Submerge!"

The water blast knocked the cannon off Eudial's hand, and the redhead dove for it.

"Deep Submerge!"

The second blast knocked Eudial into a jewelry display, almost knocking her out. She staggered up, furious at the interruption. "Brat, I'm so going to enjoy killing you..."

"Oh, I don't think you will be killing anyone after what's about to happen."

"Dark Fear!"

Eudial screamed in pain as a single, massive claw wrapped around her body. Neptune picked up the two crystals and returned them to their places, then nodded at Nemesis. "You sure have a lot of power."

Nemesis turned to her, her eyes pitch black. "You..."

Neptune noticed another claw rushing at her and leapt up, barely dodging it. "Hey, wait, I'm on your side!"

Nemesis wasn't listening, but she could see Eudial had left. She turned her attention fully to Neptune, who felt like quite the rabbit in the headlight for a few seconds, as both dark claws rushed at her.

"Naru... Don't."

The Dark Senshi turned around, visibly relaxing as she saw her mother and Umino were okay, but the claws still got Neptune, and started to crush her. "But... She's not one of us."

"She is," Umino said. "Please, killing her won't do you any good."

"I..." Nemesis sank to her knees, and the claws vanished.

Neptune coughed as she tried to recover her breath. "What... Is your problem?"

Nemesis turned to glare at her. "I wonder the same about you and your girlfriend," she snapped.

Neptune wasn't in no mood or shape to start another fight, so she simply turned and left.

"Naru..."

Nemesis looked at her mother. "Mom, I... Sorry for not teling you about this, but I thought you would be safe if you didn't know."

"Just how did you... Become one of them?"

"It's a long story," Nemesis said.

"I want to hear it," her mother said, "but first I'll have to call the insurance company."

* * *

Nova and Shingo appeared in the base, and Usagi immediately noticed Shingo wasn't looking good. "Hey, what happened?" 

"One of those womans attacking your group targeted him," Nova explained. "We were both hit by an energy blast, and it knocked _me_ out, so I think he may be badly injured."

Hotaru scanned Shingo. "Damn. He's heavily wounded, and from the little energy he's left I suppose he got his crystal taken."

Nova nodded and turned to Usagi as Hotaru started healing the boy. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect him better, but I didn't think those women would be that strong."

"It's okay," Usagi said. "But what was he doing with you?"

"He was around when I fought some thieves," Nova said, "and we ended up talking, but then that witch showed up."

Usagi nodded. "Well, guess I'll have to get him back home to rest. "

"I'm okay," Shingo said as he stood up. "And not everyday I get to be saved by a pretty girl."

"You're welcome," Nova said.

"Boy's growing up," Terry commented. Usagi rose an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

ChibiUsa walked to the platform. "So, before all this, I was about to beat you down, Terry."

Terry walked to the platform too, but turned to Usagi. "Don't worry, I won't hit her too hard."

"Your mistake," ChibiUsa said as she rushed at him.

Usagi shook her head as she watched the two fight. Sometimes, her friends were quite a handful.

* * *

**A/N:** In the old version, Aiko went from hologram to sentient in five episodes. I guess I managed to make the transition slower this time around.

As for ChibiUsa's new power, it has many uses, but she needs to focus to use it. There's always a catch.

I'm looking forwards to the next episode, since I know I'm going to have fun writing it. Curious? Well, now you'll have to wait to see why.


	85. Death's Rage

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 9: The Messiah.**

**Episode 85: Death's Rage.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 13, 2007_

* * *

The battle between ChibiUsa and Terry didn't last too long, and the result was just as everyone expected. ChibiUsa staggered up and smiled. "I lasted longer than I thought I would."

"Not bad," Terry said, "but just like your mother, you are better at dodging than hitting at short range."

"I knew that," ChibiUsa said.

Usagi turned away from the now finished battle and noticed Hotaru was deep in thought. "Something wrong?"

"Other than me being the last one that hasn't been targeted, no," Hotaru said.

"But what about Uranus and Neptune?" Usagi asked.

"It would be ironic," Hotaru admitted, "but I don't think they were dumb enough not to check it out."

"But they've always talked about talismans," Usagi said. "And the only Senshi left to check besides you are those two..."

"You're forgetting about..." ChibiUsa started.

"About what?"

"... I can't tell you," ChibiUsa said.

"Yeah, that helps," Hotaru muttered.

"Mom, I detected some activity at Naru's house. But it seems it's over."

"I'll go check," Usagi said.

"I should be home by now," Shingo said. "I'll tag along."

ChibiUsa said nothing, but followed the other two. As they left, Terry noticed Hana looking at Shingo and rose an eyebrow.

Hana turned to Aiko, who had been speaking to her for several minutes. "I guess a self-aware computer isn't that much, considering I was dead for one year and brought back."

"I'm not sure I could go offline for that long and still be myself. "

Hana grimaced at that. She hadn't been quite herself for a while after she revived, either, but not in the way Aiko meant.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, just... Remembering that isn't easy for me."

* * *

Usagi and the others were walking silently as they headed for Osa-P, but the blond girl had something she needed to ask. "Shingo, can I ask you something?" 

"Sure."

"Do you like Hana?"

Shingo blushed, and ChibiUsa giggled. "There's your answer."

"But she..."

"What?"

"She's older than me."

"That runs in the family, from what I've heard," ChibiUsa said shooting Usagi a sideglance.

"You should talk to her," Usagi said. "Got nothing to lose, right?"

"Guess you're right," Shingo said, then stopped as Osa-P came into view. "Wow, guess these women aren't weak."

Naru was standing outside the jewelry, along with Umino. "One of the witches was here."

"We know, Aiko told us. Is your mother okay?"

Naru nodded. "Yes, but she saw me transform."

"If we keep that up, all the city will know," Usagi mused.

"Everyone knew back home," ChibiUsa said. The others stared at her. "Gee, no sense of humor."

"Do you girls have any idea where these women are attacking from?" Umino asked.

"No, we can't locate their base," Usagi said. "But sooner or later they'll come out of hiding."

"Hope we're ready for them when they do," Naru said, "because these new enemies aren't soft hitters."

* * *

"Three talismans, three Senshi left to..." 

"... check. I think we are..."

"... closer than we've ever been to our..."

"... goal. You two must go and..."

"... attack Sailor Saturn."

"What about the other two?"

"If you can, get them too, but..."

"... we can still attack them later. We have already alerted our fourth..."

"... Member, in case the Senshi try to interfere."

"We attack tomorrow," Eudial said to the two figures. "We need to recover from today's battles."

* * *

Next morning, most of the group went to the base, as Terry and Ami had told them about Aiko. "I don't know, how can we know she's not just programmed better?" Karin asked. 

Rei was staring at Aiko. "Computers don't have a soul, but she does. "

"I'll take your word for that."

"Okay, so she's sentient, but isn't that going to mess her program?" Minako asked.

"No, the core program is still the same," Ami said. "It's hard to explain, but the changes she had aren't bad for her."

"I'm trying to find a way to get through whatever these Death Busters have used so far to avoid being detected," Aiko said.

Ami smiled at that. "And I didn't tell her to do that. She can take her own decisions, which could sometimes help us find things we wouldn't otherwise."

"And also, I'm trying to discover the true identities of Uranus and Neptune."

"I see," Brad said. "Hal, without the psycho part."

A gun turret popped up besides Brad. "Dad, can I shoot him?"

Terry chuckled. "He was joking, Aiko."

"I know," Aiko said and stuck her tongue out at Brad.

"Uhm..." Brad looked at the turret as it sank back into the ground. "What was that?"

"The base's security system," Terry said. "I never got to use it."

"We could use that to practice," Rei said.

"And I could practice my aiming," Aiko said. "I like the idea."

"I take back the 'without the psycho part' bit," Brad muttered.

* * *

Hotaru was, meanwhile, walking around the city. She had no real destination in mind, and was actually avoiding crowds, as she was sure the enemy was already after her. 

"What a coincidence, finding you here."

Hotaru didn't even bother looking at the guy as she walked by. "What's the matter, Kage?"

"I'm here to protect you."

"I don't need protection," Hotaru said.

"Maybe not from the enemy, but my dear 'sisters' are also following you."

"I don't need protection from them, specially."

"Why didn't you stay with the others?"

"Because they'd fight to stop these women, and would end up being hurt."

"How noble."

"But also stupid."

Hotaru didn't even look at the two women before summoning her glaive. "Saturn Star Power!"

"Guess we're just in time."

Eudial flinched as she saw all the Senshi flying in. "Saw that coming. Teruru!"

Another woman showed up, she had green, long curly hair and was wearing a labcoat, just like Mimette. "I've been waiting for this, Senshi. Prepare to face your death."

Saturn had, meanwhile, tried to slash the two other women in half. They dodged and shot at her, but she teleported out of the way. "You can't hit me."

"So we can't..." Eudial snapped and started shooting energy blasts at Saturn. The death Senshi phased out of the way. "Okay, she may be right about it."

"Moonlight Flash!"

Teruru smirked as a wall of vines rose in front of her, absorbing the attack. "And that's the strongest Senshi? I thought they would be a challenge."

"Hey, copycat, try this," Earth snapped. "Vine Crush!"

"You got her," Lilith said as vines wrapped around their green-haired foe.

"She didn't," the woman snapped. The vines all retreated, then shot at Earth, wrapping around her instead. "Now, little plant girl, you die."

A barrage of attacks from the other Senshi reminded her there were more enemies in the battlefield. Earth was free of the crushing attack, and fell to her knees, panting to recover her breath.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, but how can we beat that woman?"

Teruru was about to attack again, but found herself unable to move. "What is..."

"Just stay there and let us do the rest," ChibiMoon said with a cold smile. Her eyes were glowing red, and she wasn't taking them off the evil woman.

"Okay guys, let's take her down then we can help..." Moon started.

"Deep Submerge!"

ChibiMoon was knocked forwards by the water blast, and she lost focus on Teruru. "Damn it."

"Consider this payback from the blasts you shot at us," Neptune said, then rushed past the others.

"Come back here, you loser!" ChibiMoon snapped.

"Sorry, but I don't have time to play with you, little girl."

* * *

Saturn, meanwhile, was already starting to slow down. She knew she had to finish the fight quick, or she would run out of power. After dodging one of Mimette's blasts, she glared at her two foes and shouted. "Wraith's Cry!" 

"World Shaking!"

Saturn turned to the side as her attack was cancelled by Uranus' one. "You bitch..."

"Deep Submerge!"

Neptune's attack came from behind, knocking Saturn forwards. Eudial saw her chance and aimed her gun at her prey. The blast hit Saturn dead on, knocking her down to the ground. As the crystal popped out, however, both the villains and the two rogues gasped. "Not a talisman either," Uranus said.

"Oh, it's okay," Mimette said as she walked past Saturn and grabbed the crystal. "We'll still eliminate one of th--Aargh!"

Neptune's eyes widened as she saw what had attacked Mimette. Saturn had left a quite deep cut in the woman's back with her glaive, and was now looking at them with glazed, cold eyes. "How can she be standing?"

Eudial aimed her cannon at Saturn, but just as she was about to fire, she noticed the Death Senshi was gone. She instinctively leapt aside, barely missing the glaive coming down on her. "You freak, how can you be standing?"

"I'm the Senshi of Death, and without this crystal, I'm dying," Saturn said coldly.

Eudial shot at her, but Saturn deflected the blast. "Why don't you put that thing back, then?"

"Because I'm stronger like this," Saturn said. "Death..." Energy gathered in the tip of Saturn's glaive as she rose it. "Ripple!" She slammed the glaive into the ground, and a wave of death energy shot out, knocking both Eudial and Mimette down.

"That's it," Eudial said. "We're out of here."

As Mimette and Eudial vanished, Saturn turned to Neptune and Uranus. "As for you two..."

* * *

The Senshi had been trying to take Teruru down, but her defense was quite flawless, and she attacked relentlessly as well. Mercury noticed something and gasped. "Saturn..." 

"What's..." Moon started, then looked to the place she'd last seen Saturn. She was there, but the two women were gone. Still, she was about to fight the two rogues. "No... We have to help."

"I think she can handle those two, if my readings are right," Mercury said.

"That's what I fear, Ami!" Moon said. "Remember what she said."

Teruru sent a swarm of vines and branches at the Senshi and laughed. "I would worry about myself if I were you, moongirl."

Moon glared at the woman. "I can't waste my time with you." She summoned her sword, and it immediately lit up with energy. She rushed at Teruru, who tried to stop her with her plant attacks, but she cut through the weed easily as she run. "Crescent Sword... Slash!" She didn't actually hit her foe, but stopped only inches away from her, slasing sideways with her sword. A crescent-shaped energy wave shot out, hitting Teruru square in the chest and leaving a quite visible wound before vanishing.

"This... Can't be," Teruru said.

Moon rose her sword and glared at her. "Leave or die." Teruru glared at her for a second before teleporting out. Moon turned to the other battle and saw things were quite bad.

* * *

Neptune tried to kick Saturn, but was rewarded with a slash to the leg. As she fell down, Saturn kicked her away, then sensed something to her side. "Death Ripple." 

Uranus was sent crashing through a wall, but staggered up. "You can't be that strong... World Shaking!"

Saturn let the attack hit and smiled coldly at her. "I can't? You two harpies have been close to causing the deaths of many of my friends. It's time for payback. Death..."

"No!"

"Usagi, out of my way!" Saturn snapped as Moon stood in front of her.

"Hotaru, don't do this. There's no need to kill them."

"Too bad, they chose to pick a fight with me."

"Look at them, they're barely standing," Moon said. "Please... Don't do it."

Saturn rose her glaive again. "Out of my way, now."

Moon summoned her sword and her crystal. "Don't make me do this."

"Why are you defending them?" Saturn snapped.

"Because they're Senshi too. I know they caused some trouble, but they also helped us. I wouldn't be here if they hadn't been there when Mamoru was captured."

Saturn looked past Moon and frowned. True, the two rogues were straining to stand, one more attack and they would die. Moon could take one of her shots and live, so what was stopping her?

"Hotaru, please," Moon insisted.

Saturn tossed her glaive aside and moved the crystal closer to her chest. As it was absorbed, Saturn's eyes returned to normal. "It's over."

Uranus was helping Neptune up and smiled at Moon. "I guess I should thank you."

Moon turned to look at her and shook her head. "I didn't do it for you. I did it for her."

As the two rogues limped away, the Senshi gathered. "Well, this was one fun battle, wasn't it?" Jupiter mused.

Saturn looked at Moon. "Thanks for stopping me, but it wasn't needed. "

"Why, you weren't really going to kill them?" Moon asked.

"I was, but I would have revived them afterwards," Saturn said, keeping a straight face.

Moon stood frozen for a few seconds before sighing. "Hotaru, don't joke like that."

"Wasn't joking," Saturn said as she picked up her glaive.

Moon watched the two rogues leave. "So, after all these attacks, they were the ones."

Mercury nodded. "I wonder if they'll be eager to let the enemy check them."

"Something tells me we find out soon," Mars commented.

* * *

**A/N:** Nope, I don't hate Uranus and Neptune, but they needed the beating to calm down. ;) 

As for the witches not being called Witches 5... I always counted seven of them (which makes Mistress Nine a nice pun, as she's the "witch number eight.")


	86. Talismans

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 9: The Messiah.**

**Episode 86: Talismans.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 14, 2007_

* * *

"Think they will attack us soon?" 

Haruka looked at Michiru. "Maybe. But the Senshi did a lot of damage to them yesterday."

"Saturn did a lot of damage to us."

Haruka nodded. "I'm not happy about the beating, but I guess we asked for it."

"They aren't such a bad group."

"We still need to complete our mission."

"Why didn't Setsuna tell us, though? Why make us fight through all that?"

"We grew stronger through all this, and so did the other Senshi," Haruka said.

"Not that it matters now," Michiru said.

"I trust Setsuna, and also... I trust Usagi, too. She stopped Saturn from killing us, after all."

"That she did. So, all we have to do is wait."

"Yeah, it's boring."

* * *

"Haruka and Michiru didn't go to school today," Usagi said. "I think it's obvious who they are." 

"Yes, they're the same I kicked around yesterday," Hotaru joked.

"Aiko, can you locate them?"

Aiko appeared in front of Usagi. "Yes, they're in a house in the southern part of Shinagawa."

"Why did you want to know?" Ami asked.

"Because now we can go and protect them. If the enemy can't get those talismans, then nothing will happen."

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that."

"Puu?"

Setsuna smiled at ChibiUsa, then looked at Usagi. "You can't interfere, not this time around."

"I won't let them die," Usagi said.

"I know that. But I can't let you stop the Death Busters this time. "

"What, are you working for them now?" Rei snapped.

ChibiUsa glared at Rei. "Don't you dare..."

"Calm down, Princess. Fighting amongst us won't solve a thing. Usagi, the enemy needs those talismans, yes, but not for what you think."

"What is their goal, then?"

"If the talismans get to the one they call the Messiah of Silence, then the world as we know it will come to an end."

Ami typed a few commands in her computer and gasped. "There's also a Messiah of Light mentioned in the legend. The only creature with the power required to stop the coming of the Silence."

"What is that 'Silence'?" Rei asked.

"No clues on that. But I bet it's nothing good."

* * *

"Haruka, look at this." 

Haruka walked in and immediately noticed what her friend meant. Mimette's face was on the TV "There's nothing good on TV anymore," she mused.

"Uranus, Neptune, it is time for the Silence to come. We'll be waiting for you at the docks."

"Time to play?" Michiru asked. Haruka just nodded.

* * *

"I still don't like this. I won't let them die just so that Messiah saves the world," Usagi said. "We've saved the world many times ourselves, we can do it again." 

"Not with your current power level," Setsuna said.

"Mom, trust her."

Usagi looked at ChibiUsa. It was the first time she had called her 'mom' and not Usagi since she had returned. "I..."

"Or at least, trust me. I know Pluto better than any of you, even the two harp--rogues. And I know she wouldn't waste her time training those two for years just to watch them die."

Usagi nodded. "Okay, but we still need to protect..."

"I've detected two of the Death Busters in the seaport near Shinagawa," Aiko said. "And Uranus and Neptune are moving to them. "

Setsuna turned into Pluto in a blink. "It's time, then. Call the others and tell them to come here."

"Why don't we tell them to go there instead?"

"It's faster this way," Pluto said.

* * *

"Oh, there you are," Mimette mused. "What took you so long?" 

"We don't fly like the other Senshi," Uranus snapped.

"So, girls, are you going to be good and let us blast you?"

Neptune smiled coldly. "No."

"Why? If you didn't want us to get you, you should've kept on hiding. "

"We need those talismans to defeat you," Uranus said.

"But letting you get them would mean all our work was worth nothing. "

"So, you're going to fight?" Eudial said. "So be it. Teruru!"

"I'm here, no need to shout" Teruru muttered as she appeared near the other two.

Uranus smiled at Neptune. "Time to play."

Neptune nodded and both started dodging as the three women kept on shooting at them.

* * *

The Senshi were, meanwhile, finally gathered. "So, now what?" Jupiter asked. 

"The enemy's engaged the two rogues," Aiko said.

Pluto looked around. "First time I try this with this many passengers," she said. "Get ready to fight, Senshi."

Before anyone could ask, they had all vanished. "Good luck," Aiko said then turned to 'look' at the screen. For a moment, she wondered if she had a heart crystal too, but dismissed the thought as fast as it had appeared.

* * *

Uranus dodged Eudial's blast, but Teruru guessed her jump and shot at the point she landed on. As she fell back, the blond Senshi cursed. "This isn't easy." 

"We need to resist," Neptune said as she leapt out of a blast's way.

"Crescent Sword Slash!"

The three women leapt back and stared at the energy wave in awe as it passed. "Damn it, the Senshi..." Mimette muttered.

"Let's beat them," Moon said to the others.

"Wait!" Uranus said. "Let them take our crystals."

"But..."

Pluto nodded. "That was the plan all along."

"No! I can't..."

Pluto looked at Moon. "No sacrifices will be made. Please, trust me. "

Teruru laughed. "You weaklings want to fight?" She shot a few beams that made several thick vines grow up from the ground.

Pluto looked at the vines dismissively. "Chronos Typhoon." A large energy vortex shot out, and even though only Pluto could see it, everyone could see its effect. The vines were ripped off the ground and vanished in mid-air. Teruru herself was knocked back and sank to the ground. "We're not here to fight, at least not right now," Pluto warned, "so just do what you were going to before we arrived."

Uranus and Neptune were standing still, holding hands as they waited for the shot. "Moon, your group has told us several time we don't know what being a Senshi is about. But we do. A Senshi would sacrifice her own life if it helped saving the world."

"And we're going to do just that. But don't let the enemy get the talismans."

Eudial smirked. "Nice speech, but your time's up." She and Mimette shot energy beams at the two rogues, and saw crystals coming out of their backs. "Hey, those aren't talismans!"

Pluto smiled as the crystals started shining. Two items appeared next to them, a scimitar-like sword, and a hand mirror. "There they are."

Eudial and Mimette moved to get the talismans, but the two items moved out of their grasp. The crystals went back into the two fallen Senshi and they started stirring. "Hey, what's going on?" Mimette growled.

"I'm wondering the same thing," Moon said, then noticed the talismans started circling her. "What's this?"

"The Messiah," Pluto said.

"Huh, where?" Moon asked, then saw the orb in Pluto's staff glowing. "I don't get it."

As the orb floated away from her staff, Pluto smiled. "The three talismans are needed to awaken the Messiah."

"She's the one," Uranus said.

"Kill her before she transforms!" Teruru snapped and attacked.

The Senshi moved to cover Moon, but Pluto was faster. "Time Bomb!"

This time, the attack was quite visible, a black orb that didn't look that powerful. That was, until it stopped meters away from the three Death Busters, exploding with enough force to crack the walls of the warehouses around them.

Meanwhile, Moon was looking at the three talismans as they spun around her. "Uhm, so what should I do?"

"Concentrate and try to search inside of you... These three items are the key to a new power," Pluto explained.

Moon nodded and closed her eyes, while Pluto turned to look at the three witches. They were still stunned by her blast, so she turned to the others. "Once Moon's upgrade is complete, you will be able to access that level too, but... You'll have to look for your own keys. "

"What does that mean?" Jupiter asked.

Mercury, on the other hand, had no problem guessing. "A talisman for each one of us?"

Pluto nodded. "But I can't help you with that."

Moon opened her eyes and looked at the three Death Busters. "I'll take care of you in a minute. Moon Cosmic Power!" As she said that, her crystal appeared in front of her, but a golden dust formed around it. As it solidified, everyone could see it had formed a brooch, with the crystal resting in its center. The brooch attached itself to Moon's bow, replacing the old one, and an aura of light surrounded her.

Not much changed as far as looks went, the only difference her suit had was the gloves and boots were much longer. "She got it. The Cosmic power level, she can destroy our enemies now."

Teruru snorted at Pluto's words. "I doubt that." She shot her vines at Moon and waited for the impact.

Moon simply rose her hand, a shield forming in front of it. "My turn. Moon Cosmic..." She rose her other hand, and aimed at the three witches, palms open. "... Retaliation!" As she shouted that, the crystal lit up with energy, which swiftly passed to her hands. In a blink, a light beam as tall as Moon herself rushed forwards.

"Shit, I'm out of here," Teruru muttered before teleporting out.

The other two didn't have time to dodge, and the beam hit them both, the resulting explosion knocking everyone but Pluto and Moon down. As they stood up, they could see Mimette was trying to pick herself up, but Eudial was nowhere to be seen. "She got them!"

"Only Eudial," Moon said, then looked at Mimette. "But I can correct that."

"Thanks, I'll pass," Mimette said and vanished.

Mercury was staring at Moon, so Dragon Mercury smiled. "Should I be jealous?"

"Eh? No, it's nothing like that," Mercury said with a blush. "But... The last readings I got of her before this fight were near five thousand points."

"And now?" Mars asked.

"Her power is up to ten thousand points."

"No wonder Teruru run away, then," Jupiter mused.

"And she's not going back to Star, either," Dragon Mercury said. "It means the transformation is permanent."

"And tiring," Moon said. "I was bluffing with Mimette, I couldn't have used that attack twice, but luckily she bought it."

Pluto smiled. "As for the Talismans..." Her orb returned to her, while the sword went to Uranus, and the mirror to Neptune. "... They are where they belong now."

Uranus looked at Pluto, then at the sword. "How do I use this?"

"You will know, when you need them," Pluto said. "Now, let's go back to the base."

"We're going home, if you don't mind," Neptune said.

"What, still planning to play the rogue parts?" Mars said.

"No, but we're too tired right now," Uranus explained.

"We'll see you at school, then," Moon said.

The rogues didn't answer, just walked away. Dragon Mercury looked a Pluto and nodded. "Take us back home, mighty Time Lady."

Pluto shook her head at him, but still did as requested.

* * *

**A/N:** Grail? What Grail? 

Note that the "Cosmic" level upgrades will be coming into the story slower than any of the former upgrades, so don't expect the next few arcs to have the Senshi getting a new attack every two episodes.

As for what each talisman is... Sorry, not telling.


	87. Soul Of Darkness

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 9: The Messiah.**

**Episode 87: Soul Of Darkness.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 14, 2007_

* * *

After the battle, Pluto had vanished, only reappearing in her normal form to keep her teacher act. Haruka and Michiru hadn't gone to school, either being tired after the battle, or because they didn't want to face the other Senshi yet. As for the other Senshi, they were waiting, and training. Well, some of them were training, anyway. 

Dragon Mercury looked at ChibiMoon as she got ready to fight. "Are you sure about it?"

"Yeah, don't worry. It's not like I never faced her before."

Saturn smiled. "Am I a good warrior in the future?"

"I don't really know, you weren't around much after the Dark Moon war. But the few times we trained, you won."

As the two started fighting, Usagi was trying to test something out. Rei was looking at her amusedly. "You'll break your hand."

Usagi looked at the single stone slab set between two of the benches and sighed. "Probably. But Hotaru can heal me, right?"

Terry nodded. "Go ahead, I want to see if your guess is right, too. "

Usagi nodded and pulled her fist back, slamming it down into the slab with all her strength. For a second, nothing happened, then the slab fell down, split in half. "Wow."

"Amazing," Ami said. "Her physical strength, even in normal form, raised more than I expected."

"With some training, you could be kicking monsters around without transforming," Terry said, "though that would probably raise some questions."

"About the talismans," Ami said, "I found info in my computer, but apparently, there wasn't a set ritual or way to call upon them. And no clues on where they could be."

"If they work like the rest of our powers, we'll get them when we need them," Rei said.

"Wow, that kid sure can fight," Karin mused.

The others turned to the training battle. Saturn apparently had the upper hand, but ChibiMoon was dodging each and every slash of her glaive, and not using her own sword.

"How long can she keep on dodging?" Mako pondered.

"That must be her plan," Terry said. "We all know Hotaru tires pretty fast, so all Pinky has to do is resist for a while."

"Don't call me that," ChibiMoon snapped, momentarily forgetting about her battle. That earned her a small yet painful cut as Saturn didn't stop her attack soon enough. "Argh..."

"Uhm... Sorry," Saturn said. "But you shouldn't be distracted that easily."

ChibiMoon rushed forwards, taking her chance to tackle Saturn to the ground before she could again use her glaive. As the two landed, she put a finger in Saturn's forehead. "Game over."

Karin smiled at the image. "So, she likes to be on top, huh?"

The pink-haired Senshi blushed as she heard that. "Ack, no, that's not..." She had once again lost focus, and was knocked away by Saturn. "Damn."

Saturn was rapidly running out of power, so she decided to finish the fight fast. She used her glaive to swipe down at ChibiMoon's feet as she tried to stand up, sending her back down to the ground. Her rival wasn't giving up yet, and kicked out as she fell, causing Saturn to fall down on top of her. "Eeeh..."

Karin laughed. "And that was a coincidence, too, I'm sure."

As both scrambled up, ChibiMoon sighed. "That training didn't go as planned."

"Or did it?" Karin teased.

Usagi frowned. "Karin, drop it."

"Whatever you say, boss."

Hotaru walked up to Karin. "I fight to become stronger, not to get a girlfriend."

"And you are stronger than I thought," ChibiUsa said. "Even with your low endurance, you're quite skilled with that glaive."

* * *

"Even though the Messiah of Light awakened..." 

"... we can still win this war. But our..."

"... Messiah, Mistress Nine, needs a host..."

"... to come to this world. You must..."

"... go and capture the one who's..."

"... attuned to darkness."

"What about the other Senshi?" Teruru asked.

"Don't worry, this time..."

"... we will fight them ourselves."

* * *

As Hana walked in, Terry smiled. "Hey there, I've got something for you." 

"Oh, are you done with it?"

Terry nodded. "Yeah. Uhm... Where's your watch?"

Hana smiled. "Nova Armor On!" the Zero oozed out of her necklace, forming her armor in seconds.

"Wow..."

Hana held her hand out and her suit gathered in her open palm, forming a small black cube. "Here."

Ami decided to talk at last. "What are two up to?"

"I finally got a solution for the Zero's weakness to electricity." He took the cube and connected it to Aiko. "And I want to kill two birds with one stone. Aiko, try your new form."

As the cube seemingly vanished, Aiko appeared in front of the others, but not as a hologram. "Hey, it worked."

"Wow, she's got a solid body," Karin said. "Cute."

"Ahem..." Mako said and shot her a sideglance.

"You're prettier," Karin added rapidly.

"Now run a strong electric charge through your body," Terry said.

"Won't that hurt her?" Usagi asked.

Aiko chuckled as her body crackled with energy. "Fortunately, or unfortunately, I don't get any sensory input from this artificial body."

Terry nodded. "Okay, can you give me the Zero back?"

"Awww, but I like this."

"I promise I'll give you more of it soon."

Aiko nodded and 'vanished' as the cube fell to the ground. Hana picked it up. "So, no more trouble with those electric guns."

"Well, if you get a lot of electricity thrown at you too fast, it will still hurt," Terry corrected.

"Thanks," Hana said.

"What did you come here for, anyway?" Hotaru asked.

"Just curious as to what you guys were doing here."

ChibiUsa smirked. "I've always wanted to try this." Her eyes flashed red and she looked straight at Hana.

"Wha..." Hana stood frozen for a few seconds, but then smirked. "Interesting, weak psichic powers." The others looked at ChibiUsa, who was now unable to move. Hana turned around and walked to the elevator. "Maybe with some training you would be able to fight me."

ChibiUsa stood unmoving for a minute after Hana left. As she moved, she looked at the others. "She's too damn strong!"

"Thought you knew it," Terry said.

"Didn't think she would be so strong in this epoque."

Aiko appeared again, her body now back to its usual transparency. "I'm sensing Teruru and Mimette here in Juuban. They're attacking Naru and Umino."

Mako frowned. "Huh? What for?"

"Let's ask them," Usagi said.

* * *

"... And yeah, they said they need another week to finish the repairs." 

Umino looked at Naru and sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have gone there. It's my fault your house got wrecked."

"Don't worry," Naru said. "It's those women's fault, and I would rather have a few holes in my house's front wall than losing you."

Umino blushed. "Thanks."

"You know, I'm wondering what the enemy will do now that we got all the Talismans."

"Oh, that's a funny question, dear Nemesis."

Naru glared at Teruru and Mimette. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to get you," Teruru said. "So be a good girl and stand still."

"Nemesis Star Power!"

"Game Start!"

Teruru snorted. "Nice suit. Too bad I'll have to tear it apart."

Game Master smiled as vines rose form the ground. "Oh, so you like kinky games. Let's play, then." Metal claws grew on his gloves, and he used them to slash the vines down.

Meanwhile, Mimette was facing Nemesis. "So, shadowgirl, are you going to attack?"

"No, I'm just stalling you," Nemesis said.

"Hah! Funny, but I wouldn't count on your friends if I were you. Our leaders are keeping them busy as we speak."

* * *

The Senshi had gathered and were now flying to help Nemesis. However, they all stopped as two women appeared floating in mid-air. They were almost identical, if not for the fact their form-fitting suits and their hair were colored different, blue and red respectively. 

"More of them?" Jupiter said. "Out of our way, freaks."

"We are Cyprine and..." "... Puchirol, the leaders of the Death Busters. We... "... are not going to let you..."

"... pass. The one you call Nemesis is..."

"... the key to our victory. Surrender now and..."

"... you may live a little longer."

"What's with the dual talking?" Dragon Venus muttered.

"Nevermind that, let's beat them," Moon said. "Cosmic Retaliation!"

The two women simply summoned long, bronze staves and pointed them at the incoming attack, absorbing it. "You don't understand, do you? We..."

"... are nothing like the others, we're..."

"... invincible."

"Nobody is," Dragon Mercury snapped. "If long range doesn't work..."

Dragons Venus and Sun nodded. "Let's try melee."

The three Dragons rushed at the women, but they simply phased out of the way. "Not so invincible, are we?"

The blue-haired one laughed. "We are, because you..."

"... can't touch us."

"We can always try again."

Cyprine laughed again. "No, you can't." The two women pointed their staves forwards, shooting twin energy beams that knocked the three Dragons off their boards.

"That was Moon's attack," Mercury said as she scanned the two. "They can actually use our attacks against us."

"Oh, that's cute," Saturn said. "Let's see if they can handle me." She summoned her own scanner and smiled. "Here goes nothing!"

Saturn vanished, appearing right over the twins. The two women sensed her and phased out of the way, but Saturn followed them, appearing again over them. Mercury nodded at that. "They're distracted."

"Cosmic..." Moon started but fell on her knees. "Damn, can't use it again..."

"Stone Jab!"

Cyprine was just done dodging Saturn again, when she sensed something behind her. She wasn't fast enough, and the massive fist hit her, knocking her back. Puchirol realized Saturn was gone and looked around confused.

"Behind you, idiot."

Cyprine recovered just in time to see Puchirol be slashed by Saturn. "This isn't possible."

Puchirol struggled to keep floating, but the pain from the deep cut in her back was almost too much to bear. "We can't let them go, not until Nemesis is secured."

Cyprine stopped and rose her staff, blocking Saturn's slash, then kicked Saturn away. "But you need to heal."

Puchirol was going to complain, but then nodded. "You're right, let's go."

As the two vanished, Saturn appeared on her airboard again. "That was weird."

"Girl, I've never seen you do that before," Dragon Mercury said. "You're better than me in aereal combat."

"We never had to fight in the air before," Saturn noted.

"But those two... They're really strong," Dragon Venus said. "Despite their apparent lack of melee skills."

"They stopped talking as one when the redhead was hurt," Mercury said, "and they also lost focus when Saturn started attacking them. They're a far cry away from being invincible."

Moon summoned her communicator. "What's the matter, Aiko?"

"Nemesis is gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

"I can't find her," Aiko said. "Also, Umino's energy is too low."

"Naru, no..."

Saturn frowned. "Where's Umino?"

"I'm sending you the coordinates," Aiko said.

Saturn looked at the map displayed in her visor. "Okay, let's check on him, he'll tell us what happened."

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know, "Ptilol." I always liked the SM: AS RPG translation better on that matter. Also, I made them a lot less invincible than in the anime. But they're still a pain in the rear. 

And, if you were paying attention, I'm hinting to one more pairing in this episode. As if my avatar wasn't enough to clue everyone in. ;)


	88. The Last Crystal

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 9: The Messiah.**

**Episode 88: The Last Crystal.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 15, 2007_

* * *

Nemesis felt her consciousness returning and opened her eyes. She was in some sort of lab room, a large computer on the far end of it. As she looked around, she saw two identical women looking at her. 

"Welcome back, Nemesis..."

"... you should feel honored, because..."

"... you are the key to our victory."

"What? I won't join you."

Cyprine turned to the shadows behind her. "She is ready, Mistress. "

"Good," a voice said. Nemesis tried to locate the source, and saw it was a large, shapeless cloud of darkness. "What is..." The darkness surrounded her, and she screamed.

"The true Messiah is..."

"... awakening. Our victory is just..."

"... a matter of time."

* * *

Game Master woke up and looked at Saturn. "Ugh..." He felt like a truck had run over him, but he forgot his pain as he remembered what had happened minutes earlier. "Where is Naru?" 

"They... Got her," Saturn said.

"Damn it. I tried to fight them, but they were too strong," Game Master commented. "Do you guys know where they are?"

"Not yet," Moon said, "but don't worry, we'll get her back."

"Let's go back to the base, we can plan our strategy from there," Dragon Mercury sugested.

* * *

As Nemesis opened her eyes again, it was clear she wasn't the same person anymore. "I see... This body is powerful. You found a fitting host." 

"Mistress..." Cyprine bowed to Nemesis. "We still need energy, the humans we were using as batteries won't give us all the power we need fast enough."

Nemesis smiled. "All we need is one crystal. A very powerful one."

"But we checked them all," Puchirol said. "We can't take them out again once they're returned."

"This mind I'm 'borrowing' tells me there's one last Senshi to check. A child that came from the future. Her soul is almost as strong as that of their leader."

"We could try and get it, but the Senshi are stronger than we thought."

"I wil lure them out," Nemesis said. "The Senshi will come to fight me, and you'll have a chance to attack while they're distracted."

Cyprine nodded. "It is time to introduce our last soldier, then."

* * *

Back at the base, the Senshi were about to make an important discovery. "Guys, take a look at this," Mercury said as she typed a few keys in her computer. A building could be seen, surrounded by an energy field like the one that had appeared around the Tokyo Tower. Dozens of teenagers could be seen walking out of it, their eyes glazed and distant. "That's the Mugen Gakuen, a private school which was rumored to have an excellent staff of professors." 

"Why are the students... Zombified?" Venus asked.

"I don't know, but my best guess is, that's where the enemy is hiding."

"And that's where Nemesis is," Moon said. "We should go check it out. "

"I'm detecting a large energy signature in the city, in the Koto district," Aiko said. "I can't scan the new creature, but its power levels are close to Sailor Moon's ones."

"Let's go, we can ask them about Naru once we're done beating them. "

* * *

"General, we detected an incredibly powerful creature in the city," Tomoe explained. 

"That's old news," Kino noted.

"Yes, but... Well, it's hard to explain. Just get everyone in the district evacuated."

"It's that strong, huh?"

"Indeed. The Senshi are already on their way to fight it."

* * *

As the heroes arrived, they could see a very familiar figure waiting for them. "Naru?" 

Nemesis smiled coldly at Moon. "Naru is no more. I am Mistress Nine, the Messiah of Silence."

Teruru was standing next to her, the labcoat gone. The suit she was wearing was close to a Senshi's outfit, but black, and without gloves, tiara or bows. "What's with the cosplay?" Mars snapped.

The green-haired woman smiled. "The Mistress can kill you all, but I didn't want to be left out of the fun."

"Naru, don't do this," Moon said, trying to bring Naru back. "Please, wake up."

Nemesis smiled. "Dark Fear."

The others winced as Moon was trapped by the dark claws. "Get her!" Mars ordered. The Senshi all shot their attacks at her, but Nemesis laughed.

"You are just a bunch of kids, so pathetic." The claws around Moon vanished, and she smiled. "I don't want to kill her, but as for the rest of you..."

The Senshi all tensed, while Moon tried to recover from the crushing attack. "Guys, get Teruru," she said.

"What?"

"I'll take care of Nemesis, she's too strong for you," Moon said.

Mars smiled at her, then turned to the others. "You heard her, let's kick that bitch."

Just then, another woman appeared. This one had long, white hair and was wearing a suit similar to Teruru, only adding a strange blue hat to the setup. "Hey, Teruru, share the fun."

"Feel free to kill as many as you like, Viluy," Nemesis said, "but Moon is mine."

* * *

The Mooncats were, meanwhile, observing the battle from a safe distance. "This looks worse than ever," Artemis said. 

"Damn it, they have Naru working for them," Shade said. "I can't just stand here and watch."

Luna nodded. "Maybe we'll have to help them."

"Don't worry, they can win this battle."

Diana looked at the green-haired woman who had just appeared. "Puu... I mean, Pluto, what do you mean?"

"This battle is not what it looks like," Pluto said. "But while the enemy thinks the outcome of this battle will help them win this war, it will be just another step towards their destruction."

"Well, I just hope they can get Nemesis back."

"They will," Pluto said, "but not today."

* * *

The fight had complicated a lot for the Senshi. True, they had numbers on their side, but the enemies were strong. While the others fought, Nemesis had shot an energy wave, not only hitting Moon, but also knocking most of her friends out. "That was cheating," Moon snapped as she tried to recover her breath. 

Nemesis smiled. "Okay, if you don't like that, let's play with our toys." She summoned her spear and thrusted it straight at Moon's chest.

Moon dodged the stab with a backflip, managing to kick the spear off Nemesis' hands. She then summoned her sword, and charged at Nemesis. The Darkness Senshi leapt up, catching her spear in mid-jump, and sank down, aiming for Moon's head.

Moon used her sword to block the attack, then tried another slash. As Nemesis leapt back, she smiled. "I see... You can use that sword of yours after all."

* * *

Viluy was, meanwhile, showing off her powers. She didn't fight, instead taking control of cars, TVs and whatever electronic device she could find in the surrounding stores. "This is almost boring." 

"Then try fighting me!" Dragon Mercury snapped as he rushed at her.

Viluy teleported out of the way and sent a car rushing at him. "No thanks, I'm not interested."

"She's a real pain in the neck," Mercury said.

Dragon Mercury nodded. "Pinky, can you keep her busy?"

ChibiMoon dodged a toaster and shook her head. "No, she must know about me. I can't focus long enough to get her."

* * *

Teruru was, meanwhile, fighting Mars and Earth. The fight was quite even, but Teruru knew her foes were tiring down. "This battle will be your last, Senshi." 

Mars looked at the incoming plants and snorted. "Fire Tornado!" The blast burnt all the plants, but Teruru teleported out of the way. "You know, you bark loud, but you can't bite."

I don't need to, Teruru thought to herself. After all, this whole battle was just one big trap, and they had all fallen for it.

* * *

ChibiMoon dodged a few keyboards as they fled by and winced. This was annoying, that Viluy girl wasn't giving them any time to attack. If she could focus for a few seconds, she could maybe... She sensed something and turned around, forgetting about Viluy, but her reaction wasn't fast enough. "Mimette..." 

Dragon Mercury growled as Mimette got ChibiMoon's heart crystal. "Hey, give that back!"

"Not this time, hero boy," Mimette snapped. The crystal vanished and Mimette chuckled. "Aww, poor little girl, she's as good as dead."

"So are you," Dragon Mercury snapped and tossed a dozen of his trademark bombs at her. "Dragon's Ice Breath!"

"Everyone, retreat!" Nemesis shouted. "We got what we wanted."

As the evil women vanished, Moon immediately noticed what had happened. "ChibiUsa... Damn it..."

"Where's her crystal" Dragon Earth asked.

"Mimette took it and well, it vanished," Mercury said.

"I'm going to..." Moon started.

"No," Dragon Mercury said. "Don't waste your energy, she's mine."

Mimette was still trying to breath inside the cloud, and if she had been able to, she would have laughed. Him, defeat her? That was quite impossible a feat.

Mercury looked at Dragon Mercury and cringed. "Terry..."

Dragon Mercury nodded. "I know what I'm doing, Ami." He looked at his swords, and saw the Saturn sword was shining. "I think."

Moon looked at him, and somehow understood what was happening. "No, it's too risky..."

"_Rabbit_, shut up," Terry said, then turned to see the blue cloud his foe was surrounded by was dimming. "It's now or never. Saturn Star Power!"

Saturn was checking on ChibiMoon, but she looked at the Dragon as she heard that. "He's going to kill himself," she muttered.

Moon turned to Saturn. "Can you heal her?"

Saturn winced. "I... I can't, not completely."

"Then, I'm..." Moon stopped as Dragon Mercury's transformation was complete. "Wow..."

Mercury gasped. "Fuck..."

"Okay, Ami's cussing, this must be bad," Venus said. The rest of the Senshi had already recovered, and could see things were looking bad.

"His power is slightly above Moon's level," Mercury said. "But he's still at Star level."

"Using the two planet powers at once, how foolish."

"Or brave."

Mars looked at the Mooncats. "About time you showed up."

Diana looked at ChibiMoon's unconscious form. "Princess..."

Dragon Mercury, or rather Dragon Saturn, hadn't changed much, the only difference was his suit and swords were now a dark violet, like Saturn's skirts. "Time's up, witch."

Mimette was finally able to see, and what she saw, she didn't like. "What the heck..."

"Die. Saturn Skull Spell!"

Saturn was really impressed. The attack was, as the name implied, a giant skull, which appeared right in front of Dragon Saturn, and then shot forwards. Mimette jumped up to dodge it, but the skull corrected its course, hitting her and causing a quite large explosion.

Mimette fell to the ground near Dragon Saturn, but staggered up. "You... Fucking kid, I'm going to... Kill you for this."

"No, you aren't," the Dragon said as he stabbed both swords through her. He pulled the swords off and turned, as Mimette fell to the ground, her body already vanishing. "Okay, that's done, now let's... " He fell to his knees and grunted. "Damn..."

Mercury run to his side as he transformed back to his other Dragon form. "Terry, are you okay?"

"Tired," he said, "but nevermind. How's ChibiUsa?"

Saturn winced. "I can't... Well, I may be able to keep her alive for a while if I focus completely in her. But without her crystal, I can't heal her completely."

Moon's eyes watered, but she wiped the tears off and nodded. "Then, let's get that crystal back."

"Moon, we need a plan," Mercury said. "We can't just run straight to them and hope to win."

Moon looked at her in a way that sent a chill down Mercury's spine. "You stay here and make plans if you want, Ami, but I don't have time to play. I'm going to save my daughter."

As Moon summoned her airboard and fled away, Mars sighed. "I agree with her. We've made it through without a plan before, and right now, our time is rather limited."

Mercury nodded and summoned her board along with the others, then looked at Dragon Mercury. "Terry?"

"I'm staying. I'll protect these two, in case the witches want to play." At Mercury's stare, he smiled. "Truth is, I'm so tired after that stunt I pulled, I don't think I'll be of any use to you."

Saturn looked at him as the others flew away. "Okay, don't let anything come close to me," she said, "I need to focus in her completely, the slightest distraction may mean her death."

The Dragon nodded and looked on as both girls were surrounded by a thin white aura. Saturn wasn't even blinking anymore, so he was quite alone. Well, not considering the Mooncats.

"What's wrong?"

"You know, what you did was quite foolish," Luna scolded.

"Nothing happened, right?"

"But still..."

"It was just as dangerous as the Planet Attack," Dragon Mercury said.

"Why risk it, though? Moon could have beaten Mimette."

"Moon needs to conserve her energy for whoever the big boss is," Dragon Mercury said. "Because I doubt Nemesis is the boss."

* * *

**A/N:** He's back! Okay, so Dragon Saturn hadn't appeared in this version of the fic yet, but he was around for quite some time in the old version. 

The final battle is about to begin, so be ready for some action-packed episodes. And a bit of a surprise on how Pharaoh Ninety will be defeated (nope, Saturn can't just drop her glaive and make the world go boom. Not for a few power levels, anyway. And she's quite busy trying to keep ChibiUsa alive, too.)


	89. Silence Coming

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 9: The Messiah.**

**Episode 89: Silence Coming.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 15, 2007_

* * *

"The civilians near Mugen Gakuen has been evacuated, sir." 

"Good. Head there with as many units as you can."

"Sir?"

"Just do it."

As Seia walked out of the room, a figure appeared behind Kino. "Not even the Senshi will be able to stop what's about to happen."

Kino turned to the green-haired Senshi. "You're Sailor Pluto, right? Mako told me about you."

Pluto nodded. "I'm just here to make sure destiny isn't changed."

"So, you like playing god? Uhm... No offense intended."

"None taken," Pluto said. "And no, I'm not God, I'm just here to make sure _she_ gets the job done."

"I see," Kino said, guessing what she meant. "Are you going to participate in this battle?"

"In a way, I am," Pluto said, then vanished.

"Oh, I see Mako was right about her weird exits, too," Kino muttered.

* * *

"Another day, another energy dome," Dragon Venus said. 

"Cosmic Retaliation!" The dome absorbed the blast, and Moon shrugged. "Worth a try."

"Mercury?" Mars said.

"I'm on it," Mercury said. She started looking at the data and nodded. "The shield isn't unbreakable, but it will need more energy than we have right now to break through."

"Maybe we can help."

Moon turned to see Ail, Ann, Nova and Game Master there. "Guys, this is dangerous, the enemy's too strong."

"What, you want us to cross our arms and let these goons take over the world?" Ann asked.

"I agree," Game Master said. "Besides, Naru is in there, I need to talk to her."

* * *

"The Senshi are out there," Cyprine said. 

"Teruru, Villuy, stay in here," Nemesis said. "You two, go out there and fight the Senshi. Don't hold back this time."

"What about you?"

"I need one more thing for the portal to open," Nemesis noted. "As soon as you two attack, I'll be able to get it."

"The human army is coming our way," Villuy commented.

"I sensed that," Nemesis said. "Release the daimons."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Even without possessing anything, they will be strong enough to keep their army at bay."

* * *

"What's that?" 

Mercury looked at the stream of purple, shapeless masses that were coming out of the building. "Daimons."

"Huh? They all look the same."

"That must be how they look without a host," Mercury explained. "That many of them, however, won't be easy to destroy."

Moon prepared to attack, but the daimons passed through the shield, and rushed past them. "What?"

Mercury looked at the swarm. "The army is heading this way. These daimons are going to intercept them."

"We must..."

Moon frowned. "Mako, we can't help them."

"But Usagi..."

"We need to get through this barrier," Moon said. "If we don't, my daughter will die."

Jupiter nodded. "Okay, then let's..."

"Oh great, look who's back."

Cyprine smiled. "I'm sorry, Senshi, but..."

"... this is as far as you'll go."

Moon glared at the two. "Out of my way!"

Mercury suddenly cursed under her breath. "Something's coming... Something powerful."

"Nemesis?" Moon asked. Right then, a black disc appeared near her. "Hey, what is that thing?"

"Some sort of portal," Mercury said. "Moon, get away from it!"

The warning came a bit too late, however, as a large dark claw flew from inside the portal, grabbing Moon and dragging her in before anyone could react.

"Moon!"

"Mars, calm down," Mercury said.

"I can't, they've got Moon. We have to rescue her!"

"I know, but first we have to find a way to beat those two."

Game Master sighed. "They don't mind us, they just want to fight the Senshi."

"What are you going to do?" Nova asked, then saw Game Master had vanished. "Where is..." She looked inside the shield, and saw Game Master was there, walking into the building.

"We have to help," Ail said.

Nova nodded. "Two against all of us, this will be an easy fight."

* * *

In the other side of the building, meanwhile, Uranus and Neptune were looking at the barrier. "Okay, so how are we going to get in there?" 

"Leave that to me," Pluto said, "but once inside, you'll be on your own."

"Just how we like it," Neptune said.

"Be careful, the two strongest Death Busters are there, along with their leader."

Uranus nodded. "Do it."

"Time Storm." Pluto shot her attack at the other two, and they vanished, reappearing seconds later inside the dome. "It's done. Good luck."

Uranus saw Pluto vanish and nodded. "We'll need it, I bet."

* * *

The Senshi kept on attacking the twins, but nothing really worked. If they tried to go melee, the two phasd out of the way. And if they used their magic, they could catch the blasts and throw them back later. "Okay, Mercury, what's the plan?" 

"Thought you didn't need one?" Mercury said.

"Not the time for sarcasm," Mars said. "There must be a way to hit them with our attacks."

Mercury summoned her computer. The Dragons were keeping the two women busy, or trying to, so she knew she had the time she needed to find their weakness. "This may take a while, but Rei..."

"What?"

"I'm sorry I didn't warn her sooner."

"What's done is done, we now need to find a way to rescue her."

* * *

"Lieutenant, we've got visual contact with... Well, look at it yourself." 

"I'm seeing them," Seia said. "Okay guys, fire at will. We can't let them past this point."

"You heard the boss," the soldier said through the intercom. "Let's get them!"

Seia looked at the incoming wave of creatures. "If anyone had told me, years ago, I would someday have to fight an army of goo monsters, I would've laughed it off." With a shrug, the girl leapt out of the truck she was driving, reaching for her rocket launcher. "Let's see if they can handle my rockets."

* * *

Dragon Mercury suddenly looked around as his visor picked on some data. "What the hell..." 

"What's wrong?" Luna asked. "Wait, I'm feeling it... A wave of dark energy, and it's near."

"I can't stay here, then."

"What about Saturn?"

"If I let whatever that is get here, Saturn will lose her focus," Dragon Mercury said. "Just stay here, kitties, I'm going to take care of it." Though, he thought as he summoned his board, if that thing got past the other Senshi, he would be in quite a lot of trouble.

* * *

Uranus and Neptune were, meanwhile, walking through the corridors of Mugen Gakuen. "I bet they are at the lab." 

"That place always gave me a bad feeling when we studied here," Neptune commented.

"You two were the worst students we ever had."

"That was because you can't teach us anything new," Uranus said.

Teruru smiled. "It's time for your graduation, girls."

* * *

Usagi woke up and looked around. She had lost her transformation, somehow, but where was she? "Naru?" 

"Oh, I see you're awake," Nemesis said turning away from the console she was operatiing. "I hope you will not mind, but I had to take that crystal of yours away. With your talisman and that crystal, I will finally be able to open the portal for my master."

"Naru, don't do this..."

"Shut up, human. Naru doesn't exist anymore."

Usagi looked at Nemesis. If she could transform, she would try and heal her, but without the Ginzuishou, she was powerless.

"Naru, stop this."

Nemesis looked at Game Master, who had just walked in. "My, my, the knight in the shiny armor comes to rescue his damsel. I'm sorry, but she's not home anymore."

"That's a lie. I know you're still there, Naru. I can see it in your eyes."

"Hah. Nice joke," Nemesis said.

Game Master walked to her. "Naru, please, don't let it control you. I wouldn't stand losing you."

Nemesis' eyes changed as she winced. "Umino, I... Please, help me. "

"Naru?"

"Grr... You fucking brat!" Nemesis snapped. "Die!"

Usagi watched helplessly as Nemesis shot a wide darkness blast, knocking Game Master out of the room through one of the walls. "No... "

"You should be happy, Sailor Moon. You're going to get first row seats for the end of the world."

Usagi knew she couldn't give up, even without her powers. There had to be something she could do. For her daughter, for Naru and for the rest of the world, she had to fight. But how?

* * *

Neptune fell to her knees. "Damn it, they're too strong..." 

"We can't give up. We have to stop Nemesis."

"You'll stop nothing, kids."

"This is your last day."

Neptune stood up slowly and then smiled. "We're not beaten yet. Haruka, can you feel it?"

Uranus nodded. "Yes..." The two talismans appeared in front of them, and they both grabbed them. "Uranus Cosmic Power!

"Neptune Cosmic Power!"

Villuy sighed. "Dumb kids, we'll still destroy them."

"Stop bluffing," Uranus snapped as the transformation ended. She pointed her sword at Villuy and smiled. "Uranus Wind Sword..."

Neptune put held mirror facing the two women. "Neptune Submarine..."

"Blast!"

"Reflection!"

A strong wind came from the sword, as a large wave of water shot from the mirror. Both attacks merged and hit their targets, sending them crashing to the end of the corridor.

"This can't be happening..." Teruru said.

Uranus turned around. "You always underestimated your students. That was your main flaw." Villuy and Teruru both vanished, and the two rogues walked away.

* * *

Dragon Mercury reached the army, and saw the monsters were quite under control. "Oh, I see I'm not needed here." 

Seia looked up at him. "You could help us blast these things."

"I'll go to the source," the Dragon said. "I may be needed there."

"What were you doing back there, anyway?"

"Was out of power, but I'm not going to let that stop me from helping my friends."

* * *

Outside the building, the Senshi were still trying to defeat the twins. Even Nova's power hadn't worked, as they could reflect even her psi attacks back. 

"Got anything, Ami?"

"I'm waiting for someone," Mercury said.

"For who?"

Mercury summoned her communicator. "So?"

"The chances of success of that plan are up to sixty percent. If Moon was there, the chances would be way higher."

Mars heard Aiko's words and nodded. "I'll take the risk. What's the plan?"

"The Planet Attack may overload their weapons."

"But who will take the attacks?" Jupiter asked.

"I will," Mars said. "We need to get Moon out of there, and they're not the only ones in danger."

"If it goes wrong..."

"I know, but we don't have the time," Mars said, then spoke out loud. "Guys, let's show them our Planet Attack."

Cyprine laughed. "No matter what attack..."

"... You use, we can reflect it."

Just as they had once in the past, the Senshi all shot their attacks, focusing on Mars. Mars almost fell to her knees as the barrage hit, but then reached her hands out and smiled. "Star Planet Attack!"

Cyprine and Puchirol both used their staves to absorb the massive energy beam. "See, it was useless."

Mars fell to her knees, but laughed as the staves started cracking with energy. "Was it? I don't think so."

Puchirol's eyes widened as she looked at her staff. "Sister, this looks bad!"

"Impossible, they didn't have the power to..."

"We got them," Mercury said as the staves exploded.

"They're still alive," Venus noted.

Jupiter and Earth both rushed forwards, tackling the two women and slamming them into the forcefield. The energy of the forcefield backlashed at them, sending them flying back, but the two villains took the worst of it.

"Nice move," Dragon Earth noted.

"Thanks, I try," Earth said as she stood up.

"This isn't..."

"... the end, we will..."

"... destroy you."

"Mars Fire Tornado!" Without their staves, the blast hit the two women dead on, pushing them against the forcefield. They both screamed as the energy from it run through their bodies, then the two fell to the ground, vanishing before they landed. "About time they shut up."

"Mars, are you okay?" Mercury asked.

"No," Mars said. "I feel like my body's about to shut down. But we don't have Saturn around, and we need to get Moon before..."

"Someone mentioned Saturn?"

"Terry, what are you doing here?" Mars said, then coughed some blood. "Shit..."

Dragon Mercury sighed. "I knew you girls would need me."

Mercury's eyes widened "Wait, you can't use that again..."

"Ami, don't worry."

"Of course I'll worry! You could die, you know, and..." Mercury stopped as the Dragon kissed her. "Please, don't..."

Dragon Mercury sighed. "I have to. Saturn Star Power!"

Mars smiled at the Dragon as he used his healing skills on her. "Thanks for the help."

"What happened to you anyway?"

"The Planet Attack."

"Oh."

Mercury turned to the forcefield. "Now that we got rid of those two, I'll find a way to get through this."

* * *

Uranus and Neptune were about to enter the lab, when someone blocked their path. "You?" 

Game Master stood there, his face showing he was in a world of pain after Nemesis' attack. "You two... Why are you here?"

"We have to stop Nemesis. No matter what it takes," Neptune said.

"So, you're going to kill her," Game Master said. "I'm sorry, but that means you're not getting past this point."

Uranus produced her sword and glared at him. "We're stronger than before, kid. I could kill you in one shot."

"You'll be dead before that," Game Master snapped.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking. "No..."

Neptune nodded. "It's too late."

Game Master smiled. "Too bad, but I'm sure whatever's coming, Moon can handle it."

* * *

Usagi saw the two crystals vanish, and the computer shot a large darkness beam up. "What... What happened?" 

"The two crystals were consumed," Nemesis said. "They were the fuel I needed to bring my master to this world."

"No..." Usagi fell to her knees. She was aware her own Ginzuishou was gone, but what she really cared about was ChibiUsa's heart crystal. "No, it can't be gone..."

"Cheer up, human... You'll be joining your friends in the afterlife. "

"Wind Blast!"

"Submarine Reflection!"

Nemesis turned as the attacks hit. "You two..."

"No way, she didn't even flinch," Neptune said.

"Die!" Nemesis snapped and shot a large darkness wave, knocking both rogues out of the room.

* * *

Mercury looked at the large portal that had appeared on top of the building. "I can sense a poweful entity coming through that," she said. 

"Let me guess, stronger than Moon?"

"Tenfold," Mercury said with a grimace.

Dragon Mercury fell to his knees. "Nice, some Metallia wannabe comes to visit and I'm out of juice."

Mars staggered up. "No matter how strong that thing is, we can't give up."

* * *

**A/N:** Argh, too many things happening at the same time, it can really be messy to write right. And yup, since there was no evil Dr. Tomoe, there was no Germatos/Germatoid around, so Uranus and Neptune got to kick some witchy rears. 

About my writing speed, as someone asked in an e-mail, I've been focusing in my fics lately, and I can get one episode done in two hours of actual writing. So, I'm just sacrificing a bit of gaming and anime to get this thing finished faster.


	90. The Pharaoh

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 9: The Messiah.**

**Episode 90: The Pharaoh.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 15, 2007_

* * *

Seia looked around and couldn't help but wonder about this enemy. How could something that was causing trouble to the Senshi have such weak underlings? It only took a tank shell or a rocket to take care of several of these monsters. 

"Lieutenant, the creatures seem to be retreating."

Seia listened to the radio and smiled. "Let's chase them to the source. The Senshi may need our help."

"We've got some areal support coming," the soldier added.

"The more, the merrier."

* * *

Luna frowned as Pluto appeared near them. "What are you doing here?" 

"I'm here to help the Princess," Pluto said. "I fear her crystal won't be returned to her in time."

"No..."

Pluto smiled at Diana. "Don't worry, I knew this would happen, but I also know how to save her." She pointed her staff at Saturn and ChibiMoon and her face turned cold for a second. "Time Splitter!"

Artemis saw the two surrounded by a strange bubble, which wobbled and shook like some sort of dense liquid. "What did you do?"

"That bubble will make time inside run slower than outside, so they have more time now."

"Is it safe."

"Yes, of course, but my energy isn't infinite. Now it's all a matter of how long it takes them to defeat our enemy."

* * *

"Naru, you have to stop this now!" 

"Stop what? My master is coming, and there's no way you can defeat him."

"I will not give up," Usagi said, "there's always a way to win."

Uranus and Neptune limped back into the room. "You're so idealistic, so naive..."

Game Master turned to the two. "But she's beaten all the enemies she's faced, without losing her humanity. Maybe you two could learn from her."

"What's the use?" Neptune snapped, "it's over now. They won."

"No!" Usagi said. "I won't let them win."

Nemesis laughed. "Funny, girl, but you can't even transform, how will you defeat me?"

Usagi smiled. She had felt the Ginzuishou's energy for minutes, but at first she thought it was her mind playing tricks on her. But now she was sure it was real. "There's where you're wrong. I can transform." She reached out her hand, and the Ginzuishou appeared in it. "Moon Cosmic Power!"

Nemesis took a few steps back. "No, that can't be! The crystal was destroyed!"

"It can't be destroyed," Moon said. "Now it's time for you to leave my friend's body. Moon Sword Stardust!"

"What! No, you cannot destroy me, I am the Messiah, I am..." A black mist oozed out of Nemesis' body, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Let's get out of here," Moon said to the others.

Uranus and Neptune followed Moon, flanked by Game Master. "Just in case you two try something funny," he said.

* * *

Outside, the Senshi could see the swarm of daimons heading for them. "Great, now they come back to fight." 

However, the creatures all leapt up into the air before reaching them, going for the portal. "Okay, that's strange."

"They're feeding energy to the creature," Mercury said. "Here it comes!"

Everyone looked up, and they could see a large, horned head with red eyes, shrouded in darkness. "Red eyes, how original," Mars muttered.

"Maybe we should try the Planet Attack again?" Lilith said.

"No, it won't work," Mercury explained. "That monster is too powerful, even for Moon. Maybe even for Pluto."

A swarm of missiles suddenly hit the large creature, causing a large explosion. As the smoke cleared, however, they could see the monster wasn't even scratched. "Seia?"

Seia leapt out of her truck. "I see this one's a big enemy."

Mercury nodded. "I don't think anything can stop that thing."

"I could call the U.S. guys and have them send a couple dozen nukes through the portal," Seia sugested.

Right then, the forcefield vanished. "What happened?" Venus asked.

"The energy that was used by that shield is being absorbed by the creature."

Moon and the others came walking out of the building. "Guys, I got Naru."

"What about the heart crystal?"

Moon concentrated and a crystal appeared. "Here... But we need to take care of that ugly thing."

"Not even the Planet Attack will kill that thing."

Dragon Mercury looked around. "But... That portal, is it magical?"

Nemesis woke up and noticed Game Master was holding her. "Uhm... Hi Umino."

Game Master smiled. "Welcome back."

Mars looked up. "This is stupid. There has to be a way to destroy him!"

Nemesis winced. "My head... Guys, I know how. I was still around when my body was taken over. That portal is fueled by a large mana battery underneat the building, and the computer I was using is what created it. If we destroy the computer, then the portal will close."

"We better hurry," Mercury said looking up. The monster now had most of its torso outside, as well as one arm which ended in dangerous-looking claws. It was easily as large as the Tokyo Tower, and was now looking down at them. "I think he noticed us."

Moon looked up, then walked to the building. "Let's just blast that place skyhigh."

"What about property damage?" Seia asked.

"Think about the damage _that_ can do to the city," Dragon Mercury said pointing up at the monster.

"Pharaoh Ninety," Nemesis said. "That's how the creature that took over me called it."

"Dumb name," Lilith mused.

Moon looked at the building and sighed. "I need to go save my daughter, so let's make this quick. Moon Cosmic Retaliation!"

The beam tore into the building's front wall, and for a second, nothing happened. Then the whole building lit up with light, and exploded.

As the Senshi and their allies picked themselves off the ground, they could all notice something. "Look, the portal, it's closing!"

The monster had realized that too, and was trying to crawl back in. However, the portal closed a little too fast, and its head fell down into the flaming wreckage that had once been a building.

"Ewww..." Ann said. "That's one nasty way to go."

"And here I thought using swords to behead monsters was fun," Dragon Mercury mused.

The head vanished seconds after the portal closed completely. Moon looked around and sighed. "This war's done, now let's go to my daughter."

"Let me save you time."

Moon looked at Pluto. "You could've helped."

"I did. You'll understand once we get there."

Nova smiled as Pluto and the Senshi vanished. "Okay, that's one more war we survive."

Seia looked at the Mugen Gakuen wreckage and smiled "I guess. They're getting better at fighting aliens."

"Not all aliens are evil," Ail noted.

"I know, just ninety-nine percent of them."

* * *

As they appeared near the bubble, Moon gasped. "What is that?" 

"A time disruption bubble," Mercury said before Pluto could explain it herself. She had her visor down and was looking at the numbers. "It's slowing down time for them."

"I had to use that," Pluto explained. "If time had been running normally for them, ChibiUsa would have died one hour ago."

"Can you turn it off?"

"Sure," Pluto said and snapped her fingers. As she did, the bubble vanished.

Moon walked to ChibiMoon and put the crystal near her. As it was absorbed, she noticed Saturn blinking. "Are you okay?"

Saturn shook her head and then grimaced. "I'm tired... Is she okay?"

ChibiMoon opened her eyes and sighed. "Define okay? I'm alive, if that's what you're asking."

Moon hugged her. "I was scared, for a while. I thought I wouldn't get you back."

Dragon Earth smiled, then turned to Pluto. "Thanks for the help."

"They aren't needed. I wouldn't let anything happen to her."

"You let her crystal be taken," Venus noted.

"Mina, stop," Moon said. She then looked at Uranus and Neptune. "What about you two?"

As Moon stood up, the two rogues kneeled before her. "You taught us an important lesson today. You didn't give up, even when everything seemed lost. And in the end, you were right, there were no sacrificies."

"So, we owe you, and your group, an apology," Neptune added.

Moon looked at the others, who gave her a collective nod. "Apology accepted."

"That was almost too easy," Neptune said.

Mars smiled. "Well, as far as the grudges we could have against you, I think Hotaru did all the fighting that was needed to make up for them."

Uranus nodded. "From now on, we won't be fighting as a separate force."

Moon frowned. "You know, I don't know much about you two. You're less sociable than even Hotaru used to be."

"You can always change that," Pluto said, "as long as you want to."

* * *

"We will arrive our destination in a few days." 

"Good. Do you think that planet will have some energy?"

"My Queen, that planet is full of energy for us to gather. You won't be disappointed."

"Excellent. This planet shall fall just like many did before." She could almost taste their energy, and it was making it hard for her to wait.

* * *

Falling, that was the last sensation she remembered. As she opened her eyes, she could see a light on top of her. "Where am I?" 

"Oh, you are awake. Welcome to our humble lair."

The woman sat on the bed she was lying on, and looked at the man. A human, old and not too nice to the eyes. "Who are you?"

"I need you to answer that first."

"I am Kaorinite, one of the Death Busters."

"Good, no amnesia from the fall. I must say I'm surprised you survived at all, but it put you into a coma for a while."

"A while?"

"Yes. Unfortunately for you, the Sailor Senshi have defeated the one you worked for."

"What?"

"Calm down," a female voice said from the shadows. "We're giving you a new chance, but it will require much patience and planning, something your allies didn't show."

"Okay, I'll ask again, who are you?"

"You may call me 'A', and the man here's Onara. There's a third member in our group but he's doing some research elsewhere. See, we all have our reasons to hate the Senshi, and we're all working towards their destruction."

Destroying the ones that killed her allies? The ones that ruined the perfect world she had been promised? It was an offer she couldn't pass. "I'm in, then."

"Good," Onara said. "I will show you the rest of our lair, and I am sure you will soon become an useful member of our alliance."

"A dark alliance, huh?" Kaorinite mused.

'A' smiled. Dark Alliance? That sounded like a good name for their group.

* * *

**A/N:** More like Dork Aliance, don't you think? 

And remember, boys and girls, be careful with interdimensional portals, they can give you a sore throat.

Act 10 comes next, with both the start of SuperS, and the SuperS movie, the last canon movie, though I will have other short arcs of two or three episodes thrown into this mess I call a fanfic. If you're wondering, nope, I'm not taking the road the movie took, instead I'm going for something a wee bit more complicated (really, flute-playing fairies and karate doughnuts? Eww.)


	91. Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 91: Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 17, 2007_

* * *

"Usagi, wake up." 

Usagi opened her eyes and stirred. "Luna? What's up?"

ChibiUsa was already up and dressed for school. "You were up all night studying again, weren't you?"

Usagi shrugged as she changed into her school uniform. For some reason, she couldn't remember what she had been doing the night before. "Maybe I was," she finally said with a smile.

* * *

"So, how are things going at school?" 

Usagi smiled. "I'm doing okay, mom."

"Just okay?" ChibiUsa mused.

"And what about your other hobbies?" Ikuko asked. "You know, saving the world and all that."

Usagi gasped. "You know?"

"Of course she knows," Luna said walking in. "She's known for a while."

Usagi blinked in confusion. "Uhm... Well, I'm keeping the world in one piece."

"That's good," Ikuko said with a smile. "My daughter, the heroine. "

Usagi smiled back, but something seemed amiss. Her mother knew about her? Why hadn't she told her before? But nonetheless, it was something she'd always wanted, to stop hiding her secret life to her parents.

* * *

As she walked to her classroom, she noticed everyone looking at her. She finally reached her destination, and as she entered she noticed the others were all there. "Wonder why everyone was looking at me," she commented. 

"Like you don't know you're the most popular girl here," Naru mused.

"I am?"

"Huh? Usagi, are you sick or something?"

"No, it's just..." Usagi sighed. For some reason, she felt out of place, but why? Everything was perfect, she shouldn't be worrying over it.

* * *

Several minutes later, the class had started, and Usagi had put her mind out of her earlier worries. Maybe finding out her mother knew about her Senshi self had shocked her more than she would admit, or maybe...

"Tsukino, I'm talking to you."

"Huh? Oh, sorry, miss Haruna."

"Nevermind. Congratulations, you did really well."

Usagi looked at the paper. Last week's math test, and she'd gotten a perfect score. "Oh my..."

"Another hundred percent?" Ami mused. "Usagi, keep that up and you'll get the same grades as me."

"And to think she used to be a slacker," Terry added. "Well done, iRabbit/i"

Life couldn't be more perfect, could it? But for some reason, a part of her mind kept telling her this was wrong. How could it be wrong?

* * *

After school, she'd gone to the base, along with some of her friends. She had been surprised when Terry asked for a battle, but had agreed anyways. "So, with or without powers?"

"Without powers, of course," Terry said. "You would beat me down before I could blink with your powers on."

Something about those words rang another alarm in Usagi's mind, but she ignored it. "Okay, let's fight."

As usual, Terry attacked first, as Usagi was used to dodging and waiting. He went for a straight to the face, which Usagi dodged. Next he tried a side kick, which she leapt away from. His third move was a jab which was also dodged easily.

"Oh, come on. Fight for real, will you?"

"I am," Usagi said.

"Right," Terry muttered and went for a series of punchs, which were all dodged by Usagi. He finished it, or tried to, with a knife hand to her neck, which was blocked. Before he could react, Usagi punched his guts with her free hand, then kicked him down. "Ow... Now that's better."

Usagi put a foot on Terry's chest and smiled. "Giving up?"

Terry grabbed her leg and forced it back as he stood up. "Not yet."

Usagi lost balance, but instead of falling, she rolled back, coming up quickly and jumping at Terry. Her foot hit his midsection, sending him flying back. "Wow..."

Terry staggered up. "Damn... That Cosmic thing did make you stronger."

Usagi smiled. "I suppose."

"You win, iRabbit,/i" he said with a wink.

Aiko appeared in the middle of the platform. "There's unknown alien creatures attacking Juuban."

"Gee, guess peace didn't last," Usagi muttered. "Let's go."

* * *

As they reached their goal, Moon couldn't help but laugh. "What are those things?"

"They look like... Candies," Venus said.

"Jelly beans," Mercury corrected. She was scanning them with her visor. "They are made of all the ingredients normal jelly beans have."

"How can they be walking, then?" Jupiter asked.

"Magic, most likely," Dragon Earth said. "Let's get them before they wreck our city!"

Moon fled in along with the others, and saw everyone shooting their magic at the monsters. However, the candy creatures absorbed the attacks, and shot large blobs of jelly at them. Moon dodged, but as she turned back, she saw everyone had been pinned to the wall of a building. "Damn..."

"Moon, they're more dangerous than we thought. Don't let their attacks hit you!"

Moon nodded at Mercury then turned around. "You evil creatures, even if you look delicious, you're full of evil. I'm going to destroy you!"

The monsters growled and shot at her. Moon dodged all the blobs, reaching out her hands as she called upon her magic. "Moon Cosmic Retaliation!"

As the beam hit, it caused a large explosion that wiped out all of the monsters. The Senshi got free of their bindings and rushed to Moon. "Hey, that was awesome," Venus said.

"I wish I could trade my luck for her skills," Lilith added.

"That was really great, Usagi," Mars said.

Moon frowned. Again, the alarms were ringing. What was going on? "Well, Rei, maybe you could learn a thing or two from me," she countered.

"Sure could," Mars admitted.

Hold on, what the fuck? "What's the matter, out of sarcasm, magma breath?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Usagi?"

* * *

Usagi woke up and looked around. She felt tired, but also... What the hell was that dream about? Her mother knowing about her identity, she could take. Getting a perfect score, well, someday she just might. Beating Terry in a fight? Not likely, but still, accidents happen. Destroying monsters the other couldn't even touch? She could do that, sometimes. But Rei not getting into an insult war with her? That definitely had to be a dream.

So, now she was awake, which was good. Looking around the room, she could see ChibiUsa and the two Mooncats were still sleeping, and had faint green auras around them. "What is going on?"

* * *

Elsewhere, a woman in a black gown was sitting in a throne, looking at a child-like creature who was kneeling before her. "What is the problem?"

"Your Highness, one of the humans woke up."

"What? How could she escape our dream spell?"

"We don't know yet."

"Send the Nightmares in," the woman said.

The creature nodded. "She will be back to sleep in no time, my Queen."

* * *

Usagi gave up trying to wake the younger girl up. "Damn... They won't wake up. What can I do?" She summoned her communicator and tried to call the others, but got no answer. She was about to give up, when Aiko's face appeared in her screen. "Aiko, what's going on?"

"Good thing one of you is up," Aiko said. "Everyone in the city is asleep, but the state isn't natural."

"Damn it... Everyone?"

Aiko nodded. "And from what I can see through some satellites, the situation is the same worldwide. You may possibly be the only human awake right now."

"What about you?"

"I'm a computer. I don't sleep," Aiko said. "But how did you break the spell?"

"I... Well, something happened in the dream that seemed extremely out of place, and my mind did the rest. But I have no idea how to wake the others up. Maybe if Ami was here, she would..."

Aiko smiled. "You forget who created me?"

Usagi nodded. "Any ideas?"

"Well... Aiko seemed deep in thought for a few seconds, which most likely meant she was running several simulations through her artificial brain, then she sighed. "I can't think of a logical solution to this, so maybe you could try the unknown."

"Huh?" Usagi felt as lost as when Ami started talking in scientific language.

"Your crystal is an unknown factor. Maybe it even helped you out of your dream," Aiko said, "but that wouldn't explain why your daughter isn't up too. Maybe you could use it to wake the others up?"p

Usagi smiled. "Worth a try. Okay, I'll do that, you keep me informed if anything changes."

"Will do," Aiko said, then added "you just get mom and dad out of this mess."

Usagi nodded and cut the link, then turned to the sleeping girl. "I really hope this works." She summoned her crystal and looked at it. "Please, Ginzuishou, let me get my daughter out of that spell."

* * *

She blinked and looked around. Where was she? The crystal-like buildings and the palace looming over everything gave her an answer. "Crystal Tokyo..." She saw ChibiUsa walking to her. Maybe if she could see what the dream was about, she could find a way to break the spell. She willed herself invisible (something she didn't even know she could in this dream world,) and followed the girl.

ChibiUsa was holding a paper, and Usagi could see it was a school test, with a perfect note. Well, she was similar to her, that she could see. Also, she saw all the boys (and some of the girls) turned to stare at her as she walked by. Usagi wasn't sure this was because of the dream, as it had been with her, or because it was just how things were in the future.

Suddenly, a monster showed up. A creature that stood taller than the buildings around it, with many yellow eyes, a mouth full of sharp fangs, and countless arms that ended in claw-like appendages. It looked like something Usagi wouldn't like to find anywhere.

"You ugly creature, blocking my way and causing trouble in my city! I will not forgive you!"

Usagi smiled as ChibiUsa transformed. Yep, just like in her own dream. The pink Senshi leapt at the monster, who tried to split her in half with her claws. The girl used said claws as platforms as she jumped up, over the monster's head. She then summoned her sword and smiled victoriously. "Crescent Moon Slash!"

The crescent-shaped energy wave shot down, blasting through the creature and vaporizing it instantly. ChibiMoon summoned her airboard as she fell, and descended slowly.

Okay, time to act, Usagi thought. "Well done, ChibiUsa."

ChibiMoon looked at her, confused. "Usagi? But... How, we're in here, you can't..." Then it was clear to her. "This is a dream, isn't it?"

* * *

Usagi blinked and looked down. ChibiUsa was staring back at her, still not conscious of what had happened. "Welcome back."

"What the heck was all that about?" ChibiUsa asked.

"Something put the whole planet to sleep," Usagi explained, "but I was able to wake up because my dream got itoo/i perfect to be true."

"Too perfect?"

"Rei was being extremely nice to me," Usagi said.

ChibiUsa smiled. "I see... So, what do we do now?"

"The Ginzuishou can get us into other people's dreams. If we wake up Ami and Terry, we can..." She stopped and summoned her communicator. "Yes?"

"Usagi, get out of there," Aiko said. "I sense a large group of creatures heading for your house."

"Let's fight them outside," ChibiUsa said. "Maybe we can get them to tell us who is behind this attack."

Usagi nodded and they both run out of the house, transforming as they did. When they looked at what was waiting for them, they both froze. "What..?"

"Weird, the one time everyone else's sleeping, you're the ones awake."

The creature, whatever it was, looked like Mars. The other Senshi were also there, even clones of themselves. "Okay, we got out of dreamland just to get into nightmareland," ChibiMoon muttered. "I don't care if they look like my friends."

Moon nodded. "We have to defeat them."

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, I used the giant candies after all. But as they should be, just a part of Usagi's ego-boosting dream. And nope, no dumb pseudo-fluff between ChibiUsa and an alien freak in this act (and that includes horny ponies. :P )

This act's title was inspired by the famous "Cirque Du Solei" (Sun Circus) and yep, it would translate to "Moon Circus." As for the episode's title, if you don't know where it's from, maybe you need to listen to good music once in a while.


	92. I Dream Of Chibi

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 92: I Dream Of Chibi.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 18, 2007_

* * *

As soon as the fight started, ChibiMoon could tell they were almost ignoring her. She had only five creatures (the ones that looked like the Dragons) fighting her, while the rest had gone for Moon.

She leapt back, dodging a slash from Dragon Mercury's clone, then ducked just in time to avoid being beheaded by Dragon Sun. Despite being copies, these guys were strong. Almost too strong for her.

Then it hit her. That was why they were mostly attacking Moon. They could sense her power was higher, way higher. ChibiMoon growled and summoned her sword. Dragon Mercury charged at her, and she blocked his slash, punching him in the gut. However, the other Dragons took the chance to strike, and she got a kick to the head, along with a slash to the arm.

This couldn't be, these copies were too strong! But she realized something, even with the power difference, Moon was probably in a way worse mess than she was. She couldn't give up, but she couldn't really fight with the handicap, either.

Moon backflipped, summoning her sword as she sensed something coming from the side. She slashed out, turning to look as the creature was split in half. It was Saturn's clone, but as soon as she slashed it, the creature turned into a shapeless cloud, which then vanished.

It was then that she saw it. ChibiMoon, the real one, was shining. The creatures also noticed that and stopped, unsure of who to attack first. Moon took the chance to show them who the real danger was. "Moon Cosmic Retaliation!"

The blast destroyed most of the clones, leaving only Mars, Mercury and her own clone. But also, she was almost out of power now, and knew she couldn't shoot another blast like that without resting for a while.

ChibiMoon's transformation had ended by now, and the now Star level Senshi was looking at the Dragons. "I don't know where you goons came from, but I'm sending you right back. Moon Pink Sugar Heart ...!"

The Dragons laughed as they saw her summoning a pink heart. "Oh come on, what is that going to do to us?"

"Destroy you," ChibiMoon simply said, then completed her attack. "Smash!" The heart shot forwards, crashing through two of the Dragons before exploding. The explosion took out the rest of her foes, except for Dragon Earth. She rushed to where Moon was and smiled. "Guess we're almost done here."

Moon nodded, then looked at the four. Her clone wasn't moving, but the other three were walking to them, along with Dragon Earth. "Take care of Mamoru," she said, "I'll get the others."

"Are you sure?"

"I can handle it... But I could never hurt someone who looks like him."

ChibiMoon nodded and turned to the Dragon. "I can't fight you directly, and I'm almost out of power."

"So, are you giving up?"

ChibiMoon smiled. "Not a chance. Fetch!" She tossed her sword at him like a spear, and he leapt aside to dodge it. That was just what she was planning, however, as she took the chance to leap up and right over his head. "Pink Sugar Heart Smash!" As she landed, the creature vanished, and she picked up her sword. She looked at the other fight and saw things weren't easy for Moon. Even out of power, she still wanted to help, but how?

Moon dodged aside as Mercury's icy beam shot by. She then leapt over Mars as she tried to kick her down. It was then that she heard a battlecry, and saw ChibiMoon heading straight for her clone. "Wait!"

The clone laughed. "You're too weak for me, kid. Moonlight Flash!"

The blast knocked ChibiMoon back, and straight to the other two clones. Mars looked down in shock as the pink Senshi flew by, and saw a very deep cut on her side. "Damn it..."

Moon looked at ChibiMoon as the figure vanished. "Are you okay?"

ChibiMoon gave her a thumbs up, then winced. "Not really, but that went just as planned."

Moon sighed and turned to the battle. Only two clones left, and possibly the most dangerous. "Okay, now..." If Mercury was here, she would surely have a plan. But she had to go with what she had, and while she wasn't as smart as Ami outside the battlefield, some of her makeshift strategies had worked fine in the past.

The clone smiled. "Don't daydream. Cosmic Retaliation!"

Moon chuckled. "Thanks." The crystal in her brooch shone with light as she slashed at the attack with her sword. The beam was reflected and hit Mercury, blasting her apart. "As for you..." Moon took her tiara off and smiled. "Moon Tiara Bomb!"

The clone prepared to stop the attack with her sword, but looked at the tiara confusedly as it bounced off and fell to the ground. She looked at Moon again, but saw she wasn't there anymore. "Where..." She felt an intense pain through her chest and screamed.

Moon was standing right behind her, she had used her tiara's fake attack as a distraction. "For a clone, you're really stupid. I never had an attack like that."

"I... See..." the clone said and vanished.

ChibiMoon had managed to stand up. "That was a fun battle, wasn't it?"

Moon nodded. "But we need to get the others. I'm out of power, and if more of these things come, we'll be in troubles."

* * *

"My Queen, I'm sorry to inform you that the Nightmares failed." 

"What? Impossible! Those were elite soldiers."

"The two humans are seemingly powerful. From what I can gather, they're called the Senshi. There's also others that woke up, and apparently they all belong to that group."

"Senshi?" The queen winced. She had seen some of them before, in other planets she attacked, and in their dreams, their power was immense. However, they weren't any danger to her while caught in her spell, but outside... "Very well, you and the other Fairies will go next. Don't let those two live!"

"But their energy..."

"I can't risk leaving them alive," the Queen said. "Destroy them all."

The creature bowed. "As you wish, Dream Queen Vadiane."

* * *

As Moon and ChibiMoon walked to Ami's house, they found another group was also awake. "How did you..." 

Uranus shrugged. "I don't know, really. I started feeling things were out of place, then Pluto woke me up."

"Same here," Neptune said.

"And I was at the Time Gate when they attacked." Pluto said, "I simply didn't fall asleep at all."

"So, the others are still out?" Neptune asked.

Moon nodded. "We were going to wake them up, then we're going to beat whoever is behind all this mess."

* * *

Mercury scanned the creature and smiled. "I got it, guys. This monster is only weak to ice." 

"Okay, Ami, get it!"

The Ice Senshi looked at the creature. A giant, hulking blob with many eyes. She shot her attack at it and turned away without even bothering, she knew the creature was as good as dead.

It finally clicked, all of it. Her parents were back together, everyone at school liked her, even Usagi understood what she was talking about even when she used words she knew were too complicated for her friend, and now this monster, which apparently only she could destroy? "This is just a dream."

"Sure is."

"Usagi?" Mercury said. "What's going on?"

"Wake up and I'll tell you."

* * *

Mercury heard the explanation from Moon and Pluto, then thought about it all for a minute. "Well, there's two chances. They're either somewhere on Earth, or they are in orbit." 

Moon smiled. "Start looking for them, meanwhile we'll wake up the others."

"I'll help," Pluto said.

"We'll stay with Mercury, just in case those things come back," Neptune noted.

* * *

Rei couldn't be happier if she tried. Her parents were together, and she was living a somewhat normal life, even though the enemies kept on coming. But she could handle them, as she had shown in the last battle. 

She saw someone walking to her and smiled. "Hi, Usagi." Usagi looked worried about something, but what?

"Rei, you have to wake up."

"Huh? Wake up?"

"Come on. You know this is a dream. You should know it by now."

Rei let the words sink in and winced. Yes, this was the life she had always wanted, but she knew reality wasn't like this. Her mother was dead, her father didn't even remember she existed, and... "No!"

* * *

Moon looked at Rei as she woke up. "Rei, are you okay?" 

Rei's eyes teared up. "No, I'm not... Who did this, Usagi?"

"We still don't know. Rei, what..."

"You wouldn't understand," Rei said. "I thought I had buried those illusions long ago, but now I see they're still there. They'll never leave."

Moon nodded. She had seen a bit of the dream, and knew it seemed even more impossible than her own. And she could tell it was a lot more painful for her to wake out of it. "I'm sorry, I wish I could help you with that, but..."

"You took me out of there," Rei said, "and I thank you for that. But now, let's kill the bastards."

* * *

While Moon was waking up her friends, ChibiMoon was doing the same with the other Senshi. So far, the dreams were either strange, or painful, for those dreaming them. Terry hadn't been too happy about his dream, where his mother was still alive, and she didn't need psichic powers to know he was all too eager to make some heads roll for that. 

Right now, she was inside the dream of her last assigned Senshi, Saturn. The dream itself was quite the norm, Hotaru's mother was alive, her father wasn't so focused in his experiments, and she was able to fight closer to Moon's level. That was strange, all the other Senshi she'd took out of dreamland were always the strongest thing around, but apparently, Hotaru didn't care about being the best as much as the others did.

She had noticed, however, that her dream self and Hotaru were quite friendly. And after the battle she had witnessed, she saw them both heading for the mall. Did Hotaru, deep inside, have a crush on her? And more important to her, did she want Hotaru to have a crush on her? Her own mind answered that, and she didn't like the answer.

Hotaru was talking to ChibiUsa, but stopped as she saw someone else appear. Another ChibiUsa? "Huh? What's going on?"

"Hotaru, this... I know you're enjoying this, but it's all a dream. "

Hotaru looked at the dream ChibiUsa and then at the real one. "I see."

* * *

As Hotaru woke up, she saw ChibiMoon looking at her. "About what you saw in there..." 

"Don't worry about that now."

"On the other hand, I got to see my mother, even if it was just a dream. It hurts to know she's gone, but..."

ChibiMoon sighed as Hotaru's eyes watered. "Everyone fell into the same kind of dream. Apparently, whoever put us all to sleep, wanted us to never want to wake up."

"Who else was affected?"

"The rest of the world," ChibiMoon said. "By now, we should have all the Senshi up and ready to fight." She sensed something and summoned her communicator. "Mom?"

"I'm done here, what about you?"

"I... Yes, also done."

"Okay, gather at the base, Ami's trying to locate the enemy."

ChibiMoon put the comm away and looked at Hotaru, or rather Saturn. "I wanted to ask you something."

"About the dream?" Saturn asked. At ChibiMoon's nod, she sighed. "It was strange, I didn't realize I felt anything like that." She decided to be blunt. "I hope it won't freak you out."

The pink-haired Senshi smiled. "Crystal Tokyo's a lot more open about that than the people of this era. And I..."

"Don't say anything," Saturn said. "We need to take care of the enemy first, and also... I don't think we know each other enough yet."

ChibiMoon nodded. "You're right." She then added. "And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about that dream."

Saturn smiled. "Yes, that would be the best for now." She wouldn't like to have to slap some of her friends with her glaive because they didn't want to drop the issue.

* * *

**A/N:** I swear, titles are the funniest part of plot planning for me (and in case you're wondering, the title comes from "I Dream Of Jeannie.) 

If you think Saturn's mind is a mess after finding out her feelings for the younger Usagi, imagine what could happen when the horny horse shows up... (Pegasus burgers, anyone?)


	93. Dream Queen

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 93: Dream Queen.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 19, 2007_

* * *

"I've found them," Mercury said. "They're in a... Floating castle. " 

"Say what?"

"Aiko, can you show us the castle?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"Sure," Aiko said, and an image of a castle was shown in the base's main screen, floating near the Moon. "It seems to have an artificial atmosphere, similar to the Earth."

Mercury typed a few more commands into her computer and sighed. "And just as I suspected, there's a reason they're keeping everyone asleep. They are draining the energy generated by dreams."

"So it's yet another energy-thirsty overlord," Dragon Venus said.

Dragon Mercury snorted as the screen zoomed in to show a throne inside the castle, where a black-haired woman was sitting. "An overlady, as I thought."

"Dad, that's not even a word."

ChibiMoon looked at Pluto. "Okay, so all we have to do is go up there and beat that woman. You can get us there, right?"

"Yes," Pluto said, "is everyone ready?"

"Wait. I've just detected several creatures teleporting to Juuban. "

Jupiter snorted. "Saving us time?"

"These creatures aren't powerful," Aiko said, "unless they're somehow masking their power."

"Considering the other creatures they sent, I don't think we will have any trouble with them," Moon noted.

"Let's hurry and get all this done with. I want to go back to sleep, " Venus complained.

"You were all asleep for well over thirty-eight hours," Aiko said.

"That's Minako for you," Dragon Venus said.

"What do you mean?" Venus snapped, shooting a glare his way.

"Uhm... Nothing."

* * *

The three creatures waiting for the Senshi looked like children, but the way they looked at the Senshi made clear they weren't there to play games. "About time you appeared, Senshi." 

"Aiko was right," Mercury said, "they're as weak as a youma."

"We may be, but we're not the ones doing the fighting here. Nightmares, come forth!"

Moon saw the shadow-like figures and nodded. "Just like the ones that attacked me and ChibiMoon."

Pluto blocked the others with her staff. "There's no time for this. "

"But we have to fight them," Moon said.

"No, you have to fight their leader," Pluto said. "Don't worry about me, I'm not going to hold back this time."

"But how do we get there?" Venus asked.

"I can solve that. Time Storm!"

As the other Senshi vanished, the three creatures looked at Pluto. "Overconfidence is going to be your death," the only female one said.

Pluto let her full power flare, and smiled as the creatures and their summons backed away. "I've foreseen the result of this battle, " she said, "and trust me, I will enjoy this."

* * *

The others had, meanwhile, reached the floating castle. They were in a large room, and could see a woman sitting in a throne, looking at them dismissively. "You're the one draining innocents. Stop this now!" 

The woman stood up and laughed. "Pitiful creature, you're in no condition to demand. I am Dream Queen Vadiane and I will not leave your world until it's fully drained."

"Why are you doing that anyway?" Jupiter asked.

"Simple, I need the energy of dreams to be eternally young and powerful. And nothing, not even a group like yours, will stop me."

"Moon Cosmic Retaliation!"

Vadiane let the attack hit and smiled. "Nice, the girl can fight."

The other Senshi shot their attacks at Vadiane, but she again didn't move as they hit. "No shit, that woman's strong."

"And she's very evil," Mercury added.

"But looks damn good," Earth said. "What? She does."

Vadiane laughed. "I could just put you all back to sleep now, but I am bored after the long journey from the last planet I drained. So, please, do keep on with your useless attacks."

"Useless?" Moon groaned. "What an ego."

"What will we do?" Lilith asked. It wasn't as if luck would even be a factor in this one fight.

Mercury looked past the woman. "Guys, do you see that thing behind her?"

Dragon Mercury nodded. "Some sort of black orb."

"Maybe we should use the Planet Attack?" Dragon Sun sugested.

"Not going to work. That woman is as strong as the Death Busters' boss." She looked at the black orb behind Vadiane and frowned. "Maybe..."

As the Ice Senshi started typing in her computer, Vadiane looked at the others. "So, you kids are giving up already?"

Dragon Mercury smiled and summoned his swords. "How about some melee combat?"

Vadiane chuckled. "Be my guest."

"Don't mind if I am."

* * *

Pluto looked around and nodded. "Okay, I'm done here." 

"What are you?" the three creatures asked in unison.

"That isn't your concern," Pluto said. "Now leave, before I change my mind and send you to meet your 'Nightmares.'"

The creatures didn't have to be told twice, and they all teleported away. Pluto smiled and looked up to the sky. "Now it's time to join the real battle."

* * *

Dragon Mercury panted as he leapt away from Vadiane, tired after attacking the woman relentlessly for several minutes. "Shit... This isn't working." 

"You kids are foolish. There's no way you can defeat me."

Mercury smiled as she finally found what she had been looking for. "We can't destroy her, but not directly."

Moon looked at the evil queen, then past her, and nodded. "I got it. Moon Cosmic Retaliation!"

Vadiane smiled as another attack headed her way, then gasped as it missed her. "No!"

The attack was, however, stopped by three figures appearing right in front of the orb. "You will not touch this, humans."

"Those three again?" Mars muttered.

"What I'm wondering is, if she isn't even scratched by our attacks, why doesn't she attack us?"

Vadiane laughed as she heard Venus' question. "Don't ask the question when you know you won't like the answer."

Moon saw Vadiane's three soldiers turning into energy orbs, and they all fused with the queen's body. "Uhm... Ami?"

Mercury was already scanning the evil woman. "Her energy levels are rising."

Vadianne's gown was covered by a chest plate, gauntlets and metal knee covers, all as black as the gown itself. "You wanted me to attack you, and I like keeping my guests happy."

Venus winced. "Sorry I asked."

The Dream Queen shot an energy wave, knocking most of the group out. Moon, ChibiMoon and Saturn were the only ones who resisted the blast, but Saturn was leaning on her glaive for support.

"This looks bad," ChibiMoon said as she noticed the others were all out. She also noticed Pluto was gone, but where to?

Vadiane started charging up energy and laughed. "It's the end for you, Senshi."

ChibiMoon glared at the woman. "No, I won't give up."

Moon smiled. "True. We can still win."

Vadiane winced as she saw them summoning some kind of white discs. "Die!"

The second energy wave was stopped by Pluto, who created a shield around her staff. "Moon, do it now!"

Moon nodded and her disc lit up. "Double Moon..."

ChibiMoon mimicked her mother's move. "... Disc..."

"Spiral!" Both shouted in unison. The discs shot forwards, spiralling around each other, and leaving a trail of energy behind. They didn't hit Vadiane, however, instead correcting their course in the last second, and sailing past her.

"What? No! You stupid..." Vadiane's words were interrupted as the discs entered the black orb, which exploded in a thousand pieces. A large stream of energy shot from the orb, and into the Earth. "No... My precious... Dream energy, I..." As she spoke, Vadiane's body changed, and she aged countless years in a matter of seconds. "You stupid Senshi, I'm going to destroy you!"

Moon looked at ChibiMoon, who nodded at her. "I won't forgive someone who uses the dreams of people to hurt them."

Pluto smiled and stepped back as the two Moons started shining. "Do your best."

"Double Moon..." Moon shouted as she summoned her sword.

"Crescent..." Once again, ChibiMoon mimicked her move.

Both rushed forwards, gliding past Vadiane and slicing deep wounds in her sides. They then stopped as their swords started glowing, and both brought the swords down in a wide arc. "Slash!"

The result was an X-shaped blast, which cut through Vadiane's body effortlessly. The evil queen didn't even have time to scream before her body exploded.

"We did it," Moon said.

Pluto nodded, then saw the castle started shaking. "It's time to get out of here." The Senshi all vanished just as the castle started collapsing.

* * *

Mars woke up and looked around. She saw the others stirring, but her surroundings had changed since she lost consciousness. "Huh? How did we get here?" 

"I brought you here," Pluto said. "And don't worry, Vadiane's dead, the Double Moon did it."

"Double Moon?" Mars mused.

"A fitting name for them," Dragon Venus admitted.

"I take it you will all want to go to sleep now?" Pluto asked.

"No thanks, we've had enough of dreams and nightmares for the day," Moon said.

"People around the world started waking up as soon as the castle was gone," Aiko said as she appeared near Moon.

Saturn looked at the two Moons. "That last attack they used..."

"What about it?" ChibiMoon asked.

"You had three times Moon's power. Both of you."

"Wish I could've seen it," Dragon Mercury said.

"Go stand in the arena, we need a target," ChibiMoon joked.

"I'll pass, thank you."

"This is one weird group," Uranus commented.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to them eventually," Saturn noted.

"Yes, you will be one of us soon," Dragon Venus said and cackled.

"... Why is he cackling?" Neptune asked.

"He's been around his insane girlfriend for too long," Saturn explained.

"Hey!" Venus snapped.

"I was just stating the facts," Saturn muttered.

Pluto shook her head as she returned to the Time Gate. She was sure she would never get used to their antics, no matter how many centuries she spent with them.

* * *

**A/N:** _DavisJes_: Yes, technically, Terry is both Dragon Mercury and Saturn, but can't access his Saturn powers directly. The explanation to this should be in Genesis (it is now,) but I may have to stick it in Chronicles as well, somewhere. 

As for Uranus and Neptune, their joining wasn't that easy, if you consider they were quite close to getting killed more than once. And they aren't auto-friending the others, just trying to see if then can stand their weirdness.


	94. Mirror, Mirror

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 94: Mirror, Mirror.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 26, 2007_

* * *

ChibiUsa didn't know how many hours it was since she started walking around this place. But where was she? If she hadn't seen Vadiane die, she would think she was in another magic-induced dream. But no, this was just a white void, and the only sound she could hear was her own breath and her footsteps. 

"Help me."

She looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who are you?"

She was expecting many things to come out of the void surrounding her, but a horned pegasus wasn't one of them. Nonetheless, that was the creature that appeared, suddenly, besides her. "I am Helios. I come from a distant planet, a world that was taken over by the evil Neherenia."

"Where are we?"

"In your dreams," Helios explained.

"So you're... In my mind?"

"I need a place to hide," Helios said. "Neherenia's soldiers are in this world, and they will try to find me."

"I see... My friends aren't going to believe this."

"Please, don't tell anyone about me. Not yet."

* * *

ChibiUsa woke up and looked around. Usagi was fast asleep, as were Luna and Diana. Had it all been just a dream? No, somehow, she could still feel Helios' presence. But she would do as he asked, she would keep the secret. After all, she was already keeping a good dozen secrets from the others. 

But, next time she saw Helios, she would have to ask him a lot of things about this Neherenia person.

* * *

A group of figures were looking at the city from atop a building, apparently searching for something. "So, this is the place." 

"Zirconia says she can feel Helios in this city."

"Can't we just blast the whole city skyhigh?"

"You girls, always so impulsive. We can't do that, not until we free our Queen from Helios' curse."

"Hmph, what a nuisance."

"Don't worry, Zirconia gave us some targets. Apparently, there's beings with an outstanding power in this city, and Helios could be hiding in any of them."

"Good, I'll get the first target."

"Do it, Hawk Eye. And if you find Helios in her, kill her. Our dear king won't be able to escape in time if that happens.

* * *

"School's not so different from my epoque." 

Usagi turned to the younger girl and smiled. "Good to hear."

"Of course, what they call history in my time, didn't still happen here."

"You're improving." The two turned to see Mamoru kneeling on the ground, as Terry walked to him.

"I'm not interested in becoming a first class swordsman," Mamoru said as he walked out of the arena, "but I want to learn how to use a sword, in case I need to protect Usagi."

Usagi smiled at that. "You're almost as good as me."

Terry laughed. "I only taught you the basics, _Rabbit_."

Aiko appeared near them, her ghastly self quickly becoming solid. "Maybe I'll be a better challenge for you. You programmed all you know about swords in me."

"Not all I know," Terry said. "A master always has a few hidden techniques."

Usagi looked at Hotaru. "What's the matter?"

Hotaru gave her a neutral stare in return. "Why?"

"You are quite silent today."

"I'm just worried about a couple things. Nothing serious."

"Maybe a fight will take your mind off your troubles," ChibiUsa said.

"That's a possibility," Hotaru said. Though if what the pinkhead was suggesting was fighting her, it wouldn't really help.

"Maybe she's worried about her boyfriend," Terry said. "He's not a sociable guy."

"He's not my boyfriend."

Terry smiled. "Then who is?"

"None of your business," Hotaru said, "we may be friends, but you sometimes are a bit too nosy for your own good."

ChibiUsa winced and clutched her head. "Owww..."

"ChibiUsa?"

"I... I'm fine," the girl said. She had felt something in her mind, like a jolt of electricity. Maybe Helios was fooling around?

_'They're here.'_

"They're here..." ChibiUsa repeated.

"What?"

"No time to explain," the girl said. "Something's attacking."

Aiko looked at the screen and nodded. "Unknown entities detected at Osa-P."

"Let's go, then," Usagi said. "Naru may need our help."

* * *

Naru's day had been quite normal, until a green-haired man walked into the store. "Excuse me, sir, may I help you?" 

"Oh, of course you can," the man said and snapped his fingers. A small creature that looked like a cross between a mole and a clown appeared next to him.

"Shit, I knew it..." Naru muttered. "I don't know what you're up to, but you'll have to catch me first!"

The mole-clown looked up at the man as Naru rushed out of the store. The man growled at it. "Who cares, don't let her escape!"

Once outside, Naru looked around to make sure nobody was looking. "Okay, it's time to start the show."

"I couldn't agree more," the man said and snapped his fingers. "One..." A flat stone wall appeared just behind Naru. "Two..." he snapped his fingers again, and some metal tapes shot from the wall, pinning the girl to the wall.

"Hey, what's the idea, you pervert!" Naru snapped.

"Three," the man simply said, and a small orb came out of Naru's forehead. It floated there for a few seconds, then turned into a large mirror.

"What is that..." Naru said looking at the mirror. The crystal gave no reflection whatsoever, staying an opaque white.

The man didn't bother answering. He just pushed his head into the mirror as if it was made of air. As he did that, Naru screamed in pain. "Hmmm..." The man looked back out. "A pity, he isn't here."

"That..." Naru said, her eyes turning pitch black.

"Oh, I do know how that feels," the man said, "but don't worry, you'll die in a few seconds." The mole-clown was ready to jump at Naru's throat, but a bright disc split it in half before it could move. "What? Who did that?"

Moon glared at the man. "Let her go, now!"

"I'm not scared, human," the man said.

"Death Ripple!"

The attack hit, but the man didn't seem to notice. "I'll be nice this once and let you go," he warned.

"Not without Naru," Moon snapped.

"I see..." the man said and snapped his fingers. Several orbs of light shot out from the ground and hit the Senshi, knocking them all down. "I'll stop being nice, then."

ChibiMoon could barely move, she knew the others, even Moon, were in a quite bad shape too, after that attack. "We have to defeat him... "

_'Let me help you. Search in your mind and you will find the way to defeat them.'_

The girl smiled at the voice in her mind. She closed her eyes, noting the others were all struggling to get up and fight. For a few seconds, she felt nothing, then she felt the pain in her body vanish.

Moon noticed her daughter shining. "What... Cosmic already?"

Saturn was scanning her with her one-eyed visor and shook her head. "No, it's something else."

ChibiMoon smiled as the light dimmed. "Hawk Eye, I'm not going to let you hurt my friends. Moon Dream Wave!"

The man was knocked back several meters by the resulting energy wave. "What? It's impossible!"

ChibiMoon didn't answer, just charged up for another attack. "Moon... "

"Sorry, today's show has been canceled," Hawk Eye snapped, then vanished.

"Coward."

"Okay, you've got some explaining to do, girl," Dragon Mercury said.

"I..."

_'We will need their help to defeat our enemies.'_

ChibiMoon nodded. "I'll explain all I know, but it would be better if we gathered everyone."

Moon looked at Naru. "Are you okay?"

"No," Naru said. "I feel... Well, I don't know how to describe it, really. That man, he looked right into my mind."

Dragon Mercury groaned. "That is hectic. Hana explained me why she didn't use her mind-reading abilities, or even her telepathic ones. Well, she's spoken to me that way a few times in the past, but I knew she could do it."

Saturn nodded. "To be looking at your dreams and thoughts like that, without your consentment... It's worse than rape."

"You don't know half of it," Naru said. "So, ChibiUsa, whatever you know about these bastards, I'd love to hear it."

ChibiMoon smiled. "Don't worry, I'll tell you all I know." And, she guessed, Helios would fill in the blanks.

* * *

"So, all you know is this Helios is using your mind as a hideout, and someone named Neherenia wants him for some reason he's not telling you?" 

ChibiUsa nodded. "That sums it up."

"Hard to believe, we can't see Helios," Mako said.

Rei looked at ChibiUsa. "I wouldn't believe it, but I can sense two different auras in her. One of them is hard to spot, but it's there. "

_'I can't show myself to them in this plane,'_ Helios said in ChibiUsa's mind, _'if I did, Neherenia would detect me.'_

"Helios says he can't show himself, or his enemies could find out where he is."

"I don't like this," Mako said. "If he want us to trust him, he needs to give us more than words."

"If this Helios creature is against the ones that attacked me," Naru said, "I'm not doubting his words."

"But..."

"Shut up," Naru snapped at Mako. "You don't know how it feels. And I hope we can stop them before anyone else has to go through the same thing."

"What I don't understand," Usagi said, "is why did he choose you?"

ChibiUsa waited for a few seconds, hearing the voice only she could hear, and nodded. "It's because of, he said, my hidden powers. And that my mind's power is stronger than that of normal humans."

"Her psi powers," Hotaru said. "Of course, I have those too, but my endurance isn't the best."

ChibiUsa winced. "Damn. He said Naru's case won't be the only one, and that we should be careful from now on. The enemy knows he's hiding in one of us, but can't identify us."

"You should stay out of the battles," Usagi said. "If they figure out you're the one, they'll attack you."

The younger girl smiled humorlessly. "You say that like I have an option. You saw it today, our Senshi powers don't cause any damage to the real enemy, even though they can destroy their underlings."

"What was that you used, then?"

"Helios' power. The only thing that can destroy Neherenia and her soldiers is the power of dreams. Our attacks won't work, like it or not."

_'I need to rest, because in my last battle against Neherenia, I barely escaped alive. But once I've recovered, I'll try and pass this power to the others.'_

"Good news," ChibiUsa said. "Helios needs time to recover from his last battle, then he may be able to give you all a part of his power. "

"What I don't get," Karin said, "is why he can't fight them directly. "

ChibiUsa smiled as she 'heard' Helios' answer. "Because the power of our hearts is stronger than even his own."

Naru looked at her suspiciously. "Isn't his presence there painful? I mean, that man only took a look at my mind and I couldn't bear the pain..."

"He's not poking around my mind," ChibiUsa said. "He just responds to my questions, and stays out of my conscious mind."

"I'll search my computer's database on information about Neherenia or Helios," Ami said. "Maybe I'll find something that will tell us where they're attacking from."

* * *

**A/N:** I said most of the Senshi wouldn't get their Cosmic power yet, but I never said they wouldn't get some "sidequest" powers. 

ChibiUsa will have most of the spotlight for now, since she's the only one who can harm the Amazons, but not for long.


	95. Eye Of The Tiger

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 95: Eye Of The Tiger.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: December 28, 2007_

* * *

Once again, Usagi was trying to beat her mightiest foe. And as expected, she wasn't having any luck with it. 

"Move, you damn thing!"

"She's too stubborn for her own good," Ami sighed as she watched her friend play the Sailor V game for the tenth time that day.

"Whatever happened to the Sailor Moon game?" Chie asked.

"It was too easy," Umino said walking to them, "I heard something about a sequel being released this year, but it isn't here yet."

"It can't be better than my game," Minako said, then looked around to make sure nobody had heard that.

Usagi groaned as she lost her last life. "Hey, five thousand points, I'm getting better at this."

"Keep that up and you may someday beat my score," Ami said.

Umino chuckled. "Maybe you should try Pac-Man."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, Terry said you're good at dodging, and Pac-Man's all about dodging ghosts and eating stuff."

Usagi beamed. "Oh, I gotta try that."

* * *

Elsewhere in the room, ChibiUsa was playing Bubble Bobble, and unlike her mother, she was giving the game a nice beating. 

"Mind if I join in?"

She looked away from the screen for a second and smiled at Hotaru. "Not at all."

After a minute of playing, Hotaru smiled. "Wonder how someone with the gaming skills of Usagi spawned someone this good at games."

"Back home, we have versions of most of these games," ChibiUsa commented.

"Interesting," Hotaru said as her character was killed. "I'm not that good at them. Maybe you could teach me how you do it."

"Sure, just look at what I do and you'll learn in no time."

* * *

Usagi's friends were quite surprised. "Chie, are you helping her?" 

"No," Chie said.

"Yay, level five!"

"And she's lost no lives yet," Ami noted.

"I've created a monster," Umino mused. "Though I doubt he gets as far as I did. I once got to level five."

"Only?" The others asked in unison.

"Yes, but that was after getting to the hundredth level twice in a row."

"Oh," Ami turned her attention to the game. Really, Usagi had a natural skill for this one game, it was good to see the blond wasn't terrible at all games after all.

"Hey, isn't that ChibiUsa?"

Ami turned to the arcade Chie was pointing at and nodded. "Yeah, hard not to see her with that hairdo and her hair color."

"Wonder what Hotaru's doing playing with her?"

"Maybe she just wants to learn how to play," Ami said.

"Or maybe..." Chie started, but didn't complete the phrase.

Usagi looked at them, then at ChibiUsa and Hotaru, then shrugged. "I don't think either of them is into girls."

"Let's wait until we know for sure," Ami said, "besides, we've got bigger problems to worry about, like how to fight those villains."

"I still don't get how they're stronger than us," Usagi said, not taking her eyes off the screen. She was now about to reach the seventh level, and still had to lose a single life.

"I'm not sure they are," Ami said. "When I tried to scan them, I got no numbers off them."

"Which means?" Minako asked.

"Either they've got no power, they're masking it, or their power is something we've never seen before."

"Weird," Minako muttered. She then looked at the clock in one of the walls and groaned. "Darn, I forgot I'm supposed to meet Brad in twenty minutes."

"Have fun," Usagi said, still not looking away from the screen.

* * *

ChibiUsa had been playing for about half an hour, when she suddenly winced and shook her head. Hotaru looked at her worried. "Are you okay?" 

"The enemy, they're going to attack," ChibiUsa said.

Hotaru nodded. "Let's tell the others."

Umino saw them walking his way and smiled. "Hi there. Having fun?"

"The mirror freaks are back," ChibiUsa said.

"Maybe you should go there and deal with them," Chie said. "After all, the rest of us can't harm them."

Usagi turned away from the game. "Even if that's true, I'm not going to sit and wait."

"Let's go, then."

* * *

Minako was heading to Brad's house when she noticed someone following her. A red-haired man in a business suit, and whenever she turned back he looked away and tried to look harmless. After several minutes of this, she finally decided to face her stalker. "Okay, who the heck are you and why are you following me?" 

The man smiled. "I'm Tiger Eye, and if you don't know why I'm here, let me explain it in three easy steps. One... Two... Three." He snapped his fingers as he said that, and Minako ended tied up, like Naru had. "Now, let's see..."

As the man looked into the mirror, Minako winced in pain, then screamed. "You... Bastard..."

"Tsk, tsk, don't worry, the pain will be over soon."

"Your pain, on the other hand, is going to start soon."

Tiger Eye looked at the man hovering the scene and smirked. "One of those useless Senshi."

"I'll show you useless. Demon Sword!"

Minako looked up despite the pain, and saw Dragon Venus using a spell he had only used once in the past. He leapt off his board and straight at the man's head, but Tiger Eye simply grabbed the blade before it could hit him. The spell's energy backlashed and exploded, sending Dragon venus flying away.

"So pitiful..."

"Let my friend go, you freak!"

Tiger Eye turned and saw the pink-haired Senshi, along with a half dozen others, flying to him. He didn't care about the others, but that pink-haired one was the one who had defeated Hawk Eye. "You want her, you'll have to fight me. Lemures!"

A half dozen monkey-like creatures appeared, all dressed as jugglers. They started throwing knives at the Senshi, who split to fight them.

_'Focus on Tiger Eye, if you beat him, the other creatures will flee.'_

ChibiMoon gave a mental nod to Helios, then rushed at Tiger Eye. "Let's make this quick. Moon Dream Wave!"

Tiger Eye leapt over the attack, landing right next to ChibiMoon. He kicked her side, knocking her down to the ground, then summoned a knife and smirked. "This will be fun."

ChibiMoon stood up, summoning her own sword. "Sure will."

Saturn and the others had dealt with the monsters quite easily, she was wondering why they bothered summoning them at all. As she looked on, she saw ChibiMoon and the evil man fight. Tiger Eye's weapon was quite smaller, but his speed and strength made him visibly superior to his opponent.

She grimaced as she saw the man kick her friend's sword away, then he moved to stab her. Saturn vanished, appearing right in between the two fighters, and taking the hit for her. "Ugh..."

ChibiMoon winced as she saw Saturn fall to her knees. "Hotaru!"

"Get him," Saturn said.

"Moon Dream Wave!"

Tiger Eye's mind hadn't still figured how that purple-skirted Senshi had stopped his attack, but the pain from the energy blast did register quite clearly. As he landed, he noticed his Lemures were gone, and the Senshi were all ready to fight. "Show's over for the day, kids. We'll meet again."

ChibiMoon turned to look at Saturn, who was still clutching her stomach. "Hotaru, are you okay?"

"I'll live," Saturn said with a smile. "Healing powers are really useful."

"Thanks for the help," ChibiMoon said smiling back.

Minako came crawling to them. "That was fun."

Dragon Venus rushed in, looked around and fumed. "Damn, I wanted to get that freak for hurting Mina."

"Don't worry, you'll have another chance," ChibiMoon said. "I don't think they'll stop until they find Helios, or we kill them."

Mercury had her visor down and scowled. "It's annoying, I can't get a reading on them, or in that attack ChibiMoon uses."

"You'll figure that out sooner or later," Moon noted.

The Ice Senshi nodded. "I'll have to ask Terry to help."

* * *

That night, ChibiUsa found herself in dreamland again. This time, however, she was wearing her Senshi outfit. "Helios?" 

"I'm here," the pegasus said as he appeared near her. "Did you need to speak to me?"

"Sure do. Listen, I don't think I can keep on fighting those enemies on my own. If not for Hotaru, I could've been hurt badly today."

"I sense doubt in you when you think or speak of her. Why?"

"I feel we could be more than friends, but I'll have to go back home someday, and I won't find the same person I left here."

Helios thought about it for a while, and nodded in understanding. "I see... You're not from this time, if what I saw in your mind is true. Love is strong, it can conquer even time itself."

"I'm still not sure about it, but thanks for listening. About our enemy..."

"I have almost rested enough to give one of your friends my power."

"Mom is the strongest of the group right now."

"Then she will soon become a stronger warrior."

* * *

**A/N:** The updates are slowing down, I know. Both holidays and my re-playing of Pokemon FireRed to brush up my Pokemon data for Endgames took most of my time lately. Yeah, I've got other fics I would like to finish too. 

_SailorStar9:_ I don't like Helios, but he's a major character for this arc and the next one. After all is said and done, however, he'll be probably gone for good.


	96. Dude Looks Like A Lady

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 96: Dude Looks Like A Lady.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 1st, 2008_

* * *

"This stinks. We came here to socialize, and everyone's off elsewhere." 

Terry looked at Haruka and smiled. "That happens once in a while."

"I suppose there isn't anything to do here besides training?" Kage asked.

"You could try beating me at any of my built-in games," Aiko suggested.

"She's a wicked Tetris player," Terry noted. "However," he said turining to the two ex-rogues, "I would like to know what your fighting style is like, your weaknesses and strengths."

"You saw us fight before."

"Never in a situation where I could get all the data I wanted," Terry said.

"Point taken," Haruka said. "So, we fight against who?"

"Each other?"

"Hmmm... That would be an interesting battle," Michiru admitted.

As the two walked to the arena, Kage snorted. "I doubt you'll get any good data off that."

"Why?"

"I watched them train for months, and the more they trained... Well, you'll have to see it yourself."

Just then, Usagi walked out of the elevator. "Guys, have you seen ChibiUsa today?"

"No," Terry said while looking at the data the computer was displaying. "Haven't seen a lot of the girls, either, after school."

"Yeah, everyone's busy," Usagi muttered. "Guess I'll go see if Mamoru's doing anything today."

"You gotta be kidding me," Terry said.

Kage watched Usagi leave, then nodded. "They can keep that up for hours."

Aiko looked at the two fighters and cocked her head to the side. "It's strange. They're either extremely skilled, or they can read each other's movement flawlessly."

Haruka and Michiru both stopped as they heard that. "That's a good guess," the blond said.

"I see... So you're stronger when fighting together, because you can cover each other's weaknesses," Terry said. "You must have a strong bond if you can read each other's movement that well."

Haruka looked at Michiru and smiled. "We sure do."

"Still, that doesn't give me any good data. I guess we'll have to try something different." He walked to the platform then looked at Kage. "You want to play too?"

"Nah, I'll just watch while they kick your ass."

Terry smiled. "Okay, now who's first?"

"Me," Haruka said as she rushed at Terry.

* * *

Mamoru opened the door and smiled. "Hi, Usagi." 

Usagi gave him a quick kiss on the lips and smiled back. "Are you busy?"

"Not right now," Mamoru said. "I'm done with all the homework."

"Same here," Usagi said. "Maybe we could go out for a walk?"

"Sounds great."

As they both walked into the elevator, Usagi realized something. "Where's Karin?"

"Out with Mako, as usual," Mamoru said. "My little sister grew up and I didn't realize it."

Usagi giggled. "So, where do you want to go?"

"There's a new restaurant a few blocks from here," Mamoru said. "And I've already checked, it's not a Dark Kingdom scheme." That caused Usagi to giggle again.

* * *

"Our Queen isn't happy about our lack of sucess." 

"I know that, Hawk Eye, but what can we really do about it? It's Zirconia who's giving us false leads."

"You shouldn't blame her, Tiger Eye. After all, not even Neherenia herself can tell where the Pegasus is hiding."

A new figure walked to the others, she had blue hair and eyes, and matching uniform.

"Fish Eye, you're going to try next. Be careful of that pink-haired Senshi, though."

"I can manage," Fish Eye said. She looked at the picture Hawk Eye gave her and smiled. "Yay, it's a guy. And he looks hot, too."

Hawk Eye smiled. "That's why you're taking care of this. I know your preferences."

"Wish me luck, then," Fish Eye said and vanished.

* * *

Terry kneeled on the ground and panted. "Gee... You two are good, no kidding." 

"We were trained by someone who's been around for eons," Haruka noted. "I would think she had plenty of time to hone her combat skills."

"Their skill is higher than anyone in the group," Aiko said, "but that may be due to them being Cosmic level."

Michiru looked at Aiko. "I don't care how many times they explain it to me. You're still the strangest thing I've seen so far."

"Doesn't she go out?" Kage said. "I mean, now that she's got a body, she's not limited to this base, is she?"

"I am," Aiko said. "While I can act human enough, my real eyes are in this base. Outside I would be technically blind and deaf."

"I see," Kage said. "Sorry I asked."

"I don't really mind," Aiko said. "I have enough friends here."

"Kid's got a point," Haruka mused.

* * *

Usagi and Mamoru were walking through the park, enjoying the moment. And Mamoru had to admit, even though Usagi could be childish sometimes, he enjoyed being with her. In fact, her child-like spirit was what he liked about her the most. 

The blonde derailed his train of thoughts as she pulled him behind a tree. "Usako, what's up?"

"Shh... Look, over there..."

Mamoru looked in the direction Usagi pointed and gasped. "Those are ChibiUsa and..."

"Hotaru," Usagi completed.

"They're just talking," Mamoru noted.

"It's a date," Usagi said.

"How can you tell?" Mamoru muttered.

"I know about these things," Usagi said.

"Still, we shouldn't be eavesdroping."

"Oh, come on, they won't notice."

"Odango..."

"Fine, fine, let's go, then."

"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere."

"Who are you?" Usagi snapped at the girl.

"Name's Fish Eye, bimbo. But you're not my target, so..." She shot an energy blast, knocking Usagi back several meters. "Now, hottie, let's get started."

Mamoru frowned. "You hurt my girlfriend, girl. I'm not going to forgive that."

Fish Eye giggled. "Darling, who ever said I'm a girl?" Before Mamoru could answer, Fish Eye started snapping 'her' fingers. "One... Two... Three. Yup, I like my guys tied up and helpless."

"Moon Cosmic Retaliation!"

Fish Eye turned to the side as Moon rushed in. "Funny, that tickles." He then looked into Mamoru's mirror and groaned. "Aww, no Helios in there. A pity."

Right then, ChibiMoon and Saturn rushed in. "Hey, leave him alone!"

Fish Eye stuck his tongue at the girls. "Make me."

"Moon Dream Wave!"

Fish Eye leapt over the blast, tackling ChibiMoon into a wall. He then clutched her neck and rose her off the ground. Saturn tried to knock him away, but Fish Eye used his free hand to blast Saturn down. "You little girl, are a real pest to us."

Moon panicked. She had to help her daughter, but how? Her powers didn't affect these aliens, and she could guess if she tried to go melee she wouldnt' suceed.

_'If she dies, I'll die as well. Fortunately, I have enough energy to help you save her.'_

Moon was confused for a second, then realized who the voice should be. "Helios?"

_'Yes. Now look into your soul, find the new power I'm giving you.'_

The blond Senshi closed her eyes for an instant, and could indeed feel the change. As she opened them, she knew exactly what to do. "Moon Dream Barrage!"

Fish Eye picked himself off the ground, not really sure what hit him, but knowing it hurt a damn lot. "Who the...?"

"Moon Dream Wave!" ChibiMoon's attack knocked the villain further back, and she glared at her before vanishing. ChibiMoon rushed to Saturn's side. "Hotaru, are you okay?"

Saturn staggered up. "I'll live."

Moon smiled. "This power, it doesn't feel stronger than my Cosmic Senshi power, but still does its job."

Mamoru groaned as he walked to them. "Sorry, odango, but I'm going home. I don't feel quite lively after that."

Moon nodded. "Let's go, I'll take you home." She then turned to ChibiMoon, and looked at her. "ChibiUsa, I think we need to talk."

ChibiMoon looked at Saturn, then back at Moon. "What do you mean?"

Saturn smiled. "She knows." Moon nodded at that.

"Uhm... But we aren't... We just..."

Moon smiled. "We'll talk later." She summoned her board and fled away, Mamoru standing right behind her on the airboard.

Saturn watched her go then shook her head. "She's too smart when it comes to some things." She then looked at ChibiMoon. "We aren't what, though?"

ChibiMoon blinked at her, then blushed. "Uhm... We aren't... Dating. Right?"

"Depends on what you call dating. Terry and Ami seem to spend their dates fixing up computers or studying."

"You're winging it."

"I guess I am." She took a few seconds to think about it, then nodded. "As far as I'm concerned, this was the best date I ever had. Then again, it was the first one I ever had."

"Then we'll have to make the next one better," ChibiMoon said, then blushed as she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Saturn smiled. "Now there's a plan."

* * *

Half an hour later, Usagi was back at the base, and had just finished telling the others about Fish Eye, and her new power. 

"It's strange," Aiko said, "but I didn't detect them."

"Every alien race out there's got radar shielding of some kind," Kage said. "Or at least, that's what I guess."

"At least now there's two of us that can fight them," Haruka said. "I hate feeling so useless."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Helios will give us all that power. If one of these villains is hard to fight, I don't know what could happen if all three attacked together."

"But... From what you told us, it's like they know ChibiMoon is the one that has Helios in her mind. Why don't they attack her directly?"

"They don't know who she is," Terry guessed.

"Yes, but..." Haruka pressed, "why don't they just use that mirror trick on her?"

"Maybe they can't do that while you're transformed," Aiko guessed, "that would explain why they don't just do the same with everyone else."

"That's a good theory," Usagi said, "it's worth a try, whenever they attack again."

* * *

**A/N:** Getting good titles for episodes is getting harder and harder, so sometimes I gotta resort to ripping off a fitting title off elsewhere. In this case, one of the best songs of one of the best music groups ever. And it quite fits Fish Eye. 

_SailorStar9:_ I guess this episode confirms that guess. If you're wondering who the other part of the old couple will end up with, then I guess you'll have to wait and see.


	97. Lights Up

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 97: Lights Up.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 3, 2008_

* * *

As ChibiUsa walked into her room, she saw Usagi waiting for her. "Uhm... Hi." 

"Had fun?"

"You're not mad at me, are you?"

"I'm a bit mad, yes, because you didn't tell me about it."

"Uhm, well... Today was our first date, if you can call it that."

"So, you like her?"

ChibiUsa nodded "I told her today."

"I never thought you would fall for a girl," Usagi mused. "But I was wondering... What will happen when you get back to your time?"

"I don't know, but a friend told me that love can survive through time." She frowned. "But then again, Hotaru's future self was never too friendly towards me. She mostly seemed to avoid me."

"Maybe because she knew you had to come back here to fall in love with her," Usagi guessed.

"So, you're okay with it?"

Usagi smiled. "Yeah. Hotaru's a nice girl, she can sometimes be a bit of a psycho, but that's nothing to worry about."

"Interesting, this might well be the first case of a Moon Princess falling in love with a girl."

ChibiUsa looked down at Luna and Diana as they walked out from under the bed. "Diana, eavesdropping isn't nice."

"I'm supposed to be your guardian," Diana said, "and you never tell me where you're going."

"So what, I don't think Luna follows Usagi around all the time."

Luna sighed. "That's true, but we help when we can. We came here to tell you something about Helios, but we, well... Kinda fell asleep waiting."

"What about him?"

"I remember a legend from Silver Millenium, about the dream mirrors. They were said to be windows to your mind, and that whoever controlled them would be able to control the mirror's owner."

"And?"

"Maybe they don't want to kill Helios," Usagi guessed. "Maybe they want to control him."

"Huh? But why?"

_'Because I'm the only creature in the Universe with a power that opposes Neherenia's nightmare creatures. If she gets my power, she will be invincible.'_

"Nevermind," ChibiUsa said. "Helios just answered that. She wants his power."

"Yeah, that would explain why they're looking for him," Luna said.

* * *

"What are you kids fighting this time?" 

"I'm not too sure," Mako admitted. "Some aliens that can look into our minds and are looking for another alien who's hiding in ChibiUsa's mind."

"Sounds normal for your group," Kino mused.

"The bad part is, our powers don't work against these aliens. Only Moon and ChibiMoon can fight them."

"But they don't attack normal humans, right?"

"No, they know who we are. Also, they don't cause much property damage."

"And we weren't able to detect them," Kino added. "We got word of their existance through some rumors one of my soldiers heard."

"Yeah, we can't track them down either. It's annoying."

"If you need help, call us."

Mako nodded. "Sure will. Maybe we could nuke them once we find their base."

* * *

Next day, after school, Usagi walked through the city, with no true destination in mind. Luna followed her for a while, silently, but she finally decided to speak up. 

"Are you really okay?"

"Hmm? About what?"

"You know what I mean. Are you worried their relationship won't work?"

"No, it's not that, it's just... Is she really the first?"

"What do you..." Luna started, then nodded. "I've never heard of a Serenity that had a romance, or married, with someone of the same gender."

"I'm actually worried about Hotaru. Does she realize after she's gone, she'll have to wait for her for a thousand years?"

"I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

Usagi looked ahead and saw Hotaru was leaning on a wall, arms crossed. "Hi."

"Hello, Usagi," Hotaru said. "I was looking for you."

"If it's about you and ChibiUsa, don't worry, I don't have a problem with it."

"But uhm... I do."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm worried about how we'll tell it to the others."

"They'll be surprised you have a romantic side, the other part won't really matter compared to that," Luna said.

"Luna..." Usagi muttered.

Hotaru laughed. "Guess she's got a point." Just then, they heard an explosion, and they saw a column of smoke nearby. "Duty calls."

Usagi nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Minutes earlier, Rei was at the fire reading room, trying to find answers to some questions she still had about the enemy. She focused in her questions, and as she opened her eyes, saw several images in the fire. A circus tent, a white-haired young man, and a woman trapped in a mirror. The man touched the mirror, and they switched places. 

She could guess the man was Helios, and the woman was his enemy, Neherenia. But what about the tent?

A knock on the door interrupted her. "Yes?"

"Miss Rei, there's a strange man at the yard."

"Oh, I was wondering when they were going to attack me."

Rei walked out of the room, transforming before she reached the temple's front. "These are sacred grounds, and evil creatures like you aren't welcome."

Hawk Eye looked at Mars and smiled. "I knew sooner or later you kids would wise up."

Mars didn't answer, instead jumping at him, and kicking his head. Apparently, physical attacks could affect these aliens, as he was sent gliding down the stairs. The Fire Senshi followed the man down, taking aim and shooting her attack at point blank. "Fire Tornado!"

The villain staggered back, mostly out of surprise. "You bitch..."

"Why don't you just leave? You can't do your pretty mirror trick now, can you?"

Instead of answering, Hawk Eye rushed forwards, too fast for Mars to dodge. He kneeled her in the gut, and as she doubled in pain, he put a hand in her back. "It's showtime, firegirl." Energy shot out of his hand, rushing through Mars' body as she screamed in pain. When it was over, she was barely conscious.

And also, she noticed as she tried to recover her senses, she was back to her priestess robes. "No..."

"You put up a nice fight, girl."

"Why are you doing this?" Rei snapped. "You already know I'm not the one you're looking for."

"It's better to check, just in case," the man answered, "and also, it's payback for hitting me."

Rei felt waves of pain washing over her as Hawk Eye looked into her mirror. That, summed to the damage she got from his attack, was too much for her to handle, and she fainted.

"Aww... I wanted her to be awake when I killed her."

"You'll kill nobody."

Hawk Eye smiled at the newcomers. "Sailors Moon and Saturn. You're a little late, you know?" He snapped his fingers and the wall holding Rei, along with the mirror, vanished.

Saturn looked at Rei as she fell. "She's barely alive."

"You take care of her," Moon said. "I'll take care of this idiot."

Hawk Eye followed Saturn's path with his eyes as she run to Rei. "Oh, I can't let you do that." He charged up for an attack, but stopped as he felt something hit him. Looking down, he could see the tip of a sword coming out of his stomach. "Ow."

"I guess plain old magic swords do hurt you," Moon mused.

"You bitch..." Hawk Eye snapped, then shot a blast at Moon. Just like with Rei, it turned her back to normal. "And now..." He was in quite a lot of pain, true, but he was still going to kill this girl before leaving to heal.

His attack was interrupted as he felt something else cutting through the wound. As he looked back, he saw Saturn there, smiling coldly at him. "Leave now, or I'm going to make two of you." Hawk Eye glared at her, but then vanished. Saturn looked at Usagi, who was staggering up. "Are you okay?"

"Saturn, go help Rei!"

"I..." Saturn started, then nodded.

Usagi sighed in relief as Saturn started healing Rei. "Why... Why didn't you heal Rei first?"

"Remember, I can only revive you guys once. And you've already used that chance."

Rei opened her eyes and groaned. "I feel like shit."

"You look worse," Usagi joked. "My guess that they couldn't fight us once we transformed was wrong."

"Well, now we know," Rei said, then winced. "I feel like sleeping for a week."

* * *

ChibiUsa was leaning on a wall, bored, while Diana stood on top of the wall, half-asleep. "I'm thoroughly bored." 

"We could go to the arcades, or the base, or maybe look for Hotaru. "

"No 'we' in that last case," ChibiUsa muttered.

_"Hey, look at that, Mina. A pink cat and a pink rabbit."_

ChibiUsa saw Brad and Minako walking her way. _"Don't call me that."_

"Oh. Didn't think you could speak English."

_"She's a princess, she probably knows more languages than you. And I'm not pink, I'm purple."_

Brad looked up at Diana. "Okay, I know when I'm beaten. At least I was beaten by a pretty girl."

"Should I be jealous?" Minako asked playfully.

"Don't worry, he's not my type," ChibiUsa said.

"But I'm sure I'm his type."

Before the girls could react, two blasts knocked them down. "Damn... Caught by surprise..."

Brad turned to face Fish Eye, summoning his sword as he did. "You bastard..."

Fish Eye laughed softly as his target charged. "Foolish boy. One... Two... Three! Ta da!"

Brad groaned. "As soon as I get rid of these straps, I'm going to punch your face in."

"You meanie, would you really harm a cute little thing like me?"

"You're a guy, I don't care how pretty you think you are."

"Too bad then," Fish Eye snapped, then leaned into Brad's mirror. "Well, no horsie here, but then again, you're not a girl."

Speaking of girls, the two that were with his target had vanished. "Aww, I wanted to torture them a bit."

"Moon Dream Wave!"

Fish Eye backflipped, barely missing the blast. "You're slow, girl."

"Dream Wave!"

This time, the attack hit. Fish Eye was knocked back, but stood up furious. "I'm going to kill you for that, moron!"

"Dream..." ChibiMoon started, then winced. "Damn... Out of energy."

Venus saw Fish Eye smiling coldly and felt her heart sink. That guy was going to kill them, and then Brad would be next. _'Don't panic, I can give you the power you need to defeat him.'_

It took her a moment to realize what the voice in her head was, then she nodded and concentrated. There it was, a new power! "Venus Light Dream Smash!"

ChibiMoon looked on as a large light beam shot forwards, knocking Fish Eye through a couple trees before fading. The villain wasn't in much of a shape to stand up and fight, so he instead decided to leave.

Brad limped to them. "Girls, are you okay?"

"Nevermind that, what about you?" Venus asked.

"I'm peachy, not counting the fact I feel like I need to rest for a month," Brad said.

"I can help you heal."

"I don't think I'll be getting a lot of rest, then," Brad muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, love," Brad said with a grin.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey, I actually managed to write a whole episode without Terry showing up! It looks weird, doesn't it? Have to give the guy a day off once in a while. 

_DavidJes:_ It was an off-screen moment, I know it may look bad to some people, but I was never a romance writer myself. I may put it as a flashback in a future episode. If you're wondering, that's what they were talking about when Usagi saw them. (Hey if Vegetta and Bulma can marry off-screen, why can't I do that?) :P


	98. Ice Cold

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 98: Ice Cold.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 9, 2008_

* * *

_"Will I have to go back home soon?"_

_"Unfortunately, yes. But Hotaru will be waiting for you in Crystal Tokyo."_

_ChibiUsa sighed. "That stinks. I'll be putting her through a thousand years of waiting."_

_Pluto smiled. "She'll manage."_

_"Why aren't you helping us?"_

_"Because I can predict the outcome of this war," Pluto said, "and I'll help when I'm needed."_

_"Bet you could defeat those circus freaks easily."_

_"Not quite. Just like with the others, my powers won't affect them. "_

* * *

ChibiUsa was thinking about her brief conversation with Pluto as she walked into the base. As she looked around, however, she saw most of the others were staring at her. "What's wrong with you, guys?" 

"I told them," Usagi said.

Hotaru walked to the pinkhead and smiled. "Guess now I'll have to kill them."

"Seriously, though, I'm quite surprised," Terry said. "Wonder if anyone else in our group is keeping such a secret," he added glancing at Rei.

"Oh, you know my secret," Rei said with a mocking smile. "Seriously, though, I'm not into girls."

"Your loss," Michiru said with a wink.

"Back to what we were discussing before," Hotaru said, "we have three Senshi with the power to fight the enemy. I'd suggest the rest of us stays out of the fighting."

"Not going to happen," Brad muttered. "Besides, melee still works on them."

"That's true," Terry said. "And I bet even Chie's power could be helpful."

"Yeah, sorry I haven't been around lately," Chie said. "Mom doesn't like my grades, so I've been studying a lot."

"I know how that goes," Usagi said.

Terry looked at his watch and smirked. "My little surprise should be here already."

Just then, the elevator's doors opened, and a familiar figure walked in. "Seems like there's more of you now."

"Master Hakko?" Ami said surprised.

The man nodded. "I was called here by Terry, said he wanted me to train you all."

"Not many of us use swords," Mako noted.

"I am aware of that, but I think I said it before, I don't only fight with swords."

"We didn't know you were still around," Usagi said.

"I've decided to stay for a while," Hakko said, "and I've watched you fight. Your group relies too much in their magical attacks. While I have to admit they're fearsome, in situations like the one you're in right now, they're a handicap."

Hotaru nodded. "And our enemies seem not to be keen on melee combat. "

Chie shrugged. "Big deal, I have no weapons, and just one weak attack."

"Oh, about that," Terry said and summoned a pair of brown-hilted daggers. "Here you go."

"Cyber weapons?"

Terry nodded. "I'd love to see you using those along with your luck power."

Hakko chuckled. "Daggers are nice weapons in skilled hands."

"I have luck on my side," Chie said.

"Luck may win a fight, but relying in it alone is foolish."

"You're underestimating my powers," Chie noted.

"No, you're overestimating them."

Chie frowned and tossed the two daggers at Hakko. The first one went straight for his head, while the second had a slightly different trajectory. Hakko caught the first dagger between his fingers and stood there, staring at Chie.

The second dagger bounced on the far wall, coming back from behind Hakko. Chie smiled in victory, but then saw Hakko take a sidestep, and the dagger missed him completely.

As the weapon hissed by, cutting a strand of her hair off, Chie blinked in shock. "That was..."

"You're not bad," Hakko noted. "I suppose the Time Lady gave you some training."

"Okay, I guess we could learn a thing or two from him," Chie said turning to the others.

ChibiUsa had been silent through it all, but she had actually kept her own conversation. As things were right now, she knew Helios wasn't going to give her any more information.

_'There is something I've noticed. Ever since I entered your mind, my energy recovered faster than normal. Way faster.'_

_'Maybe it's the Ginzuishou?'_

_'I wouldn't know. There's legends in my world about the Senshi, and their relics were capable of many things. In any case, I can now sense where the others are, even if you're not with them.'_

_'So you could tell me when someone's being attacked?'_

She saw Helios nod in her mind. _'Your technologic devices may not be able to sense dream energy, but I can.'_

"Guys, Helios just told me he recovered enough to sense when the villains attack."

Hakko rose an eyebrow at that. "Helios?"

"It's a long story, and hard to believe, so I'll just say he's our ally."

Terry smirked. "Enough talking, you guys need some training."

Hakko walked to the platform. "I'm ready."

Usagi smiled. "I guess since I'm the leader, I'll go first."

"This will be fun to watch," Rei mused.

* * *

Several hours later, Ami and Terry were walking to Ami's house. "Such a nice day outside, huh?" 

Terry smiled. "Yeah. Though I'm surprised you can walk after that battle."

"I'm no good at melee, am I?"

"You're good enough."

Ami looked at him and smiled. "You're a bad liar, Terry."

"Okay, you got me. Honestly, you need a lot of work, but your dodging is quite good."

"Maybe you could help me improve."

"Sounds fun," Terry said.

"Yay, I got a cutie."

Terry looked at the 'woman' that had just showed up. "Victor Victoria strikes back."

"You kids are no fun," Fish Eye muttered. "In any case..."

"Terry, watch out!"

Terry looked at Ami and smiled. "Guess this one's all yours."

"One... Two... Three!"

Ami glared at Fish Eye. "Mercury Star Power!"

Fish Eye looked into Terry's mirror and sighed. "Not here either. Oh well, time to have some fun."

"Mercury Frost Web!"

"Hey, not cool," Fish Eye snapped as he was trapped under Mercury's net. "Then again..." he added as the temperature under the net started dropping.

Mercury smiled hopefully for a moment, but then her foe tossed the net aside. "Not good..."

"Dream Wave!"

Mercury looked up as Fish Eye was sent rolling away. "Good timing. "

Fish Eye stood up and glared at the two, then started shooting energy blasts at the pink Senshi. "If you can't focus, you can't shoot!"

_'He's right, but he's forgetting one little detail.'_

_'What are you planning?'_

Helios didn't answer, so ChibiMoon just kept dodging. She risked a glance at Mercury after leaping over an energy blast, and could sense something in her. Yes, that would surely be a cool surprise for Fish Eye.

Mercury smiled. "You!"

Fish Eye stopped shooting at his target as he saw Mercury walking to him. "Go away, weakling. You can't hurt me."

Mercury's smile widened, she was only steps away from her foe now. "Wrong. Mercury Ice Illusion!"

ChibiMoon whistled as Fish Eye was encased in a small ice block. "Nice attack."

"Your turn," Mercury said.

"Dream Wave!"

Fish Eye tried to stood up after being sent rocketing out of the ice block, but he only managed to kneel on the ground. "You brats... I'm going to get you next time!"

Terry smiled at Mercury as he slowly walked to them. "That attack was quite impressive."

Mercury nodded at him, but was staring at ChibiMoon. "Hmmm..."

"Should I be jealous?" Terry teased.

"Oh? Ack, it's nothing like that," Mercury said rapidly, "it's just that... I can get a reading of her power again."

"So, is she stronger than us?"

"No, the power output is like that of a first level Senshi. Strange."

"I'm used to strange," ChibiMoon said. "But that explains why I can shoot several of those attacks in a row."

"Aren't you worn out after what happened?" Mercury asked to Terry.

"A bit," Terry said.

"You're barely standing," Mercury noted as she scanned him.

"Can't lie to you, can I?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in an underground base elsewhere in the planet, another group was discussing their progress. 

"Onara, have you found anything on those new aliens?"

"No, the attacks they use are different. I cannot duplicate their energy for my tests."

"Maybe we can get one of them to join our ranks once the Senshi get them," Rubeus said.

"Dear Rubeus, I didn't think you'd be rooting for the Senshi," A mused.

"I'm not. I just don't want them to get killed before I have a chance to kill them myself."

"That's what I think, too," Kaorinite said. Uranus and Neptune had humiliated her several times in the past, she really couldn't wait to punish them for that.

* * *

"Is this the city?" 

"Yes. Our princess is here."

"Then we will find her. We have to, before our enemy does."

"What about the locals?"

"If they interfere, they'll regret it."

* * *

**A/N:** In case anyone's wondering, we're technically halfways through Chronicles. There's still eight more acts to write, not counting this one. And two more episodes to break the three digits barrier. I never thought I'd get here this fast. 

This arc will be short (not as much filler-flavored stuff as the anime version of it has,) but I'll also try to make the final battle something worth reading. Stars will be interesting to write, though. Despite the season she's in, Galaxia is my second favorite villain of Sailor Moon.


	99. Circus Girls

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 99: Circus Girls.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 11, 2008_

* * *

Hawk Eye looked at the young-looking girls and smiled. "So it's your turn." 

The redhead nodded. "Zirconia said maybe we would find Pegasus, since you weren't able to."

"Good luck to you, girls," Fish Eye said.

"Luck is the weak's excuse for failure," another of the girls said.

"Let's go, I can't wait to kill one or two of those Senshi losers," a third one prodded.

"Shut it, Cere," the fourth muttered.

As the four girls walked out, Tiger Eye shook his head. "Those kids are insane."

"Yes, but they may catch the Senshi off-guard."

* * *

Hakko was quite surprised at first, but then he wrote it off as a consequence of these kids' powers. While some of them displayed good melee skills, like Jupiter, others had barely any skills at all, like Moon or Mercury. But in only one week, they'd learnt what normally takes a month or two to learn. 

Also, as Mako had demonstrated quite accidentally, the Senshi had superhuman strength, even in their normal form. He was no soft hitter himself, but the one punch Mako had landed was enough to send him reeling back. Of course, not all the Senshi had that kind of power yet, but it was still something to be wary of.

He was right now observing a training battle between ChibiUsa and Hotaru. He had still to fully believe that pink-haired girl's story, but since he knew one time traveller himself, it wasn't too hard to think of such things as possible.

Hotaru was a bit out of her element, having to fight without her glaive. However, she knew why Hakko was doing this, she had always depended on her glaive for close combat, and that could be a handicap to her in some situations.

ChibiUsa wasn't much better off. While she had spent a few months training in the future, but she had mostly focused in her long range attacks. She looked at Hotaru, who was standing in the other side of the platform, panting. "You really need to improve your endurance. "

"I'm not down yet," Hotaru said and took a defensive stance.

Her foe smirked. "Too bad." She rushed forwards, apparently going for an uppercut. Hotaru fell for it, blocking the punch with her hand, but didn't see the other hand going straight for her stomach. ChibiUsa spun after hitting, aiming an axe hand to the head, but Hotaru caught her wrist, recovering faster than she thought she would.

ChibiUsa froze for a second, and that gave Hotaru the chance to get the upper hand. She punched her side, not letting go of her wrist, then tackled her to the ground face-first. Before the pink-haired girl could recover, Hotaru kneeled on her back and smiled. "Give up. "

"Okay, you won."

As both stood up, Hakko nodded. "You girls are learning fast."

"We were warriors in our past life," Hotaru said, "some of that must be dormant in us."

"And I'm not a newbie to combat training," ChibiUsa added.

"That's cute," Minako said.

"What is?" Usagi said.

"The two girlfriends trying to beat each other to a pulp," the other blond explained.

"If you say so..."

Hakko overheard that and nodded. "I was worried at first that they would hold back, but they didn't."

Ami looked away from the computer and smiled. "I've modified Aiko's programs a bit, now she will be able to detect our foes whenever they strike."

_'I need only a few more days, and then I'll be back to my full power. When that happens, I'll help all your friends.'_

_'Good to know.'_ Outloud, ChibiUsa said "what do I need to improve?"

"A lot," Hakko said. "You don't seem to plan your attacks beforehand, and it's always important to study your opponent, to know their weak and strong points."

"Though even knowing the weaknesses, there's always a lot of external factors to consider. The terrain you're fighting in, for example."

Hakko nodded at Terry. "Yes, that's also important, but that's something you'll have to learn for yourselves."

"Dad, the enemy's attacking. There's four of them now."

"Where?"

Aiko pointed at the large screen on the far wall of the base, and a red dot appeared. "There."

"It's not too far from here," ChibiUsa said.

"Let's go," Usagi said. "Aiko, tell the others about it."

* * *

Haruka and Michiru had been trying to locate the enemy's base, but there weren't any clues on what they should look for. "This isn't working," Haruka commented. 

Michiru noticed someone familiar near them. "Hey, isn't that Mako?"

Haruka nodded. "Crown... Isn't that where the others go to waste their time?"

Michiru noticed something else and winced. "I think I know who the next target is."

Haruka noticed the four strangely clad girls staring at Crown from a nearby rooftop and nodded. "Let's tell her."

* * *

Mako looked around and sighed. She thought Karin might be at Crown, but that was just proven wrong. She was about to head out when she saw Haruka and Michiru walk in. "Strange meeting you two here." 

Haruka nodded, then looked around. Everyone was busy playing, but she still talked in a low voice. "Listen, there's some strange-looking women out there. I'm sure they're after you."

"If what the others say is true, I'm not letting them catch me."

"It's a bit too late for that, girl."

The woman who spoke was now blocking the exit, smiling as she looked at Mako. Her suit made the Senshi's own suits look conservative, and was green, matching her hair. "Only one of you?" Haruka mused.

The woman nodded. "One is enough." She noticed the crowd was looking at her, in either awe, confusion or fear, and sighed. "Go to sleep, will you?" She shot a wave all around her, and it knocked everyone but the three Senshi off. "Now, where were we?"

"We were about to kick your rear. Jupiter Star Power!" "Uranus Cosmic Power!"

"Neptune Cosmic Power!"

"Fetch!" the woman snapped, and shot an energy ball at Jupiter. Jupiter leapt out of the way, then tackled her out of the building.

* * *

The other Senshi had reached the area a minute earlier, and found the three other women standing outside, waiting for them. "Nice suits," Dragon Mercury noted staring at them. 

"Terry..." Mercury hissed.

"We knew you girls would show up and try to interfere," the red-haired woman said. "So we'll have to deal with you ourselves."

The Senshi dropped to the ground around the trio. "Give up, you can't beat us all," Moon said.

"Can't we?" The redhead mused. "Attack!"

The trio shot a triple energy wave, the colors of each attack like those of their suits. When the barrage ended, the Senshi were all scattered around the area, barely conscious.

"Moon... Don't ever say something like that again," Mars muttered.

ChibiMoon staggered up. "But she was right, they can't beat us. Moon Dream Wave!"

The blast hit the three women, knocking them back. Just then, the green-haired woman was knocked out of Crown through the wall, and a quite angry Jupiter rushed out, followed by Uranus and Neptune. "Hi guys," Jupiter said.

The four women forgot about the others, and started firing energy balls at Jupiter. She did her best to dodge, but one of the balls caught her, causing her mirror to pop out of her back. "That... Hurts," she groaned before falling unconscious.

"You get her, JunJun," the redhead said.

The green-haired woman nodded and walked to the mirror. She looked inside and sighed. "Not here, either."

The Senshi were already up and ready to fight, so the four women frowned. "They can't stay down, can they?"

"CereCere, let's just kill them."

"But we need the Pegasus."

"Spoilsport."

Moon saw they were distracted, and knew it was her chance to get them. she summoned her sword and ran to them, slashing down at the one the others called CereCere, but the girl simply grabbed her sword and punched her in the gut. As Moon fell down, CereCere smirked, ignoring the pain from the cut. "You earthlings are so weak..."

Jupiter was barely conscious, but she could see a figure in her mind. "Who..."

_'Let me help you.'_

Helios? _'Okay, what do I have to do?'_

"Dream Wave!"

"Ice Illusion!"

"Star Light Smash!"

The three attacks knocked three of the four girls down. JunJun stood in a battle-ready pose, not noticing Jupiter was staggering up right behind her. "Okay, give me your best shot," JunJun snapped at the other Senshi.

"We don't need to," ChibiMoon said.

"Waking Thunder!"

A large lightning arc shot from Jupiter's hands, hitting JunJun dead on and causing her to kneel down and scream in pain. When the attack ended, she wasn't in any shape to fight. "Damn... It..."

"Failures, all of you!" The voice boomed through the air, coming out of nowhere, and the four girls vanished as it fell silent. The Senshi all looked around confused.

"Guess that was their boss," Venus said.

"Thanks for the help," Jupiter said with a grin. "But what happened to the one, two, three?"

"Guess these girls have a different way of doing things," ChibiMoon noted. "But I guess they don't know I'm the carrier, or they would have attacked me instead."

"Good to know," Moon said. "We can't let them get Helios."

* * *

**A/N:** _Neptune's Violin:_ What I've got planned and what it'll end up being aren't always the same. I just know it, considering the old version of this started off as a twenty-five episodes project and ended up having over one hundred and fifty. 

However, I've got the outlines for all the remaining arcs written, and Chronicles itself will be between one hundred and sixty and two hundred episodes. And then come the future arcs, which may easily sum a hundred more episodes together. Counting Genesis, I suppose the whole project will be near three hundred episodes total.


	100. Death's Mirror

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 100: Death's Mirror.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 15, 2008_

* * *

_She could tell Hotaru knew exactly _what _she had called her for. Meeting at the park, like this, wasn't subtle. Then again, she was known for not being subtle most of the time._

_"So, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Hotaru asked feigning ignorance. They were both sitting in a bench near the center of the park, looking at the lake. She was trying to find the courage to tell her what she felt, and it really irked her. It had looked so simple in theory, yet now she felt like she had a bad case of stage fright._

_And in this case, imagining the crowd in their underwear wasn't going to help at all._

_Hotaru smiled. "I can guess what this is about. It's because of what you saw in my dream, right?"_

_ChibiUsa nodded. The easiest way to say it was simply saying it. "Hotaru, thanks to what I saw, I know that you like me, and it also helped me realize that I... I like you too."_

_Hotaru turned serious for a moment. "You will have to return to the future someday."_

_"I know that... Guess we should use our time wisely."_

_The pale girl chuckled. "Think Usagi will be okay with it?"_

_"You were around in the future, so I guess she will be."_

* * *

ChibiUsa's mind returned to the present. She was once again at the base, which for once was almost empty. Ami and Terry were doing something with the computer as usual, she'd caught something about the talismans, but they seemed to have their own language, even in this era. 

"You look bored."

She nodded at Aiko. "I am, a bit."

"Why don't you go look for your uhm..."

"Girlfriend," ChibiUsa completed. It still felt a bit weird to call Hotaru that, but she supposed with time she would get used to it. "She was going to visit her father at the army base outside Tokyo. I know if I go there I'll be showered with questions from the General and his sidekick, so it's not a choice."

"This is just useless."

She turned her attention to Terry, who was visibly upset. "What's the matter?"

"The whole Talisman issue," Terry explained. "We thought we could find clues on what they are and where to find them, but apparently only the Senshi linked to them can find them."

Ami nodded. "That's troublesome. We can't quite go into a quest to find those Talismans, and we may need them if any stronger alien forces show up."

ChibiMoon nodded. She knew the Senshi from her time were at a higher level (a _way_ higher level, specially her mother,) but she had no idea how they got through the Cosmic 'barrier.'

"Maybe some of the Talisman are already with us," ChibiUsa guessed, "like in Uranus and Neptune's case."

"Yes, but we can't know for sure," Terry said.

_'I'm sure they will find out when the time comes.'_

ChibiUsa smiled. Helios wasn't too talkative (it would be a mess if he was, actually,) but when he spoke, he was always giving bits of information to her. _'Were there Senshi in your world?'_

_'Yes, but Neherenia killed them.'_

She noticed Terry and Ami looking at her amusedly. "What?"

"We can tell you're talking to our imaginary friend by the way you just stare forwards," Terry said.

"He said we will find our talismans when the time comes."

"Good to know," Terry said. It wasn't really a reassuring answer to his doubts, but it was the best he could get.

* * *

Hotaru looked at her father, who was just standing there, looking shocked. "Uhm... Are you okay?" Considering she had just told him about her newfound girlfriend, she had guessed he would be shocked. 

"It's a lot to take," Tomoe said. "I feel somewhere between being happy for you, and wanting to kill the girl."

Hotaru smiled. "I guessed that, hence I came alone."

"Good, or I would be tempted to use the disintegrating gun."

The girl's eyebrows rose at that. "What? You created a disintegrating gun?"

Tomoe nodded and took a futuristic-looking handgun out of his desk. "Here it is."

"Does it really work?"

Her father smiled and aimed the gun at a flask sitting on his desk. "Watch this." As he pulled the trigger, however, the gun turned into dust.

"Huh? What happened?"

"It worked, see? I told you it was a disintegrating gun."

Hotaru stared at her father for a few seconds then shook her head. "Dad, you really need to go out more."

* * *

ChibiUsa had meanwhile left the base, and was heading home when she saw a certain mooncat walking her way. "Hi, Diana." 

"Hello, princess," Diana said. "You look bored."

"You're the second person to tell me that today," ChibiUsa noted, "but yeah, I'm quite bored."

"You miss your time, don't you?"

The pink-haired girl resumed her walking, and the mooncat followed her. After a minute, she sighed. "You know, back home I was hardly out of the palace. I was taught all I needed to know in there, and I really had no contact with the citizens."

Diana nodded at that. She was quite in the same situation, as she had been assigned to the post of guardian of he Princess three years ago... Or actually, nearly a thousand years into the future. "You don't need to tell me that. I was there with you, remember?"

The girl smiled. "Yeah. Everything looked so boring in the future, with no alien invasions or anything like that for years..."

"It was, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, so I don't know why I miss it."

Diana chuckled. "Maybe you're missing the peaceful life you led there?"

ChibiUsa looked at her for a few seconds, then shook her head. "I actually like being a Senshi, despite all... No, because of all the fighting against evil creatures."

"You must be the first Senshi I've ever heard saying that."

The two turned to see Hotaru standing near them. "So, how did your father react?"

"Better than I thought, though that's not saying a lot," Hotaru said with a grimace. "I would suggest that you avoid the military base and my house for a few days."

"The base, yeah, your house... Not likely."

"Back to the other issue," Hotaru said winging the topic, "are you serious about liking all this?"

"I trained to be a Senshi for several years, but when I was finally ready for battle, well... Back home, there's nothing to fight against. Some stray Lesser Senshi and Lesser Dragons who don't use their powers properly, some necromancers here and there..."

"Lesser Senshi?"

"In my time, mana is flowing freely around the world," ChibiUsa explained. "That makes any human born with the right genes able to command the elements and wreak havoc. Some of them take dumb names like Sailor Gallathea or Dragon Epsilon and try to pass as real Senshi. I know one or two of them were as strong as a first level Senshi, but most of them are just jokes."

"Interesting... What about necromancers?"

"Most are evil, they use the energy of the dead to cast their spells, or even raise the dead to do their bidding. As far as I know, you were the only good necromancer around."

"I... Guess I am one," Hotaru said with a sigh. "So, are you doing anything right now?"

"Not really."

Diana looked around, her ears poking up. "Sorry to kill the moment, but I sense the enemy, and near."

Hotaru vanished just as an energy ball hissed by. As she reappeared a few meters away, ChibiUsa turned to see the four freakshows were back. "Not now, I'm not in the mood."

CereCere laughed. "You little brats are going to die."

"Moon Star Power!"

"Saturn Star Power!"

The four girls started shooting energy blasts at them, but couldn't hit them. "Guess this isn't working," CereCere said. "ParaPara, see if you can distract them," she said to the blue-haired one.

ParaPara nodded and leapt off the rooftop they were all in, and rushed at Saturn. Saturn summoned her glaive, slashing down at her, but the woman dodged, then kicked out. As Saturn fell to the ground, ParaPara picked her up by the neck and smiled. "Time to show us what's on your mind."

ChibiMoon tackled her from the side before she could shoot Saturn, but the other three blasted her, knocking her down to the ground. Saturn had meanwhile recovered, and found herself surrounded by the enemy.

_'I can help you.'_

Hotaru nodded. Helios, she had been curious about when he would give her some of his power. And apparently, the moment was now. "Deadly Nightmare!" The four villains watched in shock as a ring of ghastly figures surrounded Saturn. The ring then expanded, hitting each of them and draining their energy. As the ring vanished, Saturn was smiling at them. "And now..."

CereCere growled. "Now you die." She shot an energy blast at her, but Saturn deflected it with her glaive. The other three started shooting at her as well, and Saturn had to teleport away. "Damn, where is she?"

"Deadly Nightmare!"

The attack this time came as a beam, and straight to CereCere, who was knocked down. "No way..."

ChibiMoon woke up and groaned. She saw the four freaks searching for Saturn, so they didn't notice her standing up. "I'm not going to let them hurt her," she muttered as she summoned her sword.

She gasped as the sword appeared. It was shining white, but why?

_'Remember, I said you would find them when the time was right. '_

ChibiMoon heard Helios' words, and at first she didn't understand. Then, she remembered what they had talked about in the base. "The sword is..."

The four had noticed the brightness, and they all forgot about Saturn when they saw ChibiMoon had an aura of light around her. "Whatever she's doing, it won't be good."

"Let's stop her, then," JunJun sugested.

ChibiMoon glared at the four, then looked down at the sword in her hands. It was different now, with some unknown symbols, possibly an ancient language, etched into the blade. The hilt looked like a dragon, with the blade coming out of its mouth like an impossibly long tongue. Or maybe even a moonbeam. Although she didn't know why, she knew the sword's name. "The Moonshine."

"A new sword, huh? Scary," CereCere snapped.

"Moon Cosmic Power!"

The four took a step back. They didn't really know if powering up would affect the Senshi's dream attacks, but it was better to be ready for them. Also, where was Saturn?

"Deadly Nightmare!"

The blast caught ParaPara, and the other three turned to see Saturn leaning on her glaive. "Why you little..."

"I wouldn't turn my back on her if I were you," Saturn warned.

The warning was a bit too late, however. "Moon Dream Wave!"

Saturn blinked in shock at the attack. It was easily twice as large as before, and from the screams of the four villains, it also hurt a lot more. "Nice..."

CereCere staggered up, but saw they weren't alone anymore. "Oh, screw this," she muttered before the four teleported.

"Guess we were late," Moon said. The rest of the group was there, all hovering over the battlefield.

ChibiMoon looked up at the group and smiled. "You scared them off, but I had them under control."

Dragon Mercury noticed the difference in her suit, but also something else. "What's with the sword?"

"This is the Moonshine, my talisman," ChibiMoon said.

Moon blinked at her. "Wait... Yours is a weapon, but my Imperial Brooch is, well... A brooch?"

"It helps channeling the Ginzuishou's power better," Mercury lectured, "hence augmenting your attack power. All the talismans do that, but I guess some will also work as weapons."

"That's interesting and all," Saturn said, "but I'm tired. I'll go home and rest for a week now."

"I'll walk you there," ChibiMoon said.

As the two transformed back to normal and walked away, Dragon Mercury chuckled. "It's funny, I didn't think she would ever be so... Human."

"Hotaru, you mean?" Moon asked. At the Dragon's nod, she smiled. "Well, we've all changed for the better. Don't you agree, mister brooding, moping avenger?"

"Touche," Dragon Mercury muttered.

* * *

**A/N:** _MidnightRayne13:_ Of course they'll be back, Zirconia's just angry at them for failing, so they'll be sitting in the corner for a few episodes. 

Before anyone asks, nope, no Asteroid Senshi in this one. They will be replaced by the usual fanon next-gen Senshi, with some twists I hope are original enough.

And yep, the talismans have names. Moon's one just hadn't been called by its name yet. And nope, not all of them will be weapons.


	101. Triple Trick

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 101: Triple Trick.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 17, 2008_

* * *

As Usagi walked into the classroom, she noticed someone new sitting by the window. She walked to Umino and looked at him questioningly. 

"Yeah I know, you must be wondering who she is," Umino said. "Yukiko Hokuge, from Osaka, came to the city with her parents two days ago. "

"Wonder what she will be, a new Senshi or a new foe?" Ami mused in a low voice.

"I still don't believe that theory," Mako muttered.

"Even if it's proven itself right several times in the past?"

"All coincidences," Mako said dismissively.

Usagi looked at the girl. Purple, long wavy hair and reddish-brown eyes. Her clothes weren't anything out of the ordinary, and she couldn't really tell if Ami was right or not about her.

Yukiko seemed to not be paying attention to them, but she was actually listening carefully. All that talk about Senshi, could they really be the ones? No it would be one huge, impossible coincidence, and she didn't like relying on luck.

Hana was looking at the newbie with some interest. While she couldn't feel any kind of supernatural power in her, she could still see something else. For a split second, it looked like she had two souls, but the second one disappared as soon as it had appeared._'Maybe my mind's playing tricks on me.'_ She would have to keep an eye on that new girl, anyway... If her other post-school activity allowed it.

* * *

"I'm giving you all a new chance. We don't have many targets left to check, so..." Zirconia looked at the Trio, her old, tired eyes staying with each of them for a few seconds. "You're each going to attack one of the Senshi." 

Hawk Eye frowned. "What about the rest of the Senshi?"

"We'll go cause some trouble in town," CereCere said. "They won't let the civilians get hurt."

Zirconia nodded. "Oh, and the Queen told me about Helios... She can feel the Pegasus' energy growing strong. If we don't capture him soon, we won't be able to stand against him at all."

"Don't worry, we will find whose mind he's hiding in," Tiger Eye said.

"Even if we have to burn the whole city to do it," JunJun added.

"Who said we can't mix fun and business?" ParaPara mused.

* * *

Hana had followed the new girl after school, and thus far she had seen nothing that could tell her Hokuge wasn't just an ordinary girl. She lived in a normal house, with normal parents, and didn't seem to have any hidden portal or supercomputer in the basement. 

Although giving the girl's room a look with her powers, she could see Yukiko had one too many Senshi posters and merchandise. "Maybe she's just a fangirl, after all." Right then, a red sports car zoomed by, followed by a half dozen patrols. "Gee, they can't take the day off, can they?" Hana muttered before running off to find somewhere to transform.

* * *

"So, can you translate what it says?" 

Ami was looking at ChibiUsa's new sword as she typed something in her computer. "Apparently, the language is older than even the Silver Millenium itself."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning it will make things more challenging," Ami said with a smile.

"The brooch's got some weird characters too," Usagi noted. "I thought they were just drawings."

Ami nodded. "I'll need a few minutes to decipher this."

"Minutes?" Usagi said in shock.

"Languages aren't that hard to learn," ChibiUsa said, "but to learn them from zero, though..."

"Not really from zero," Ami corrected as she kept on typing. "While the language is older, it still seems to be similar to what was used during our past lives."

Terry had been sparring with Aiko while the girls talked. He landed right next to them, groaning as he stood up. "We programmed her fighting skills a little too well."

"It's mostly your fault," Ami noted. "Hmmm... First word seems to be Serenity."

"Really?" ChibiUsa muttered. "Too obvious."

Aiko walked to Ami and looked at the sword, then at the data in her computer's screen. She stared at the screen for a few seconds then smiled. "Serenity's Will."

"Hmm?"

"Mom, I can process data hundreds of times faster than any human brain. That was one of the reasons you two created me."

"Well, yes," Ami said with a smile as she checked the symbols again. "And you're right, that seems to be the message in the sword."

"Serenity's Will?" Usagi repeated. "Then what about this?" She summoned her brooch, which had similar symbols etched in the backside.

Aiko looked at it for a minute and nodded. "Serenity's Hope."

"Willpower and hope, the two main powers of the one known as Sailor Moon," Terry mused. "That, and some scarily powerful energy beams."

"Wonder if the other talismans have those symbols too," Ami said.

"We'll have to ask Haruka and Michiru about it."

* * *

And speaking of Haruka and Michiru, they were now talking to their 'brother' at a nearby mall. 

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm not really needed. Maybe I should go back to taking care of minor invasions out there."

Haruka shook her head. "Kage, we are part of a team now. Not everyone can be around at every battle."

"I wonder why Setsuna isn't helping us," Kage pondered.

"She must have her reasons," Haruka said, "Maybe helping us wouldn't bring forth the best results for us, but the worse."

Michiru winced. "I'm feeling something evil, and really close."

"Aww, I wanted it to be a surprise."

Fish Eye had appeared meters away from them, flanked by several clown-like monsters. Kage sighed. "I can guess Madame Butterfly here's targeting me."

"Lemures, attack!" Fish Eye shouted, and the fun begun.

* * *

"Dad, Kage's being attacked." 

Terry looked at the coordinates in the map displayed by Aiko and grimaced. "We're quite far from there. Anyone with him?"

"Haruka and Michiru."

"Let's go, they may need help," Usagi said.

"Wait, I'm also sensing another group of creatures attacking Shibuya. It's the four circus girls."

"Can ayone else get there?"

Aiko nodded. "I'm going to tell the others, though I can see Mars and Nova are already fighting them."

"Good, we'll help Kage."

* * *

Nova bounced off a building's wall and winced as she hit the ground. These circus freaks weren't pushovers, and her psi attacks weren't doing a thing to them. "Shouldn't you call the others?" 

Mars nodded. "I sent them an emergency signal, they'll be here soon. "

"Too bad you won't live to see them," JunJun snapped.

As soon as she had said that, however, a large satelite dish fell on her. The other three looked up and saw Sailor Lilith standing on a rooftop. "You villains should know luck is on our side."

"Get her!" CereCere shouted.

Lilith knew her one energy blast wouldn't work, so she had to rely on her favorite power instead. And maybe she could try her weapons too. She tossed the two daggers at CereCere, but both missed, one going over her head, while the other bounced on the ground and sailed away. "Oops."

"Your aim sucks, girl," CereCere mused.

"Wasn't aiming at you," Lilith noted as she landed on a parked car.

"What the... Ow!"

The dagger which had bounced on the ground had fled up to a flag mast, and stabbed through it, causing it to fall down and straight to VesVes' head, knocking her out. The dagger fell down just in front of ParaPara, barely missing her arm.

The other dagger had, meanwhile, bounced back after hitting a wall. Lilith leapt up and caught that dagger, landing right behind CereCere, and slashed her back. "Touche."

ParaPara and JunJun both shot blasts at Lilith, but the lucky Senshi leapt up, and CereCere got the hits. "Oops."

CereCere growled. "Why you..." She shot an energy blast up at Lilith, who had no time to dodge. She was sent flying up and landed on the same rooftop she'd first been at. "So much for the lucky bitch."

"Waking Thunder!"

As the redhead was thrown back by the electric beam, Jupiter and most of the Senshi landed near Mars, who was trying to recover her breath. "About time you got here, guys."

Saturn and Venus looked at the two still standing enemies. "It would be wise for you to retreat," Saturn said.

"Wisdom is for losers," JunJun snapped.

Venus chuckled. "Girl, even I know that sounds stupid."

JunJun shrugged. "Are you going to talk, or are you going to die?"

* * *

"You should really make these airboards faster." 

"We'll be there in a few minutes," Dragon Mercury said. "Besides, pinky, I'm not the one you should complain about your airboard. Well, not in this era, at least."

ChibiMoon shook her head. She really hated that nickname, and worst part was, the Terry of her era was still calling her that.

Moon saw two figures ahead, floating over a rooftop, and sighed. "Damn it, not now."

"We're here to get you, girls," Hawk Eye said.

"Sure, ignore the guy," Dragon Mercury muttered.

"Sorry, Fish Eye isn't here," Tiger Eye mused, "and besides, he already got a look at your mind."

ChibiMoon summoned her sword, but then noticed something. Helios, she couldn't feel him anymore. _'Where is he?'_

The Senshi landed on the street below, along with the two villains. "You will all die today," Tiger Eye announced.

"I don't think so," Terry said. "Didn't you know the sword is faster than the Eye?"

ChibiMoon groaned at that. "I don't know what's worse, your jokes or their attires."

"Wait, they're coming for me, right? Why send two of them?"

"Because I'm a target too," Mercury guessed at Moon's question.

Moon started gathering energy and smiled. "Well, I'm not going to go down without a fight."

ChibiMoon was also ready to fight, but a part of her mind was still worried about Helios. Ever since he had first arrived, she was able to feel his presence all the time. He hadn't been captured, or the enemy wouldn't be fighting them right now. So what, exactly, was Helios doing?

* * *

**A/N:** I just know most will be wondering about Yukiko right now. Who. Is. That. Girl? I'm not telling yet, but you're free to guess. Her secret will be eventually revealed, but there's still many episodes to go before that happens. 


	102. Turning Point

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 102: Turning Point.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 18, 2008_

* * *

Uranus rammed Fish Eye into a wall, and snorted as the villan fell to his knees. "I thought you guys were tougher." 

"Screw you."

"Sorry, I don't go for guys," Uranus snapped back.

"Since you poked into my mind, I guess I should poke into yours too, " Dragon Sun said as he produced his sword.

Fish Eye stood up, then looked around. "Oh, you're lucky, boy. I'm needed elsewhere."

As the villain vanished, Uranus turned to Dragon Sun "Guess you're safe."

Dragon Sun nodded, then summoned his communicator. "Hello, Aiko."

"There's other Senshi under attack," Aiko said. "If you're not out of energy, please go help them."

"Give us their location."

* * *

JunJun rolled on the ground for half a block before she stopped, staggering up and grimacing in pain. "You stupid kids..." 

The other three weren't much better. "Think the others will be done yet?" ParaPara asked CereCere.

"I don't know, maybe we..." She stopped as a figure they all dreaded appeared in front of them. "Uh oh..."

"Leave now, or I will destroy you."

CereCere snorted at that. Helios, here? This was the chance they had all been waiting for. "Little horsie, you can't do a thing against us."

"My power is beyond yours now, girl," Helios warned.

"See me care," the redhead snapped and shot a blast at Helios. The blast, however, missed him completely. "What the heck?"

Lilith limped to where the other Senshi were. "Luck's a bitch, but it's my bitch."

Helios glared at the four girls as they gathered and charged up for an attack. "Begone," he said and flapped his wings, generating an energy wave that knocked all four girls out. He then turned to the Senshi. "I can feel Neherenia's power, and it's dangerously high."

"Where's ChibiUsa?" Saturn asked.

"She's protecting Moon and Mercury," Helios explained, "but she may need your help." He closed his eyes, and a thin aura surrounded those Senshi that he hadn't powered up yet. "It's done."

"Okay, we need to get to where Moon is, and fast," Mars said.

"And that's my cue."

Venus looked at Pluto and groaned. "You could've helped us before."

"You didn't need my help, and besides, if I don't take care of my mission, then you could have even more unwelcome visitors."

Helios looked away. "We need to hurry."

Pluto nodded. "Time Storm!" As the other Senshi vanished, she turned to Helios. "Don't let them hurt the Princess. Both of them."

The pegasus nodded before vanishing as well.

* * *

Uranus' group had reached the area just as the rest of the Senshi appeared. They could also feel their power changing, and saw Moon and ChibiMoon had things pretty much controlled. 

The three 'Eyes' were pretty much screwed right now, Uranus realized.

Just then, Helios appeared near ChibiMoon. The pink-haired Senshi smiled at him. "I was wondering where you were."

"I had to give the others my power. Now you're all able to fight these enemies."

"Bah, why get us here, when they already got them controlled?" Earth muttered.

"That's because I'll need your help now."

ChibiMoon realized what he meant. "You're out here, so they can..."

Zirconia appeared near the three Eyes, who were struggling to stand up after Mercury and Moon's last attack. "You could have been a good boy and let us capture us, you know?"

"Fuck, she's ugly," Dragon Venus commented.

"Is that even a 'she'?" Jupiter pondered.

"Either that, or a walking, talking prune," Lilith joked.

Zirconia ignored them. "So, Helios, are you going to give up, or will I have to hurt your friends to convince you?"

Helios glared at the woman. "You won't touch them." His form changed, becoming humanoid, a boy with white hair and blue eyes, wearing a suit much like the one the future Endymion had, only white. "Begone!"

Zirconia laughed as Helios' blast hit her. "Poor little lost boy. You may have enough power to beat my minions, but I am second in command in Neherenia's army, and I will not fall before something as weak as you."

Moon turned to the others. "Guys, we need to help him."

"You'll help nobody," Zirconia snapped. "Lemures, attack!"

As soon as she said that, a swarm of at least thirty lemures appeared around the Senshi.

"Oh, fun," Dragon Mercury muttered.

ChibiMoon didn't even bother looking at the monsters. "Guys, take care of these losers."

"What are you up to?" Dragon Earth asked.

"I didn't fight this much just to let them capture Helios so easily. "

Zirconia noticed the pink Senshi running at her and laughed. "Aww, cute little girl wants to play?"

"I'll show you play," ChibiMoon snapped. "Dream Wave!"

Zirconia slapped the blast away, her laughter not stopping. "Dear Helios, I thought you had allied with powerful warriors, but now I see you asked some pathetic little kids for help. You must be really desperate."

ChibiMoon hadn't stopped running, however, and was close enough to swing her fist at Zirconia. Zirconia blocked the blow with her hand, but it still managed to knock her back. Before the old woman could recover, a kick to the head sent her flying back. "IF we're pathetic, then what are you?"

Zirconia was surprised, it was pretty much the first time she had been hit in battle. "Okay, you want to fight, I'll give you a fight. Die!"

A large energy beam shot from Zirconia's hands, but before it could hit its mark, Helios stopped it with his body. ChibiMoon's eyes widened at that. "Helios, no!"

"I'm... I'm okay," the boy said staggering up. "You and your friends should leave, she's too powerful for..."

"I never abandon a friend," ChibiMoon said, "and she's not going to defeat me."

The crowd of monsters around the Senshi had thinned considerably, but there were still many left to fight. Moon risked looking at where her daughter was and grimaced. "Guys, Helios is hurt, we need to get rid of these bugs faster!"

Dragon Mercury was just done beheading a man-sized, chipmunk-like creature, and turned to nod at her. "We're on it."

Meanwhile, Zirconia couldn't really understand why the girl was so stubborn. "Are you really that dense, human? I could kill you right here, right now if I wanted to."

"What's stopping you?" ChibiMoon snapped back.

Zirconia shot another beam at her, but this time, the pink-haired Senshi dodged, charging up energy and aiming her index finger at Zirconia's feet. A thin energy beam shot from her finger, hitting the ground near the old woman, and causing a small, harlmess explosion. "Hahaha... You missed,not that something like that would have hurt at all."

"Who said that was the real attack?" ChibiMoon snapped. "Pink Sugar Heart Crusher!"

For a moment, the woman didn't know what the attack was, or where it was coming from. Then, she noticed the area around her darkening, and looked up. "What in darkness' name is..."

Helios laughed despite the pain he was in. "That is the strangest attack I've ever seen, and I've seen a few."

The rest of the Senshi had finished beating their enemies just in time to see the bus-sized pink heart falling on Zirconia. "Okay, I'm definitely not messing with that girl now," Dragon Sun commented.

Saturn stared at the heart in disbelief. "What is it with her and hearts anyway?"

The heart suddenly exploded, and a very angry, very bruised Zirconia leapt out of the explosion, landing near ChibiMoon. "You little bitch..." Her anger wasn't due to the hit itself, but because she had never been hurt before by anything but Helios' dream energy. "Die!"

"Cosmic Retaliation!"

Both blasts clashed and vanished, and Zirconia turned to glare at Moon. "You..."

"Weren't our attacks supposedly harmless to them?" Venus pondered.

"I don't think the Double Moon cares about those details," Jupiter noted.

Zirconia was, by now, furious. She, Neherenia's commander, being beaten by a bunch of weak humans? That wasn't going to happen. She let out a growl and shot a ring of energy, not leaving the Senshi any time to react. As they all were knocked down, Zirconia looked at Helios. "First, I'll claim my trophy..." She snapped her fingers, and Helios vanished. "And now... The killing blow."

"I can't let you do that."

"Oh, and who would you be?" Zirconia snapped at the green-clad Senshi that had just appeared in front of her.

"Sailor Pluto, Guardian of the Time Gate," Pluto said.

"Just another loser, then," Zirconia snapped and shot a blast at Pluto. She blinked in disbelief as Pluto let the attack hit. "What... "

"Chrono Break."

The Senshi woke up just in time to see Zirconia trapped in some sort of bubble. A second later, the old woman was gone. "The Time Lady comes out to play," Dragon Sun mused.

"Did you kill her?"

Pluto shook her head. "No, I simply sent her forwards in time, several days."

"You could've helped us before Helios was captured," ChibiMoon said.

"I don't like your tone, Small Lady."

"It's still the truth."

"I predicted this was going to happen," Pluto said. "Don't worry, Helios won't be hurt, in fact now that Zirconia knows your power is higher than even his, she will tell Neherenia."

Mercury followed Pluto's train of thoughts quite easily. "And since Neherenia was looking for Helios just because of his power, it means she will also want our power for her."

ChibiMoon grimaced. "So now what?"

"Rest," Pluto said. "Even without Zirconia, Neherenia's army isn't one to cower in a corner."

"We'll try to locate their base," Mercury said.

"We couldn't do it before, why would we now?" Earth asked.

"Easy, now I can trace down Helios' energy," Mercury said.

ChibiMoon sighed. "Puu, sorry about my outburst. It's just that I don't like my friends being hurt if there's a way around it."

"Don't worry, getting glared at is also a part of my job," Pluto said before vanishing.

"You look a little too worried about Helios. Should I be jealous?" Saturn mused.

ChibiMoon blushed. "He's just a friend."

"I know, I was just joking."

"She's joking, the end of the world's near," Dragon Venus said.

Saturn glared at him. "I've got a glaive and I'm not too tired to use it."

"Gotcha," Dragon Venus said.

"I wonder what kind of power Neherenia has," Moon noted. "Zirconia herself wasn't easy to deal with."

"I think we should heed Pluto's words and rest for a while," Mars said. "It's not like we can go knock at their door in our current state."

Jupiter nodded. "I feel like sleeping for two weeks."

"We've got an exam coming in three days," Mercury noted.

"Yay," Jupiter muttered. "Always the carrier of good news, aren't you?"

* * *

**A/N:** _MidnightRayne13:_ That was the first thing I thought anyone would guess, but nope, no luck there.

Second clue on Yukiko: Her name's an anagram. I don't think Japanese anagrams are easy to figure out, though.

Guess this episode shows what Helios was up to, but now the Senshi will have to go to the circus. And yep, having two smart friends and a pseudo-intelligent boyfriend can do wonders even for Minako.


	103. Who's That Girl?

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 103: Who's That Girl?.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 19, 2008_

* * *

Two days after their last battle, the Senshi were meeting at the base, waiting for Ami to tell them about what she had found. 

"I've found Helios," Ami said, "but the area he's in seems to be surrounded by an energy forcefield."

"So what? Let's go there and blast our way in," Mako said.

Aiko appeared near the others. "I've run several simulations, and not even a Planet Attack would break through that shield."

"So, what do we do now?" Usagi asked.

"I'm trying to find a way through," Ami said.

"Damn, I hate waiting like this," ChibiUsa complained.

"In the meantime," Usagi said, "I'm going to try and find out what that new girl's up to."

"Who, Hokuge?"

"Yes. Hana said she seems to be a normal girl," Usagi explained. "But I thought, who better than me to find out?"

Hotaru chuckled. "It could work, but be careful."

"Maybe she's just a normal girl," Mako said.

"That's what I hope, it would be cool to have a normal friend," Usagi said, then noticed the way the others were looking at her. "Uhm, I meant you're not normal, but not in a bad way."

"Run for the door, I'll cover you," ChibiUsa joked.

Usagi shook her head. "Okay, I'll be back later."

* * *

Minutes later, Usagi was at Crown. She was sure she had seen the new girl there the last few days, but today it seemed like she wasn't there. 

She was about to give up and go look elsewhere when the girl walked in. Usagi observed her, pretending to pay attention to the Pac-man game she had just started. Yukiko went straight for the Sailor V game and started playing.

Usagi decided this was as good a time as any for her investigation. She walked to the V game, and looked at the screen. Well, this girl was good at it, that much was obvious. "You're really good at that."

Yukiko nodded without taking her eyes off the screen. "Tsukino, right? It's quite a lucky coincidence finding you here."

"Huh? Why?"

"I've been asking around, and apparently, you're usually near when the Senshi show up."

"Uhh..." Had this girl found out her identity?

"Do you know who they are?"

"No, but I've seen them fight. Are you a fan of them?"

"I'm not a fan," Yukiko said.

"I see..." Then why the questioning? Was she an enemy in disguise?

"I'm their biggest fan ever," the girl added.

Usagi was quite surprised at that statement. "Really? I'm their fan too. They've saved me a few times in the past."

"Apparently, they've saved everyone in our group a few times."

_'Wow, she's really done her homework.'_ "Do you know who they are?"

Yukiko smirked at that. "Not yet, but I'm going to find out."

Usagi nodded. "Well, I gotta go now, it was nice talking to you, Hokuge..."

"Call me Yukiko," the girl said, "or Yuki."

"Okay then, Yuki," Usagi said. "then call me Usagi, all my friends do."

Yukiko nodded and returned to the game as Usagi left. She couldn't tell why, but she felt something strange about that girl. Maybe she was one of the Senshi?

* * *

"Had any luck?" 

Usagi nodded at Minako. "Yeah. Yuki said she's the biggest fan of the Senshi."

"Then we have to be extra careful around her."

Mako snorted at that. "Oh come on, guys. I'm sure she's just a normal girl."

"She's not normal, she's a fan. Fans can get really annoying," Terry said, looking at Chie, who stuck her tongue at him.

Ami was looking at her computer's screen and shaking her head. "Okay, there's no way in."

"But we have to..." ChibiUsa started.

"We have to wait," Hotaru said. "They want our power, so they'll either let us in, or come fight us."

* * *

Neherenia looked at Helios from her prison. She was, right now, furious at him and his allies. "You... I should destroy you." 

Helios looked at the woman. Black hair, black eyes, a black gown, and a beauty that was at the same time enticing and intimidating. But he wasn't one to be intimidated by her, as he knew the one thing that stopped her from hurting him. "You should? Why don't you? Oh, I forgot, I trapped you inside your own dream mirror, didn't I? And from there, you can't do a thing.

"Why you..."

"Relax, Nightmare Queen," Helios said calmly. "Zirconia isn't dead, Pluto just sent her a few days into the future. But I bet she will have some good news for you when she returns."

Neherenia looked at the boy and grimaced. He was right about something, no matter how she hated to admit it. Right now, she was quite powerless. Her main warrior gone, and her Amazons were all beaten up and healing.

She didn't like to wait, but then again, she had waited inside the mirror for centuries now, while her soldiers traced Helios down. She could wait for a few more days.

* * *

Three more days passed without news from the enemy, and Usagi had used that time to befriended Yukiko. Other than the borderline unhealthy attraction to the Senshi the girl felt, there was nothing to indicate she could be an enemy, or a superbeing of any sort. 

"You sure have a lot of friends."

Usagi looked at the girl. "Sure do. I guess making friends comes naturally to me."

"I'd bet, you're the first friend I've got in this city."

"I could introduce you to my friends."

"No, actually... I want to meet the Senshi. Can you help me with that?"

Usagi cringed. Was the girl using her to get to the Senshi? Not that it would be hard for Usagi to arrange a meeting, but it would still hurt a bit.

Yukiko seemed to read her mind and sighed. "It sounds as if I'm using you to get to them, right? It wasn't my intention, I wouldn't like ruining the only friendship I've had in years."

Usagi looked at the girl. She seemed sincere about it. "You had no friends before?"

"No. That's a part of why I became so... Obsessed with the Senshi. I thought it would be cool to meet them, to be their friends. Maybe be a part of their group."

"I don't think being a part of that group's an option. For what I heard, they're using some kind of magic, and they're born with it. "

"Oh? I knew about the magic, but not about them being born with it... "

"Well, being at the place they supposedly live in, you hear a lot of things that aren't rumored anywhere else." Usagi hoped the girl had bought that, but somehow she doubted it.

"I suppose that's true," Yukiko said. "But tell me, do you really know the Senshi?"

Usagi sighed. "I can't tell you who they are."

"I'm not asking that of you. I suppose they're like all superheroes, having to hide their true identity from the media. I just want to meet them."

"Maybe you should walk around the city and be attacked by a monster, then."

Usagi saw Hotaru walking to them and frowned. What was she doing here?

"Hmmm... Tomoe, right?"

Hotaru nodded. "Usagi, remember we have a study meeting later today. "

Usagi was about to ask what Hotaru meant, but then realized she couldn't talk about the base in front of Yukiko. "Yes, I remember. I'll be there in a few hours."

"Good. I'll see you around, then."

As Hotaru walked away, Yukiko smirked. "She doesn't seem too friendly."

"You should've seen her when we first met. Some of my other friends thought she was a robot."

"That bad, huh?" Yukiko mused.

* * *

Zirconia appeared in Neherenia's chamber, only noticing Helios' presence briefly before turning to the Queen. "Your Darkness, I've found something incredible in that last battle." 

"Told you," Helios mused.

Neherenia looked at Zirconia. She looked bruised and quite out of energy. It was the first time she had seen Zirconia like that... Actually, the first time she had seen her like that, and not caused the bruises herself. "I'm listening."

"The Senshi... They did this, they managed to hurt me. If they grow in power, they may even be able to fight you."

"That's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible for us Senshi," Helios mused.

"Very well, then," Neherenia said. "Try to heal as fast as you can. I will send the Amazons to deal with our enemy." Zirconia bowed and vanished. The trapped Queen turned to Helios. "As for you, little, lost Senshi boy, it doesn't matter if your friends come here. I'll be out of this mirror soon, and once that happens, they will all die, just like your other friends did."

"Such overconfidence... The same you had when I trapped you there. But you should be careful, these Senshi may even be stronger than you."

"I doubt that. But don't worry, I'll make sure you see them all die before I kill you myself."

* * *

Later on, the group was meeting at their base. Ami was finishing up some complicated simulation, and nodded. "There is a way through that shield, but it all depends on an unknown factor." 

"What would that be?" Minako asked.

"It all comes down to knowing if we can do a Planet Attack sort of team attack, but with our dream power."

"Can't we test it here?" Usagi asked.

"The base's walls wouldn't withstand the power output," Aiko said. "It would possibly dig a nice hole through it and through the rocks around this place."

"Then what can we do?"

"Trust luck," Chie said.

"If it fails, Usagi will be hurt for naught."

Usagi smiled at Rei. "I've done it before, Rei."

"Me too, and it hurt a lot."

"You knew it would," Usagi countered.

"Yes, but I had to do it, I wouldn't abandon one of my friends..." Rei stopped and looked at Usagi. "Right. I get it."

Usagi nodded. "I have to do this, we have to rescue Helios."

"I don't have to like it," Rei said.

Aiko looked up and frowned. "How the fuck...?"

"Watch the language, girl," Terry noted.

"Oops," Aiko said. "But anyway... The enemy's back."

"Where are they?"

Aiko pointed up. "Right over our heads. Literally."

Usagi nodded. "Let's beat them, then we'll go rescue Helios."

* * *

**A/N:** See, Yukiko's just a fangirl. Seriously. That's all there is to her. (Yeah, right.) 

I'll throw in another clue: Her name's an anagram for the name of a canon villain. Or to be exact, the Japanese word for that villain's name.

_BleuFleur:_ The Heart Crusher was her trademark attack in the old version of this fic, but that doesn't mean it's the last attack that will involve pink hearts and lots of pain.

And now you're all thinking: Oh my God, Helios was a Senshi too? I never said I wouldn't add one more twist to this thing, now did I?


	104. Dream Warriors

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 104: Dream Warriors.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 21, 2008_

* * *

"Oh, how cute, they're all here," JunJun cooed. 

"Now we can kill them all easily," Tiger Eye commented.

Moon looked at their enemies. They were all there, except for Zirconia, and had brought a small army of monsters along. "Dragons, take care of the monsters. We'll take care of the uglier ones."

"That's a good plan," Mars admitted. "Guess being around Mercury so much did affect you in a good way."

Moon smiled at her. "Let's just beat them so we can go greet their queen."

"That's so not happening," JunJun snapped.

* * *

"General, the Senshi are fighting again." 

"Big deal. Where are they fighting this time?"

"Right outside their own base. Seems like this enemy tracked them down."

"Are there civilians in the area?"

"Unfortunately, yes. We're evacuating them, but it may not be fast enough."

"Do your best, and... Keep me informed, Seia."

"Will do, sir."

* * *

Even outnumbered, the Amazons were strong. Stronger than last time, ChibiMoon noted as she saw VesVes kick Uranus away. "This is weird, they weren't this strong before." 

FishEye leapt at her, but the pink Senshi backflipped, dodging the attack. "I know what you're thinking, how did they get that strong in such a short time?"

"Enlighten me," ChibiMoon said.

Fish Eye tried a jab, but ChibiMoon caught his fist, sending him flying over her head. "Ow... Okay, I'll tell you. We're using Helios' dream energy to feed our own nightmare powers. Also, our Queen is using said energy for her own purposes..."

ChibiMoon knew what the gender-challenged alien meant. She knew Helios had trapped Neherenia into her own dream mirror, so maybe... "Oh, I see... Guess we'll have to kill your group fast, then."

Fish Eye barely missed the sword slash that followed. "Nice sword, girl, too bad it can't touch me."

* * *

Jupiter dodged Tiger Eye's kick, and countered with a punch to the ribs that caused him to stagger back. She followed up with a kick to the head, bringing the man down. "Hah. So much for you." 

"Don't be so sure," Tiger Eye snapped and shot a blast at point blank. "Dumb girl, he muttered as he staggered up, only to be knocked back down by a kick from behind. "Damn..."

"You really shouldn't forget there's other Senshi around besides Jupiter," Earth said, "even if she's too cute to not stare at."

Jupiter stood up and smiled at Earth. "Let's tag team this idiot."

"Sounds fun."

* * *

Dragon Sun leapt over one of the creatures, barely missing a claw slash. As he landed, he spun around, swiftly beheading the attacker. Another creature lunged at him, but he blocked it with his sword. A third monster leapt at him from behind, and he ducked, causing the monster to tackle the one he had grappled with. "You're numerous, but not smart." 

Suddenly, energy blasts started raining on the battlefield. Looking up, the Dragons could see Game Master, Ann, Ail and Nova were providing aerial support. Dragon Mercury leapt up to the roof of the 'abandoned' dojo and smiled. "Thanks for the help."

Nova nodded. "We all thought you could use a little help here. Now go and help your friends."

"Gotcha," Dragon Mercury said and leapt off the roof, following the other Dragons as they rushed to help the Sailors.

* * *

"Dream Pyre!" 

"Ice Illusion!"

Both blasts hit their mark, sending ParaPara crashing through a bakery's front wall. She came out covered in several kinds of frosting, and looking very angry. "Why you bitches... Die!"

Mars and Mercury leapt over the blast, but it pierced through a building, bringing it down. Mercury grimaced. "There weren't any civilians there, but we can't let them destroy the city like that. "

"Agreed."

"Terry? What..."

"The sidekicks are taking care of the clowns," the Dragon explained.

"I thought you Dragons were the sidekicks," Mars teased.

ParaPara gave a battlecry as she rushed at the three. Dragon Mercury looked at her dismissively and tossed a few bombs at her. "Illusion Mist."

The attack looked pretty much like his ice bombs, but the cloud was much thicker. Mars rose an eyebrow and smiled. "That cloud's extremely cold, so let's try this... Dream Pyre!"

A column of fire shot from under the cloud, causing a large explosion that knocked ParaPara up and away, and smashed several windows around them to pieces. "Uh, Rei, remember what I said about not destroying the city?"

"Shut up and let's help the others," Mars muttered.

* * *

CereCere dodged Moon's sword and winced. "Guys, we should regroup. " 

VesVes fell near her. "Ow... I agree, they're no pushovers, even with our extra power."

"I thought this would be easier," Hawk Eye noted.

As the seven villains gathered, the Senshi took the break to try and recover. "They're quite strong."

Moon nodded at Lilith. "But we will win in the end."

"Hah! You're daydreaming, girl."

Tiger Eye frowned. "We should use that technique now."

"Oh, come on. We can beat them with our normal stuff," VesVes said.

"Better safe than sorry," ParaPara commented.

"And it's cute and painful, too!" JunJun beamed.

VesVes looked around. "Hey, whatever happened to the lemures?"

There was a loud explosion, and the head of a humanoid ferret came flying in, falling right in front of the Amazons. Nova and the other 'sidekicks' floated to where the Senshi were. "We happened."

CereCere groaned. "Okay, that's enough. Let's do it."

"Yay, time to kill!" JunJun cheered.

"That girl's got issues," Saturn muttered.

As the Amazons started gathering energy, Mercury gasped. "Guys, they're going off scale again."

"As usual," Mars muttered.

The seven villains all slammed their fists into the ground in unison, and they all glared at the Senshi. "Endless Nightmare!"

The Senshi all gasped as they were surrounded by a dark-hued bubble. Seconds later, lightning-like energy arcs started circling inside the bubble, causing them all to scream in pain. When the attack ended, they didn't seem too healthy anymore.

"What the fuck was that?" Earth muttered.

"Good thing the 'endless' bit wasn't true," Dragon Sun commented.

"World, stop spinning," Venus snapped at nobody in particular.

Moon and ChibiMoon stood up despite the alarms their bodies wer giving. Moon glared at the villains "I won't..."

"... Give up," ChibiMoon finished.

"Aww, they stood up," JunJun said. "Can I kill them? Pleeeease?"

CereCere sighed. "Okay, okay, you do it."

"You shouldn't be all standing so close to one another," ChibiMoon said calmly.

"Yes? And why's that?" ParaPara asked amusedly.

"Because... Pink Sugar Heart Crusher!" The Amazons didn't have enough time to look up before the large heart fell on them all. ChibiMoon fell to her knees and grimaced. "Mom... get them..."

Moon nodded. "We will rescue Helios, no matter how many enemies we have to get through for it." She concentrated for a second, and her disc appeared floating in front of her. "Time to try something new. Moonlight..." The disc fled forwards, heading straight for the pink heart, but flipped into a vertical position midways. "Screen!" As Moon shouted that last word, the disc lit up, energy shooting all around it and creating a man-sized energy disc that slammed into the heart.

The explosion that ensued was stong enough to knock the two Moons down, but as the dust settled, everyone noticed something.

"Hey, where are the three jocks?" Lilith asked.

"Aww crap, we're going to get an earful for this," VesVes complained.

"Let's kick their asses," CereCere said and stood up. Tried to, anyway. "Damn..."

Moon sighed. "Anyone's got any power left?" assorted moans and groans from the others were the only reply. "Thought so."

Just then, Zirconia appeared, floating over the battlefield. "You human pests costed me three of my soldiers. I'm not going to..."

Pluto appeared between the Senshi and the woman. "You're not going to what?"

"Ack! Not you again!" Zirconia shouted, then vanished along with the four girls.

Pluto turned to the others. "They will need time to recover, but so will you."

"You could really have helped us this time," Venus snapped as she sat up. Her brain immediately told her sitting up wasn't such a good idea.

"Doesn't scarying Zirconia away count as helping?" Pluto asked.

"She's right," Dragon Venus commented.

"Well, she shouldn't be," Venus muttered.

"Uhm... Pluto?" Moon said.

"Yes?"

"Can you move us back to the base?"

"For once, I'm not mocking her," Mars said. "I don't feel like moving right now."

Pluto smirked. "Okay, I'll help you with that."

* * *

"That was a tough battle." 

Luna nodded. "I knew they would win."

"But shouldn't we help them?"

Luna looked at her daughter. "That power are only to be used in extreme situations."

"I know, but I feel useless just watching them fight. Besides ChibiUsa knows."

"She does?" Luna said with a blink.

"Yeah. I'd tell you how it happened, but you'll see it yourself in a thousand years."

Luna shook her head. "You got Artemis' sense of humor, I can see that."

* * *

"The battle's over." 

Kino nodded. "Good. How's the city looking?"

"Other than the holes in the roads, a building collapsing and several thousand dollars of property damage, the city's okay."

"I see... Just another showdown between the Senshi and their enemies, then."

Seia nodded. "That sums it all up."

* * *

**A/N:** _MidnightRayne13:_ I write fast, that's all there is to it... If not for videogames and real life getting on the way, I would probably write one episode (or maybe two) a day. 

_SailorStar9:_ He's just a Senshi from another world, no affiliations whatsoever with the censor bar Senshi. Never said there were Senshi in only two worlds, now did I?

Just so you know, Saturn's right. JunJun's head is quite messed up.

As for what Diana and Luna were talking about, it will most likely come into play on the next arc.


	105. Four Of A Kind

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 105: Four Of A Kind.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 22, 2008_

* * *

"Okay, we know where they are, we know how to get in, and we know they're waiting for us. Let's just go there and finish this." 

"Pinky, while you're partially right, we don't really know if the plan will work."

Usagi sighed. "Terry, I say we should go. We've all recovered from that battle already, and besides... If it doesn't work, we can retreat and think about something else."

"But..."

"I'm the one who's running the highest risk with that kind of attacks," Usagi said. "And I'm the leader. If I say we're going, we're going."

"Even if you said no, I would still go," ChibiUsa said. "A warrior knows when to follow orders, and when to follow their heart."

"Wow, that's some deep words there," Rei noted. "You sure you're her daughter?" she added pointing at Usagi.

"Actually, I just quoted something she once told me," ChibiUsa said. "Her future self said it, anyway."

Aiko looked up. "Hmmm..."

"What's wrong?"

"Your friend Hokuge is right outside the dojo," Aiko said.

"Must be a coincidence," Usagi said.

"She's been standing outside for the last fifteen minutes."

"If I show up there, it will look like too much of a coincidence."

"I'll go," ChibiUsa said.

"Me too," Hotaru said. At the others' look, she shrugged. "I'm bored. "

* * *

Yukiko looked at the building. It wasn't abandoned, but there wasn't anyone inside as far as she could tell. Whatever was in that building, she felt it was important. 

"That building looks weird, doesn't it?"

She turned to the voice. Two girls were there, one was Tomoe from her class, and the other... If not for the hair color and the fact she looked younger, she would think it was Usagi. "Uhm..."

"Believe it or not," ChibiUsa said, "my name is Usagi Tsukino. But everyone calls me ChibiUsa to avoid confusions."

"Oh, you're Usagi's cousin? I heard lots about you."

"Girl's a celebrity," Hotaru said. "What are you doing standing there, anyway?"

"Nothing, really, I just noticed this building was empty, and wondered who the owner is."

Hotaru looked at ChibiUsa, who smiled. "Well, this is one of Terry Zephyr's buildings. The front's empty, but from what I heard the back room's got enough security to make sure anyone wanting to trespass will be sorry."

"And what does he do there?"

"Some say it's his study place," ChibiUsa said.

"Others say he brings his test subjects here," Hotaru said in a quite ominous voice.

"Nah, Terry wouldn't do that," ChibiUsa said.

That explained why it was abandoned. If these two were telling her the truth, then she was back to square one. However, they could also be trying to cover up for something.

"Then again, what are the chances?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Yukiko said. "I gotta go, nice meeting you, girls."

ChibiUsa looked at Hotaru and smiled again. Yep, the girl had bought the half-truth without even blinking.

* * *

With that little crisis averted, the Senshi could focus on rescuing Helios. After a half hour of flight, they reached their goal: A circus. 

"Uhm... No, seriously, you sure this is the right place?" Dragon Venus mused.

"I told you, circus are evil," Venus muttered.

Mercury looked at the group of tents and nodded. "The forcefield is there, even though we can't see it normally."

"Then let's break through," Moon said.

"We are very sorry, but we can't let you do that," CereCere said as she and her allies appeared.

"Not with Neherenia so close to freeing herself," ParaPara added.

"And one she does, she'll kill you all very dead. Isn't that cool?" JunJun teased.

"Seriously, what's up with that girl?" Mars pondered.

"Mom dropped her on her head when we were all born," CereCere explained. "But nevermind that, you are not getting through this barrier."

Moon smirked. "I don't really like fighting, but if you ask so nicely..."

* * *

"The Senshi are where?" 

"Outside Tokyo, General. There's a circus a few miles away from the city, and apparently that's where the enemy was hiding."

Kino smiled. "Send in all we've got."

"General?"

The man looked at Seia. "I'm aware we won't do much damage, but I think it's time we stop letting the Senshi get all the credit."

Seia beamed. "That's the spirit!" As she said that, she produced her rocket launcher out of seemingly nowhere.

"Uhm... Where do you keep that thing anyway?"

"You're better off not knowing, trust me," Seia said with a serious face.

"You've been around Tomoe too much, haven't you?" Kino muttered.

* * *

Yukiko looked at her computer screen and sighed. "Okay, let's see... The Senshi are in my school, that can be accounted for as a fact. They need a place to gather secretly, and so far I've only found one place that fits that description in Juuban. Unless..." She typed something else in her computer. "Unless the place they're meeting at is run by people that knows who they are. Then that would make the search quite useless." 

But if that one place was really their base, then she couldn't risk going in. They probably had means to detect intruders, and getting on their bad side wasn't really in her plans.

She thought about something for a minute, then smiled. "Another thing to consider is, usually those in a team like theirs are all friends, or at least see each other regularly." Or, at least, that's how things went in manga. "So, I need to find a group of people big enough to at least be a part of the Senshi team."

For some reason, she felt like she already knew the answer. But why?

* * *

Helios looked up at Neherenia. "You know, you're not going to live past this day." 

"Empty threats won't do you any good, Helios. You're almost out of energy, and your friends will be killed by my soldiers."

"You always... Underestimate us Senshi."

"Did I, Dream Senshi? Did I really? The way I remember it, I killed all your friends personally."

Helios glared at her but said nothing.

"Oh, what's wrong? Hit where it hurts? It was pitiful, all you could do was trap me inside my own dream mirror... But don't worry, I'm about to solve that." As she said that, a crack appeared in the mirror's surface.

"No..."

Neherenia laughed. "Yes, dear Helios, your own energy's going to help me get free of this prison. And once that happens, I'll go kill those Earthlings personally."

* * *

The Senshi, of course, had planned in advance. That was something their four enemies hadn't considered, as they really weren't too fond of strategic combat. However, right now the Dragons were keeping the villains busy with close range combat, while the Senshi charged up energy. 

"Okay, team, let's do it!" Moon shouted after a few minutes of waiting. "Dream Barrage!"

"Dream Pyre!"

"Ice Illusion!"

"Waking Thunder!"

"Dream Star Light Smash!"

"Dream Wave!"

"Deadly Nightmare!"

"Gaia's Whisper!"

"Shadow's Call!"

"Dream Charm!"

"Oceanic Illusion!"

"Waking Breeze!"

The blasts all shot at the four villains, just as the Dragons leapt away. However, before they could hit, a dreaded figure appeared in front of the four, summoning up an energy barrier that stopped the attacks.

"Zirconia!"

The old woman frowned as two of the attacks got through the barrier, hitting her. "Damn... Those two Moon girls, we need to kill them first!"

Pluto appeared in front of the Senshi, protecting them much like Zirconia was protecting the four evil girls. "Senshi, you need to use your Planet Attack."

"Out of the way, time slut," Zirconia snapped.

"Sorry, I can't do that," Pluto said.

"Then die!"

The five shot energy blasts at the Senshi, but Pluto rose her staff, creating a forcefield that deflected them all. "You don't know what you're messing with."

"Let's do what she said," Moon said, "it's what we got here for, anyway."

ChibiMoon smiled. "But don't aim for the barrier."

"Huh?"

"Ever heard the saying "two with one stone?" Well, this could be six with one stone."

Moon nodded as she looked ahead. Zirconia and the four Amazons were standing quite close, a large enough explosion could take them all out. "Got it. Guys, whenever you're ready!"

"You heard her!" Mars said.

The other Senshi all shot their attacks as one, all aiming for their leader. Moon winced as the attacks hit, but recovered fast enough. "Dream Planet Attack!"

Zirconia was busily shooting energy blasts at Pluto, so she didn't notice the incoming blast. Some of her soldiers, however, did.

"Oh boy, that's going to hurt like a bitch," VesVEs said as she saw the large energy beam.

"Pretty colors!" JunJun cooed.

Zirconia realized what they were talking about and gasped. "What the darkness is that?"

Moon fell to her knees as the attack hit. The explosion caused was blocked by Pluto's shield, but a breeze picked up thanks to the blast. "We... Did we get them?"

As the smoke cleared, Mercury nodded. "The Amazons are gone, and so is the shield. But Zirconia is still there!"

Zirconia smirked as she vanished, phasing through Pluto's shield, and appearing right next to Moon, her hand already shining with energy. "Goodbye, little bitch," she said, then gasped. Looking down, she could see the lower part of Pluto's staff coming out of her chest.

"Never call the Princess a bitch," Pluto said coldly as she pulled her staff out of the old woman's body, which disintegrated in a blink.

Moon stood up slowly and smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Pluto said smiling back.

"Okay, now let's go and kick that bitch queen's rear out of this world," ChibiMoon said.

Neherenia appeared meters away from the group. "I'll save you the trouble of looking for me." She looked at ChibiMoon and smiled. "And don't worry, Helios isn't dead. I wanted him to be alive so he can watch me kill you all."

ChibiMoon summoned her sword and glared at the woman. "Funny, you're a Nightmare Queen, yet you're dreaming for the impossible."

* * *

**A/N:** I've realized something, a major reason not to upload anything yet for the two future parts of this saga. There's one major event that will be spoiled by both Crystal and Aeons, and I really don't want it spoiled yet. So, instead, they will be up whenever I get to Act 15 (around episode 140-150.) 

This episode's got another rarity. You know, I'm pretty sure this is the first episode where Pluto kills anything. Also, JunJun's last words kinda beat Jadeite's ones as the lamest ever said.

As a sidenote, yep, Yukiko's smarter than she seems, and she's focused in finding out who the Senshi are. Not a good combination for the Senshi, now is it? What will she do once she finds out who they are? Not telling.

_SailorStar9_: Loopholes are fun. They're the plot's main energy source.


	106. Nightmare's End

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 10: Cirque Du Lune.**

**Episode 106: Nightmare's End.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 23, 2008_

* * *

Neherenia summoned a dark energy blade and looked at ChibiMoon. "You will not survive this battle." 

"I don't care, as long as I bring you down," ChibiMoon snapped back.

"Poor little girl, so confident of her own abilities..." Neherenia said and jumped at her foe, going for a downwards slash.

ChibiMoon blocked the blade, but was sent skipping back. "Wow, stronger than I thought."

"I am the Queen of Nightmares. Nothing shall stand on my way."

Mercury looked at the others. "Guys, we gotta help her."

"Where's Pluto?" Uranus asked.

"Maybe she went back to her cozy time tunnel," Mars muttered.

"She's still around, but we have no time to worry about that," Dragon Mercury said. "Guys, let's help the Princess."

Neherenia's form split into several clones of herself as she saw the incoming Dragons. "I can take on you all at once."

"Well, isn't that cute?" Dragon Earth commented.

* * *

Helios looked at the green-clad Senshi and smiled. "Well, if it isn't the great Puu." 

Pluto gave him a half smile. "Need a hand with those chains?"

Helios nodded. The chains he had binded him to the wall behind him, but they were also imbued with an energy draining spell. "I can't break them myself. And I don't think you can, either, no matter how strong you are."

"Sometimes it's not about how powerful you are, but how your powers work. You should know that," Pluto said.

Helios was about to ask what she meant, when she shot some kind of blast at them, and a part of the chains vanished. "How did you do that?"

"If you could see the Princess' mind, you should know I control time. I know those chains can't be broken without wasting a lot of energy, but I simply moved a piece of them forwards in time."

"Amazing," Helios said. "We didn't have a Senshi like you back home. "

"There's no time for talking," Pluto noted. "The Senshi need our help."

* * *

Moon cringed as the Dragons were all sent flying back. "It's not working, we'll have to use the Planet Attack again." 

"No!" Mars said.

ChibiMoon was still fighting Neherenia, but overheard that and frowned. She ducked under the evil queen's slash, then kicked her strong enough to knock her down. Once she saw the woman going down, she tried to stab through her chest, but Neherenia stopped the blade with her bare hands. "Can't you die already?"

The woman smiled at her. "I was thinking exactly the same. Die!"

Moon paled as she saw a column of darkness rise from the place where her daughter was fighting the evil queen. ChibiMoon was sent flying up, falling near her with a loud thud. The pink-haired girl tried to stand up, but only managed to sit up and cough some blood. "ChibiUsa!"

"I'm fine, we have to..." As she tried to stand up again, she fell on her back. "Damn it, I'm..."

Saturn appeared next to her. "Don't worry, you're not dying on my watch."

Neherenia laughed. "Stupid humans, there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"I disagree."

Before Neherenia could turn to the voice, she was hit by a large barrage of bullets, missiles, grenades and several thin energy beams. The cloud that rose was quite large, and the Senshi could now see the attacker, or rather, attackers. The area was surrounded by tanks, trucks and jeeps, along with some jets that were flying over the area, still shooting their missiles at the place where Neherenia was standing.

Seia jumped on top of her tank and added a few rockets to the attack. "Okay, knowing our record, the bitch won't have a scratch. "

As the smoke cleared, however, everyone could see Neherenia's dress was ragged, and blood was running down her arms. "This..."

"We got her?" Seia asked, then rapidly added. "Of course, we got her. I was expecting that."

Saturn looked up from healing ChibiMoon and smiled. "Guess they're improving."

"Most likely it was the raw number of attackers that did it," Mercury said, "but it's still quite impressive they managed to hurt her, nonetheless."

Helios and Pluto appeared near the others. "Princess..."

ChibiMoon stood up slowly. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Even though those humans managed to hurt her, she won't be easy to defeat," Helios said. "Our powers aren't enough to do it."

"Are you saying she's invincible?"

"No, we need to combine our powers. I couldn't do that before, I was too weak."

"I thought Neherenia drained you?"

"I let her do it," Helios said. "I've still got energy to spare.

"Wha... Why?"

"Because I couldn't kill her while she was inside that mirror."

Neherenia snarled. "You're lying. You can't destroy me, Helios!"

"That's true. I can't kill you. I gave your sister my word."

"Ookay, now I'm lost," Dragon Venus muttered.

"I'll explain later," Helios said. "But now, I'll show you something not even Neherenia knows I have."

The evil queen took a few steps back as a multi-colored crystal appeared in Helios' hands. "The Dream Crystal..."

Helios looked at Moon then ChibiMoon. "I need you both to summon your crystals."

The two did as told, then gasped as energy started flowing from Helios' crystal and into their own. "What's happening?"

"This crystal belonged to someone I loved. She was the equivalent to Sailor Moon for my home planet, but was betrayed, and killed, by one of the Senshi, who allied with our enemies."

"Neherenia was a Senshi too?" Dragon Venus mused. "Okay, anyone who's not a Senshi, raise your hands!" As he said that, all the soldiers in the area did just that. "Eeeh... Okay, I jumped into it myself."

Helios smiled. "It's done."

"So, what do we do now?"

"You should be feeling it right now... The power of dreams and your own, fused into one."

Neherenia was tired of waiting, so she unleashed an energy wave straight at the Senshi. She smiled in victory, until she Pluto phase right in front of the group and stop her blast with a forcefield. "That's... Impossible."

"Nothing's impossible for us Senshi," Pluto said.

"I keep hearing that," Neherenia snapped, "but the ones home found defeating me quite impossible."

Moon and ChibiMoon both looked at the woman, their faces emotionless. "This ends now," Moon said. "Moon Dream Retaliation!"

"Illusion Hearts Barrage!"

A spiralling beam of energy fled towards the evil queen, along with a dozen pink hearts. The hearts combined with the beam, swirling around it, and the resulting explosion was strong enough to send a few tanks flying.

"Everyone okay?" Mercury asked as she picked herself off the ground.

Seia talked into her communicator then gave the Senshi a thumbs up. "Hey, I guess this is over, isn't it?"

Dragon Mercury nodded. "Yeah, we got that bitch queen."

"_'We'_?" ChibiMoon muttered.

Helios looked at the spot where Neherenia had been before the attack and sighed. "Finally, it's over."

"You're going to leave now, aren't you?"

Helios nodded. "I need to go back to my planet and take care of the few underlings she left behind there."

"Won't you need help?"

"Compared to Neherenia, the few evil beings left back home will be easy to deal with."

"I see..."

Helios smiled at ChibiMoon, then looked at Saturn. "Take care of her, okay?"

"No need to tell me that, I will," Saturn said. "Goodbye, Helios."

Helios returned to his pegasus form. "I won't say goodbye, because I feel like this isn't the last time we'll see each other. So... Until next time, Earth Senshi."

ChibiMoon kept staring at the spot where Helios had been for several seconds. "It's strange, but without him around, my mind feels a bit... Empty."

"Now you know what Usako feels," Mars said.

"Oh, don't you start, firebrain."

"Firebrain, that's a new one," Mars mused.

"No retort, what's wrong?"

"We've been kicked around by those dream morons for weeks now. I just want to go home and sleep for a month."

"Well, you can't, we have some..."

"Tests, we know," the others said in unison.

* * *

"Usagi, Usagi... I should've guessed it from the start." Yukiko looked at the data in her computer and nodded. "She's the only one with a group of friends large enough. But still, I can't be sure until I see any real proof." 

But how to do that? Walking to Sailor Moon in a battle and saying 'hey, I know you are Usagi' was both a dumb idea, and a dangerous one, seeing how their foes were always powerful creatures.

It didn't mean she would give up. If Usagi was really who she thought she was, then she had, in a way, already reached her goal. But she couldn't be sure of it until she found out the truth about the Senshi. A truth she felt so close, yet so far away.

* * *

ChibiUsa sighed. "So, it's time to go back?" 

Setsuna nodded. "Queen Serenity wants you to return home."

"This... Feels like home, too."

Usagi smiled. "Don't be sad, you will be seeing us all again."

"The arcane versions of us, anyway," Brad joked. Minako punched his ribs playfully, and he yelped.

ChibiUsa looked at Hotaru and blushed. "I'm sorry I have to go now, because..."

Hotaru vanished and reappeared just in front of her. "You don't need to apologize. I knew what I was getting into from the start."

"But we..."

Hotaru silenced her, much to everyone's surprise, with a kiss. As they separated again, Hotaru noticed the attention and blushed slightly. "I will be waiting for you, even if it's for a thousand years."

ChibiUsa hugged her, then looked at the others. "I guess... This is goodbye."

Usagi smiled. "No, as Helios said, this isn't really a goodbye."

ChibiUsa nodded and turned to Setsuna, who had already turned into Pluto. "Let's go." Pluto nodded at her, and then they were both gone.

Hotaru looked at the others, her blush not leaving her face. "I, uh..."

"No need to explain," Usagi said.

"Good, because I wasn't going to," Hotaru said, her face returning to her usual seriousness.

"Love's in the air... And I forgot the insecticide," Rei muttered.

* * *

A ghost. A faint memory. That was what she had been at first. But now she had grown strong, and she could feel the energy... The energy she had lusted for in life, the energy she had been so close to getting. 

Her revenge was close at hand, but she still had to rest for a while. Once she was healed, however, she knew her enemies wouldn't know what had hit them. They would all be dead before they knew she was even there.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh no, it's the return of the foreshadowing mysterious entity.

This episode wraps up the Neherenia arc. Up next, my favorite, the Sailor Stars season!

Yeah, that was sarcasm.

And just so it doesn't take anyone by surprise, I'm pulling a Toriyama between this and the next episode. You'll know what I mean when you read it.

**DavidJes/SailorStar9:** Yeah, looking back, those aren't good last words. I'll get back to that and write a better line later, and since doesn't bother telling on updated episodes, I'll have to note it here.


	107. Stage On!

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 107: Stage On!**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 25, 2008_

* * *

As Usagi reached her school, she noticed there was a crowd outside the gates, along with a few news vans. "Wow, wonder what's going on..." 

"You know that band everyone's been talking about lately? Apparently they're going to be studying at our school for a while."

Usagi wasn't even phased by Hotaru's trademark appearance. "You mean the Three Lights?"

"Yes. I don't really know what all those girls see in them."

"Yes, it's quite silly." Usagi laughed nervously.

"Something the matter?"

"No," Usagi said. "But how are we going to get through the crowd?"

The crowd was moving into the building by now "I don't think we can. "

"Some fans can get really annoying, huh?"

Usagi saw Chie and Karin walking their way. "You're not with the crowd?"

Chie shrugged. "I don't like being crushed to death." Though, with her improved strength and resistance, that would probably take more than a mob of insane fangirls.

"Looks like we're going to have to wait for that crowd to thin down, " Karin said with a groan.

"Maybe I could do some crowd control."

Terry and Ami walked to the others, and Usagi chuckled at the blonde's words. Then she realized something was wrong. "Wait a minute, guys... You're not in the classroom already?"

"We were up late studying," Ami said.

"Studying only?" Karin teased.

"That is none of your business," Ami said with a faint blush.

"Which just proves my suspictions," Karin noted.

Usagi looked around. "Ever had the feeling something big was going to happen soon?"

"Bigger than the three jocks moving to our school?" Hotaru noted.

"No, I mean... It's been almost one year since our last battle, guys. "

Ami was happy about the topic change. "We earned that break after saving the world ten times in a row."

Hotaru nodded. "It's weird, but I've been having the same feeling myself. Like something evil's lurking, and about to pounce at us."

"Hey guys, what are you all doing here?"

Usagi looked at Yukiko, then at Hotaru, then giggled. "Uhm... Well, we can't get through that crowd."

Yukiko nodded. "Looks like it's not going to die down anytime soon. I thought something like that was going to happen when I heard about the Three Lights being here."

"I still don't know what girls see in those three idiots," Terry commented.

"Hey, don't diss them, they're cool."

Minako, Rei and Mako all joined the others. Terry looked at Minako and grinned. "What are you, a member of their fan club?"

Minako proudly showed off a silvery card. Terry looked at it and chuckled. "Number two hundred and seventy-eight... That's something else."

Rei looked at the others and also produced a card, though it was bronze-colored. Mako and Karin both looked at it then showed their own cards. The three had a quite high number, all around two thousands.

Terry stared at them. "No... Way."

Chie smiled and showed her own card. "Number one hundred and twenty-six. Beat that."

Usagi fished into her pocket and, as expected, showed yet another card. "Number ninety-two."

"No way!" the others shouted.

Terry noticed Ami was fidgeting. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Ami reached her hand out, a golden one. Minako looked at it and gasped. "Number twenty-five?" No freaking way!"

"Et tu, Ami?" Terry mused.

"Sorry..."

Hotaru shook her head. "Apparently, I'm the only female in this school that hasn't been swallowed by the hype."

"Just give'em time, and you'll like them," Usagi said.

"I doubt it. Their songs sound like nails scratching a blackboard to me."

Terry smiled. "You know, you're possibly the first female I've heard saying that, ever since those three showed up."

Usagi noticed the crowd was now gone. "Okay, guys, I guess we should go to our classrooms."

"Yeah, the bell's about to ring," Rei said.

"What are you doing here anyhow?" Usagi asked.

"Grandpa thought since all my friends came to this school, it would be better for me to study here."

As the groupd walked into the classroom, however, they winced. The crowd hadn't vanished, it was all there. "Oh fuck, don't tell me those guys are going to be in _our_ classroom?" Terry muttered.

"Okay, I won't tell you," Umino said doing his usual out-of-nowhere entrance.

"Where's Naru?" Usagi asked.

"With the crowd," Umino said with a sigh. "What do those three have that I don't?"

"Money, looks, and a legion of fans following them everywhere."

"Other than that, I mean," Umino muttered.

"Just because she's swooning over them, it doesn't mean she doesn't love you," Ami said, glancing at Terry, who smiled at her.

Haruka and Michiru walked in right then, and both froze at the scene. "Oh, great."

"It may be nice to have some fellow musicians in the group," Michiru said.

Haruna walked in and looked at the crowd. "Oh dear, this looks worse than when Zephyr first showed up."

"Those were fun times, weren't they?" Terry mused.

"No, they weren't," Haruna said bluntly. "Okay, girls, everyone back to your own classrooms this moment!" the crowd ignored her. "If you're not out of this room in the next five seconds, I'm going to have you all suspended until whenever the Three Lights leave this school."

Usagi blinked in disbelief as the crowd all rushed out of the classroom, creating a soft breeze on their wake. "Wow..."

"I still know how to handle pests," Haruna said, then looked at Usagi. "And I'm glad most of the pests have grown up into at least average students."

"We thank you for clearing the room."

Usagi turned and saw the three guys. They looked taller in person, no matter how cliche that sounded. And they weren't bad to the eye, either.

Terry smirked. They were sitting at the front of the class, which was quite a good strategy. If they had been sitting in the back, the girls would have never paid attention to the teachers. "I see, so you're the Three Lights."

"You must be Zephyr," the black-haired guy said.

"That's me," he said as he sat in his place. "If you've got any problem with your manager, just tell me."

The white-haired one nodded. "Don't worry, we don't have anything to complain about. Well, other than the crowds."

"What are you talking about?" Mako said. "Do you have any contacts within Cyber Records?"

Ami giggled at that. Cyber Records was the company the Three Lights had a contract with, but few knew who the company's real owner was. "Oh, sure he's got contacts there..."

Terry looked at Mako and smiled. "Cyber Records is owned by Zephyr Corporation. Dad bought it a few years ago, wanting to expand the business."

"Well, students, if you're done with the socials..."

The brown-haired Light smiled at that. "I was wondering the same, we're here to get educated, not chat."

"I thought you were here to get publicity," Hotaru commented.

"That, too," the guy admitted.

* * *

After school, Ami and Terry were at the base, giving the last touch to yet another improvement for Aiko. "It seems to be working perfectly," Ami said. 

Terry looked at the screen, which showed an outside view of the base. "Test them separately."

Aiko nodded, and the image split into several smaller images, which then all zoomed in our out, changing their angles as well. "Yeah, they work."

Ami smiled. Sure, she knew the many micro-cammeras Terry had built (and she had helped with the final adjustments,) were basically so Aiko could give visual data along with her scannings whenever an enemy attacked. But there was something else Aiko could use them for. "Now you can see and hear outside the base."

"I've figured what I could do with this," Aiko said. "But I'll stay here, for now."

"Why?"

"Because I'm happy right now," Aiko said. "And I can observe the city with the cammeras without needing a body."

"I see..." Ami said.

"You look disappointed. Why?"

"Oh, no, not disappointed. Just surprised you don't want to go out into the world."

"Not yet," Aiko said, "but I didn't say I would never want to do it. "

"And speaking of the outside..." Terry said as a map appeared on the screen, with a location marked in it. "Aiko, get some cammeras there. "

"On my way, dad."

Ami looked at the map on the big screen and frowned. "Enemies?"

"So it seems," Terry said. As several images replaced the map, he groaned. "Who the fuck is that?"

Ami looked at the scene in a mix of shock and curiosity. Sailors Moon and Mars were fighting someone who looked like a Dragon, but instead of swords, he was waving manga around. "Should we help them?"

"The enemy's power is as high as Cosmic level Senshi," Aiko noted.

"Okay, then they may need our help," Terry said.

* * *

Usagi had decided to walk home along with Rei, and to tell her about what she was sensing. "It's strange, I feel as if I could tell there's something evil out there, but I'm not a psychic, or able to sense spirits like you can." 

"Maybe your Senshi powers are responsible," Rei said. "But it's been one year since our last battle. Maybe this time around, we'll have a few years of peace." As soon as she said that, there was a scream, and then a blinding light around the corner. "Very funny, Universe," she muttered.

Usagi and Rei looked around, making sure nobody was looking at them, then rushed into an alley and transformed.

* * *

Yukiko was walking around, searching for her friend Usagi. "Weird, I saw her walk in this direction with that priestess..." It was then that she saw Sailors Moon and Mars running out of an alley. "Well, if isn't that a neat coincidence?" 

Also, the Senshi had been unseen for almost one year, and now they were back so suddenly... That meant there was a new enemy around, and maybe she could be the one to hit the net first with the news.

* * *

When the two Senshi reached their goal, they stopped dead on their track. Standing over an unconscious Umino was a woman clad in a quite strange uniform, white with black trimming, and similar to their own Senshi suits. The woman's hair was as white as the suit, and had a pair of hair buns shaped like mouse ears. 

"Oh, I wasn't expecting the interruption," the woman said. "Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars, I presume?"

Moon noticed the woman was holding a small, seed-shaped item in her hand. "Who are you, and what did you do to him?"

"I'm Sailor Iron Mouse, and I'm here looking for the Golden Star Seed of this planet. Unfortunately, this kid here doesn't have it. "

"Sailor? So you're a Senshi?"

"I'm one of the Sailor Animates, a soldier of Queen Galaxia. And you, kids, are asking too many questions." Iron Mouse sent the seed back into Umino's body and smiled. "Rise, my warrior."

The two other Senshi took a step back as a dark mist surrounded Umino. When the mist vanished, he was still there, but clad in an uniform similar to that of a Dragon Senshi. "What the hell..."

Umino looked at the two and laughed. "Prepare to feel the wrath of Dragon Otaku!"

Iron Mouse smiled as she entered a police booth and closed the door. "See ya, girls."

As the booth vanished, Moon turned to the other problem. "Okay, Umino, I hate to do this, but... Moon Sword Stardust!"

The healing spell hit Umino, or rather Dragon Otaku, but he didn't even notice. "What was that, weakling?"

"Uh oh..."

Otaku laughed. "Let me show you a real attack. Kamihane-ha!"

Moon and Mars both leapt aside as a wave of manga pages shot by. "What the hell..." Mars muttered.

"I got you now. Kamihane-ha!"

"Mars Fire Tornado!"

Both attacks clashed, and obviously, Mars' one turned Otaku's attack into ashes. The tornado kept going, and hit Otaku, sending him staggering back. "Ow."

"Crap, I hoped that would knock him out."

Moon grimaced. "Wait, we can't hurt him!"

Otaku produced two rolled up manga and rushed at them. Sailor V manga, Mars noticed idly before leaping away as the strange Senshi tried to pound her down with them. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous. "

"Oh, but I'm just getting started," Otaku said.

Moon looked at the 'Dragon' and nodded. "I see. We'll need to tire him down before our healing spells work."

"How do you know?" Mars asked.

"Beats me," Moon said, "but what else can we do, keep dodging until help arrives?" Mars had to admit, the blonde had a point. "Fire Tornado!"

This time, Otaku leapt over the flames, coming down at Mars and slamming both manga on her head. Moon winced as Mars fell unconscious, and the Dragon laughed. "There, hothead, now you can chill."

"Mars..." Moon looked at Mars, then back at the pseudo-Dragon. "Now you've done it, nobody hurts my friends and leaves unscratched."

"Oooh, I'm scared. Kamihame-ha!"

Moon leapt out of the way. "Will you cut it with that attack already?"

"That's my intention," Otaku said.

Moon groaned. The bad jokes weren't helping the case, either. "Okay, I'm tired of this, so... Moon Tiara Boomerang!"

Dragon Otaku slapped the tiara away with his manga, then turned around and slapped it away as it came back at him. "Please, I know all your moves."

"You don't."

"Oh crap," Otaku muttered as he realized his mistake. He had to turn around to hit the tiara the second time, and that gave Moon enough time to get close to him.

"Moon Cosmic Retaliation!"

The two Mercuries fled in just in time to see that last attack. "Moon, who's that?"

Moon didn't answer, instead shooting her healing spell at the fallen Dragon. "Moon Sword Stardust!"

As the creature's form changed into that of Umino, Mercury gasped. "How did this happen?"

"Let's go back to the base," Moon said.

Mars stood up clutching her head. "Damn, that hurt..."

Mercury looked around "Okay, let's go, I need as much data as you can tell me about this new enemy."

"They're Senshi too," Mars said. "Iron Mouse didn't look like a fake. "

"Iron Mouse?" Dragon Mercury said. "Who's next, a metal butterfly Senshi?"

"After that Otaku Senshi thing?" Mars mused. "I wouldn't be surprised at all."

* * *

As the Senshi left, Yuki was looking at them from a rooftop. "Senshi fighting Senshi... But that Iron Mouse isn't anyone I've seen before." She had to spread the news, and fast. The Senshi were back, and that gave her one more chance to find out who they really were.

* * *

**A/N:** For those wondering, 'kami' means God, but also 'paper,' and 'hane' means 'wing.' So the attack's name would mean something like "Paper Wing Sword." And I just know Son Goku's lawyers are going to be knocking at my door soon. 

_DavidJes:_ You'll have to wait for that, I'll show a bit of the future in one of the next arcs. How long until that? Just a few dozen more episodes.

And if by small piece you meant something separated from the main story, nope, nothing like that's going to happen. Still, I don't think you'll be disappointed at how their relationship will develop in the future (and I don't just mean the distant future...)


	108. Warwitch

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 108: Warwitch**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: January 29, 2008_

* * *

Umino grimaced as he heard Usagi's description of the battle they had fought less than one hour earlier. "I guess I'm lucky I don't remember any of it." 

"Kamihane-ha, though?" Terry mused.

"Well, it's fitting, they were papers and they looked sharp enough," Rei said.

"About that Iron Mouse girl..."

"There's no data about her in my computer," Ami said. "Or of that Galaxia she spoke of."

"We should ask the Mooncats," Mako said.

Just then, Luna walked in through one of the secret entrances the base had. "Ask me about what?"

"Umino was attacked by someone today, and that woman took a seed-like object from him. When we faced her, she put that thing back into him, and he turned in some kind of weird Senshi."

"The woman called herself Sailor Iron Mouse," Rei added. "And said something about Queen Galaxia."

Luna flinched. "Impossible. She can't be the same one."

"What?"

"There was a legend, back in Silver Millenium, about how the Senshi Swords and the Ginzuishou had really ended up on Earth."

"I thought nobody knew," Ami noted, "or at least that's what I could guess from looking at the data on those swords."

"Well, it's just a legend, but apparently, mankind wasn't originally from the Earth. Humans were a branch of an older, widespread civilization that had colonized countless worlds. However, when the homeworld vanished, the colonies gradually lost contact with one another."

"And there were Senshi back then?"

"Most likely there were. There was a battle between the Senshi from the Sun colonies, and a Senshi that had been corrupted by evil. The Senshi of this world lost, and most of that civilization was destroyed by that dark Senshi. If that legend is true, humans today are the descendants of that ancient civilization of which no records were left, even back in Silver Millenium."

"Okay, and all this history lesson is because...?" Karin prodded.

"Because the Senshi mentioned in that legend, the corrupt one, was called Sailor Galaxia."

"Uhm... I hope her name doesn't mean what I think it does," Terry said with a shiver.

"Huh?" The others asked.

"Think about it. Moon gets her powers from the Moon, Mars from Mars, and so on. So Galaxia gets her powers from the whole galaxy?"

Ami cringed. "That much power would make her invincible."

"Legends aren't always true," Mako said, "and even if they are, they're often not as big as they make them sound."

"Hope you're right," Luna said. "Maybe this Galaxia is just using that legend's name to scare her enemies away."

"Or maybe she's a few hundred thousand years old," Mamoru said.

"Eww, she must look horrible," Minako exclaimed.

* * *

Yukiko smiled as she saw Usagi walk out of the 'abandoned' dojo. "The Senshi walk in, and half an hour later, Usagi walks out." That was all the proof she needed, to know who she was. 

But now that she knew, should she tell her about it, or just keep playing dumb?

As she walked away from the building, her shadow seemed to shift for a second, becoming someone else, but the strange shadow was gone as swiftly as it had appeared, and Yukiko herself didn't seem to notice it.

* * *

First thing Usagi noticed as she entered her house, was the small girl sitting on the couch. It gave her all sorts of deja-vu feelings, specially since the girl looked a lot like the one other girl that had, once in the past, appeared in her house uninvited. "Who are you?" 

"Chibi?"

Ikuko walked out of the kitchen and smiled. "Usagi, don't be mean to your sister now."

"Sister?" Usagi said with a gasp. "Not again..."

"Chibi!"

She looked at the girl. True, her hairdo was similar to hers, with her hairbuns shaped as hearts rather than spheres, and her reddish-pink hair looked way too similar to ChibiUsa's. But still, there was something about the girl that she couldn't really trust.

"Chibi? Chibi!"

That, and the fact she was, at most, three, and apparently only spoke with one word. As Ikuko left the room, Usagi sat besides the small girl, trying to sense anything about her. Either her 'power' wasn't working, or this girl wasn't evil.

Then again, how could something that cute be evil?

"Chibi?"

"You sound like a Pokemon," Usagi said.

"Chibi!" The girl said with a frown.

Well, at least she apparently understood what Usagi said. Now if the same could be said about the opposite... "Uhm... Do you have a name?"

"ChibiChibi!"

Usagi blinked. "Are you sure?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Chibi!"

"Okay, if you say so," Usagi mused. Just then, she noticed Luna standing on top of the stairs, looking down at her. "Hmmm... I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

"Chibi."

Usagi walked up and into her room, and Luna followed her. Once they were both inside, she sighed. "So, who's that girl?"

"Beats me," Luna admitted. "She was here when I got home, and apparently she altered your parents' memories much like ChibiUsa did. "

"If only she spoke normally," Usagi said.

"I'm not sensing any energy from her," Luna noted, "which either means she's a normal human being, something I doubt," she paused to think her next words through, "or she can avoid detection."

"She's not evil."

"How can you know?"

"I just know," Usagi said. "But I wonder who the girl really is... "

"I have my guesses," Luna admitted, "but I need to talk it through with a certain green-haired woman."

"Let's call everyone to the base," Usagi said. "I'll tell mom I'm taking the girl out for a walk."

"Is it safe to take her there?"

"Stop being so paranoid," Usagi muttered. "Besides, with the whole Senshi team there, Pluto included, no evil could really stand to us. "

* * *

Half an hour later, the group was once again gathered, and looked as ChibiChibi chased the three Mooncats around. "You know, she looks uncomfortably familiar," Hotaru noted. 

"Is Pluto coming?"

The pale girl nodded. "I told her about this, she said she would be here."

"And here I am," Pluto said appearing next to Hotaru.

"Chibi!" ChibiChibi squeaked at the sudden appearance, then forgot about it and kept on chasing after Shade.

"Setsuna, do you know who she is?" Usagi asked.

"Yes," Setsuna said, "but I cannot tell you yet."

"Just tell me she isn't who I think she is," Hotaru said.

"You mean, daughter of the future Queen Serenity?" Terry asked.

"Maybe, or maybe she's the daughter of the future Princess Serenity, " Hotaru explained.

Usagi looked at the small girl then gasped. "No way..."

Pluto chuckled. "Despite the uncanny resemblance, no, she's not related to any of the Crystal Tokyo royalty."

"So, who is she?"

"As I said, I can't tell you that. Just be warned, let no harm come to this girl, because she will help you more than you could imagine. "

"Chibi!"

Pluto looked down at the girl and smiled. "Of course."

"Huh? You understand her?"

"Listen not with your ears, but with your hearts," Pluto said.

Hotaru groaned as Pluto vanished. "Gee, she should stop doing that. "

The group looked on as ChibiChibi resumed her chasing of the three Mooncats. "Should we stop her?" Mako mused.

"Nah, Artemis is a bit fat, the workout will only help him."

"Mina, don't make me scratch that pretty face of yours," Artemis snapped as he run for dear life.

* * *

Iron Mouse was walking through a corridor, when she noticed someone heading her way. Even without looking at this person, she could tell when she was near, because of the power she seemed to emanate. "G-Galaxia?" 

"You've failed, Mouse."

"I'm sorry," Iron Mouse said as she bowed to the woman. "I will keep on looking for the golden seed carrier."

"Remember, I don't have time to waste."

"What about the Senshi of this word?"

"I'll take care of them personally. But they aren't a threat to our mission, so just ignore them for the time being."

* * *

Naru was walking home from school, thinking about what Luna had said. A Senshi with the power of the whole galaxy? That was a quite frightening thought. 

"Excuse me, young lady, can you tell me how to get to this address?"

Naru looked at the woman who had just talked to her. Short, with silvery hair and black eyes, holding a paper in her hand. "Uhm, yes, let me see..." Naru looked at the paper and nodded. "That's pretty close from here, you just have to turn right two blocks from here, and then keep walking, you'll eventually get there."

The woman smiled at her. "Thanks. Can I ask one more favor from you?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I want you star seed."

Naru's eyes widened as she heard those words, but the woman gave her no time to react. She put a hand on Naru's forehead as she returned to her true form, and as she pulled the hand back, a small, seed-like item floated out of Naru's forehead. "Aww crap, this one isn't the one either."

"Stop it right there!"

Iron Mouse turned around as Naru fell unconscious, and stared at the figure standing there. "Who are you?"

The figure was wearing an uniform much like the Senshi's, only it was all red. She had no tiara or gloves, and wore flat-heeled boots. But what took the cake was the red wing-shaped mask she wore over her eyes. "You may call me Warwitch, and I'm here to banish evil beings like you."

Iron Mouse laughed. "Oh dear... A wannabe superheroine, is it?"

The girl smiled. "Wannabe? Fire Claw."

Mouse saw a massive, fiery claw come out of the ground, and before she could react, it closed around her. "Ow ow ow ow... Really, is this supposed to hurt?"

"I didn't think it would, but what's coming, on the other hand, will surely hurt."

"Huh?"

"Cosmic Retaliation."

Warwitch nodded at Moon. "You're right in time."

Iron Mouse stood up and glared at Moon. "I see you're no pushover, Moon. You may beat me in a fair battle, but why should I stay and fight, when I can leave others to do it for me?"

Moon took a step back as Naru transformed. Instead of her usual suit, she was now wearing one made entirely of diamonds. "Wow..."

"Prepate to face the dazzling power of Sailor Jewel!" Naru boasted.

"... Sailor Jewel?" Warwitch muttered.

"I'll need a distraction to beat her," Moon commented.

Warwitch nodded. "Done. Wisp Storm!"

Moon blinked in shock as a dozen small, floating light orbs surrounded Jewel and started shooting laser beams at her. Jewel countered by throwing some crystals at them, destroying several of them before she turned back to her foes.

Or rather foe, Jewel noticed. Now where was that Moon girl?

"Cosmic Retaliation! Sword Stardust!"

As Naru returned to normal, Moon turned to Warwitch. "Who are you?"

"I'm Warwitch, and I'm here to help."

Moon nodded. "Thanks for the help, then."

The other girl smiled. "You're welcome. Teleport!"

Moon smiled as she saw Naru stirring. "Welcome back."

"Did you get that woman?"

"With a little help," Moon said.

* * *

**A/N:** You may be wondering when the rest of the Senshi are going to hit Cosmic level. For the time being, I want to focus more on them fighting with what they've got, rather than powering up once a week. 

As for "Warwitch," well, I do hope you can bet who she is. Not that that's the only secret the girl has.

Where are the Starlights, you ask? Don't worry, they'll be around soon.


	109. The Good, The Bad And The Starlights

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 109: The Good, The Bad And The Starlights.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 4, 2008_

* * *

"Where's your father? I haven't seen him in months." 

"Well, I don't see him much, either," Terry said. "He's always busy with the company."

Ami sighed. "Yeah, I know how that is."

Terry looked at the computer he was working on and winced. "It just won't work."

Ami looked at the data, then at Aiko. It wasn't the real Aiko, as they were at the mansion right now, but a copy Terry had made hours ago. Problem was, the copied Aiko wasn't alive, worse yet, it wasn't even working as an AI at all. "Maybe her soul can't be copied."

"I've tried every known method to copy her program, and it's always the same. I'm worried about her."

"Why? Blackouts won't affect her."

"But if the computer is destroyed..."

"We'll have to tell Aiko about it," Ami said. "She may be able to find a solution to the problem."

"That's why I love you, you always see ways around our problems I don't see."

Ami blushed slightly. "Don't tease."

* * *

"Galaxia is already here." 

"She's looking for this planet's golden seed. But she must also be looking for our Princess."

"We can't let her get the Princess. We will have to fight and get one of her underlings."

"What about the Senshi of this world?"

"Ignore them. We're not here to save their world."

* * *

Minako entered the classroom and looked around in awe. "Wow, no crowd? What happened?" 

"I hired some bodyguards to keep them away from the Three Lights."

Minako looked at Terry. "For someone who doesn't like them, you sure help them..."

"They're making money for my company, I have to make sure they stay alive."

"We're here, you know? Stop talking about us like we're not listening," the white-haired Light said.

"Sorry, Yaten," Minako said.

"Still, it is a good thing that we don't have to swim through an endless wave of fans to get to our classroom," the brown-haired guy noted.

"Sure thing, Taiki, because school is so much fun..."

"It is for me, Seiya."

"Come on, guys, school _is_ fun," Ami said.

"Yeah, right," most of the class said in unison.

* * *

Minako was heading home when she saw someone across the street. "Hotaru?" The girl's body language told her she wasn't in a good mood, heck, she felt sad just by looking at her. She walked to the pale girl and smiled. "Hey, Hotaru, what's wrong?" 

"None of your business."

Definitely not a good mood. "If you saw one of your friends like that, you would want to know what's wrong, wouldn't you?"

Hotaru sighed in defeat. She wasn't in the mood to argue about it, and Minako did have a point anyway. "I miss her," she said as she looked at Minako.

Minako nodded at that "I can only imagine how hard it is for you. Waiting for a thousand years, with all the battling we'll surely go through, and..."

"You're not helping," Hotaru said bluntly. Really, she sometimes wondered about Minako. Unlike Usagi, she didn't seem to have matured at all since she first saw her.

"Yes, I'm not helping... But I think of all that as a trial. Sometimes you have to go through hell to be with the one you love, but in the end, it's all worth it."

"But waiting for so much time, it's just... Look at me, it's only been one year and I'm already like this."

"I admire you for that," Minako said.

"What?"

"I'm serious. I wouldn't last for three months being away from Brad."

"I see."

"Besides, Hotaru, you're forgetting one little detail."

Hotaru sighed. "I doubt it."

Minako smiled. "See, first time ChibiUsa left, we didn't know she would be back, so, maybe now that she's gone again, well..."

"You mean, that she could come back again? What for?"

"To take you out of your gloom?" Minako mused.

Hotaru looked up to the sky and smiled. "I don't think she would like to see me like this."

"I'm sure she wouldn't like it."

"You know, you're not such an airhead after all," Hotaru said.

"Thanks, I guess," Minako muttered.

"No, thank you for caring about me."

Minako beamed. "That's what friends are for."

"Aww, how touching."

Hotaru turned to see Iron Mouse standing there. "Oh, a punching bag, how convenient."

Mouse snorted. "Ha! Like a normal human could hit me."

"Who said I'm normal?" Hotaru snapped. "Saturn Star Power!"

Mouse smiled. "Cute, but I'm not here for you."

Minako realized what that meant. "Venus Star..."

Mouse was faster than her, though, and phased in front of her, taking her star seed before she could transform. "Uh, another fake. Great."

Saturn glared at Mouse. "Give that back, now."

"As you wish," Mouse said with a sneer and tossed the seed back to Minako. As usual, a black mist surrounded the victim and she laughed. "Now, what are you going to do?"

Saturn was about to reply, when she saw three figures on top of a nearby building. "Who the heck are those?"

Mouse chuckled. "Oh, you're not going to make me fall for that."

"Starlight Laser!"

"Apparently, I did," Saturn mused.

Mouse stood up and looked at the newcomers, forgetting about Saturn. "What? You three... You are dead!"

"If Galaxia herself had attacked us, then yes, but since it was you and your weak friends, we just had to fake our own deaths."

Mouse glared at the trio. She knew that, no matter how proud of her own power she was, she had no chance to defeat those three on her own. "Okay, then, I'll admit defeat this once." And with that, she summoned her booth, and waved at the three as it vanished.

Saturn saw the three figures turn to leave. "Hey, wait!"

"What?" the one who had attacked Iron Mouse snapped.

"I will surely need help with this."

"It's not our problem."

Saturn glared at the three as they vanished from view. "So much for those being allies."

Minako was, by now, finished with her own transformation. She pretty much looked like her Venus form, only her suit was all pink, and she had an overdose of makeup. "Be ready to feel the lovely power of Sailor Beauty!"

Saturn summoned her glaive and sighed. "If we weren't friends, I would kill you just for that corny intro."

Sailor Beauty chuckled. "Aww, let's not be mean to each other. Here, girl, you could use some color in that face. Sparkling Makeup Cloud!"

Saturn suddenly found herself surrounded in a dense cloud of makeup. _'Damn it, I can hardly breathe here.'_ It was impossible to see outside the cloud, too, or she would have seen Beauty walking close to it.

"And now for the finishing touch... Lovely Lipstick Laser!"

Saturn was knocked out of the cloud by a reddish beam, and as she stood up, she was as soaked in makeup as her foe was. "That's it, no more nice Saturn for you."

Beauty giggled. "Aww, but you look so cute!" She produced a mirror and showed Saturn her reflection. "See?"

Saturn smiled coldly. "Cute, indeed." After saying that, she vanished, and Beauty looked around, confused.

"Hey, no fair, come out to play some more!"

Saturn appeared just behind Beauty. "Sorry, girl, but playtime's over. Death Ripple!" She winced as Beauty crashed head-first into a parked car. "Sorry, Mina..." She knelt besides the knocked out Senshi and put a hand on her forehead. "... but I couldn't heal you if you kept bouncing around."

Just then, Moon came running in. "Huh? What, it's over?"

Saturn nodded as Minako returned to normal. "Yes, and I saw three new persons. They attacked Mouse, but I'm not sure they're allies. "

Moon stood there, shocked. "What..."

"Huh?"

"What happened to your face?" Moon asked.

"Oh, that. Minako turned into a makeup-crazy Senshi."

"You don't look that bad," Minako said as she stood up.

Saturn smirked. "I don't like wearing makeup, though. Not this much of it, anyway."

"So, you say someone helped you?" Moon asked.

"Yes. I couldn't see how they looked like, but they were female. And Iron Mouse looked, ironic as it sounds, like a scared little mouse when she saw them."

"Are you feeling better now?" Minako asked.

"Not really, but I'll try to focus in this war instead of... Her."

Moon seemed lost for a few seconds, then smiled. "I see."

"I'm never going to hear the end of it, am I?"

"Of you looking like an overdone clown, or of you falling in love?" Moon joked.

"Either works," Saturn muttered.

* * *

Pluto observed the scene from her post, and smiled. If only Hotaru knew what the future had in stock for her. For all of them, actually. Her thoughts moved to the war the Senshi now faced. Galaxia was, even to her, almost invincible. Pluto knew the Golden Senshi couldn't be defeated, not with raw power, be it magic or physical. 

No, something else was needed to defeat Galaxia. Something the Senshi had, sometimes without even noticing it was there. And Pluto hoped that, of all the outcomes for this war she had foreseen, the one that would become true was the only one that could be considered positive.

* * *

"Warwitch, huh?" Rubeus mused. 

"I wouldn't underestimate that girl," A noted. "I feel something eerily familiar about her."

"Should we take care of her before she becomes stronger?"

"No, something tells me we shouldn't mess with her."

"I could destroy her easily," Rubeus noted.

"Her human side, yes," A explained, "but there's something else in her. Or someone else. Until we know for sure, we shouldn't make a move. We could end up unleashing something we can't control."

Onara nodded. "You are right, dear A. It's better to just keep an eye on her for the time being."

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, it's Yukiko. It was pretty obvious, but one has to wonder just _where_ she gets her powers from... Nope, she's not a Senshi, she's something else. And that secret, unfortunately, won't be known for quite some time. 

As for ChibiChibi... I wasn't leaving one of the two saving features of the Stars season out of this fic.

I've been doing some editing to the storyline after Stars, so the one major event that would be spoiled by Crystal and Aeons will be shown in about twenty episodes (Not as long a wait, now is it?)

Finally, on the Starlights' attacks... Sorry, but I'm not using the original ones. Their names are too silly, or give disturbing mental images. "Help, this girl's gently hitting me with an uterus!"


	110. Hail To The Chief

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 110: Hail To The Chef.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: February 20, 2008_

* * *

"This is getting interesting," Aiko said. "You are facing a Senshi who travels around in a TARDIS, three mysterious figures who are possible allies, and a magician who has a suit similar to yours." 

Terry smiled. "It's the attack of the Senshi clones."

"Or clowns, in Minako's case," Hotaru said.

"Should've taken a picture of you after that battle," Minako countered.

Aiko ignored them. "I have no data on Galaxia, so I can't run any simulation for her... But leaving that aside, she should easily have a hundred times your power."

"A hundred times?" Mako muttered. "Why doesn't she just blow the planet up?"

"Don't give them ideas," Terry said. "Aiko, about what I asked you earlier..."

"I have a theory, but it will require a bit more skill with the Zero than I have right now."

"What do you mean?" Ami asked, not taking her eyes away from the math book she was reading.

"I can't be cloned, but what about moving me out of this computer? Or, actually, I'm going to try and do it myself."

"Huh? How?" Terry asked, quite lost.

Ami smiled as she looked away from her book. "If my guess is correct, she wants to make a body like the one she has now, but with her program integred into it."

The others were lost, except for Hotaru. "So, she's going to turn herself into a cyborg."

"Android," Aiko corrected. "There wouldn't be any biological parts in me. But the tricky part would be having the Zero emulate circuitry."

Minako looked at Aiko and frowned. "So, that body you have now wouldn't work?"

"It's just a simulation, so to speak. I don't even get sensory responses from it yet."

"So, if someone stabs you through, you won't feel pain?" Brad asked.

"No. But I would like to."

"Why?"

"I was created as a computer program, but ever since I became... Sentient, my goal has been to become as human as I can. Even if pain is as unpleasant as I have calculated, it will still be better than having no sensory responses at all."

"So right now, she's got a human-like mind, but can't feel anything, " Minako said.

"That's correct," Aiko said.

"She's kind of like a politician, then," Brad joked.

A gun turret popped up right in front of Brad. "Dad, can I shoot him? Please?"

Terry chuckled. "Not yet."

"Yet?" Brad muttered as the turret went back into the ground. "I think your sense of humor still needs work."

"My humor programming works perfectly," Aiko said, "it's just that you're not funny at all."

"Touche."

* * *

Yukiko frowned as she browsed her favorite sites. So far, nobody had a good theory on who the Senshi's latest foes were. She, on the other hand, had faced one of them, and much despite herself, she knew they were out of her league. 

The amazing thing about the Senshi was, from what she had seen, that they had no visible limits. Their power right now was already a bit unsetting, and she could bet it would only keep increasing.

Just like with them, she didn't really know where her own power came from, only that it was there, and that she could use it against evil. She just had to be careful not to give the Senshi clues on who she was behind her mask.

* * *

Mako was walking home, when she noticed a few men following her. Risking a glance back, she saw they were four, and looked like they all had missed several showers. She picked up the pace, since she wasn't in the mood for a fight. However, the four men also picked up their pace. 

After several minutes of this, she suddenly stopped and turned to face them. "Okay guys, whatever it is you want from me, you're not getting it. Now, if I were you, I would just turn around and leave. "

"Girl, you're threatening us? That's funny."

Mako felt something hit her head and fell to the ground. She stood up, cursing her carelessness, and glared daggers at the guy who had attacked her. He was wielding a wooden bat, and was looking at her in a mix of awe and confusion. "That really hurt, you know?"

"How... But... You..."

Mako punched the man in the stomach before he could get out of his stupor, hard enough to send him flying back. She grabbed the bat and looked at the punks, then turned to the brick wall besides her, and smashed the bat against it, breaking it in countless wooden splinters. "This is the last warning. Leave me alone, or you're going to wake up in a hospital."

"Who the fuck's this girl?"

"I don't know, but didya see what she just did?"

"I don't care, I like cuties like her," one of the other punks said and rushed at Mako. Barehanded, Mako noticed with a smirk. He tried a punch to her stomach, which she didn't bother dodging. The punk smirked in victory, thinking she was going to double over, until he saw her fist coming straight at his face.

The other two (since the one with the bat had left the area as soon as he realized how strong the girl was,) watched in shock as their friend was knocked up, and straight to them. As the three landed in a heap, Mako started walking to them. "You losers, you didn't take my warning. Now you'll really going to be hurt."

Before she was even done saying that, the men had stood up and fled. Mako watched them go and chuckled. "I didn't think my powers would be so useful in a street fight."

"I could use a sidekick like you."

Mako looked up to see Nova sitting literally in the air, smiling at her. "Hey, been a while since I last saw you in that suit."

"I've been busy," Nova said. "Criminals, unlike those alien freaks you fight, aren't giving up."

"So, what brings you to this part of the city?"

"I was going to rescue you from those punks... Until I noticed it was you. I knew help wasn't needed."

"Yeah, it's too bad I can't zap them without transforming yet," Mako said.

Suddenly, Iron Mouse walked out of a building, clapping. "That was most enjoyable, yes."

"Oh, you're that Sailor Hamster everyone's been talking about."

"It's Sailor Iron Mouse, kid."

"Same difference. Jupiter Star Power!"

Iron Mouse didn't wait for her enemy's transformation to end, instead charging at her. Just as she was about to reach her, however, something unseen struck her, sending her rolling down the block. She staggered up, looking around. "Ugh... What the heck was that?"

"Did that hurt?" Nova mused.

"You... Stupid Earthling, get out of here before I kill you."

"I died twice already, you're going to have to make a better threat than that to scare me away," Nova mused.

Iron Mouse glared at Nova for a few seconds, then chuckled. "Be that way, then."

Jupiter had finished transforming, and was rushing to the alien Senshi. "Lightning Kick!"

Iron Mouse smiled as she let the attack hit. The surprised Jupiter landed right in front of her after the kick, which was just what she needed to get what she had came for. "Gotcha."

Nova paled as Jupiter was surrounded by darkness. "Oh crap..."

Mouse groaned as she noticed the seed wasn't the one she was looking for. "I think I'm going to leave you two alone now. Have fu--"

"Starlight Inferno!"

A wave of fire washed over Mouse, knocking her to the ground, and causing quite visible damage to her. "You again..."

The attacker stepped out of her hiding spot, and Nova gasped. White hair and eyes were quite a strange trait, but the suit took the cake. It left little to imagination, and if she didn't know better, she'd say the suit was made of leather. "Who are you?"

The newcomer ignored her, and looked at Mouse. "Our target is your Queen, but if you keep on attacking these humans, we will kill you. "

Iron Mouse glared at the other woman. "Same goes to you, if you keep on meddling."

Nova watched the one calling herself Iron Mouse vanish after summoning some sort of police booth. She also noticed the other woman was walking away, and phased in front of her. "Hey, wait a moment now. I will need help to get my friend back to normal."

"It's not my problem. I'm here only to destroy Galaxia."

"Okay, so much for them being allies," Nova muttered, then turned her attention back to Jupiter... Or whatever she was now.

Jupiter was right now wearing an apron over her suit (which was completely white,) and had a cook hat on. A pair of sharp-looking knives completed the attire, and she struck a pose, pointing one of them at her foe. "I'm Sailor Chef, and I'll make you a salad."

Nova stared in disbelief at her opponent. "Make you... A salad."

"What? I think it's funny," Chef said.

"Okay, then I better shut you up before you make another attempt at humor."

Chef dodged the psi blasts easily. "Your attacks are a piece of cake. "

Nova groaned. She knew she had to wait for the Senshi, as she was sure they were aware of their friend becoming one of these fake Senshi. "You say my attacks are weak, what about yours?"

"Glad you asked," Chef said and pulled one arm back, the knives vanishing as a large energy ball materialized around her hand. "Time to taste defeat!"

"Can't you stop the cooking jokes already?"

"I'm just trying to spice things up."

"Okay, forget I asked."

"Dinner's ready, psygirl. Chef Salad Barrage!" As she said that, Chef threw her arm forwards, the energy ball vanishing before something else appeared in its place.

Nova barely had time to notice how stupid the attack sounded, before a large wave of sliced tomatoes, lettuce and onion hit her, sending her staggering back. "Damn, I hate onion."

"Hex Bolt!"

Chef didn't see the blast coming from behind, but felt its impact against her back. As she staggered forwards, she steeped on a puddle of water and slipped, falling face-first to the ground. "Lilith... "

Lilith laughed as she stood on top of a lamppost. "So you're a cook, huh? I see those alien Senshi have a pattern."

Chef snorted. "Here, have some dessert. Watermelon Bomb!"

Nova winced as she saw Chef shot a watermelon at Lilith, knocking her off the lamppost. "So much for luck's power."

Lilith stood up and smiled. "Oh, I wouldn't dismiss luck yet."

Chef was about to ask what she meant, when she noticed the lamppost leaning her way. She leapt back, avoiding the hit, and laughed. "Luck won't work on me, silly girl."

"It already did," Lilith said.

Before Chef could wonder what she meant, she was knocked out cold by a point blank psi blast. Nova looked at the fallen pseudo-Senshi, then at Lilith. "You can heal her, right?"

Lilith nodded. "Healing Charm!" A thin beam of energy shot from her hands, straight into Chef's body. After a few seconds, she reverted back to Jupiter's suit. "Done."

Jupiter stood up and clutched her head. "Damn, that wasn't pretty. "

"Do you remember what happened?"

"No, but for some reason, I want to go home and cook a lot of food. "

Nova smiled at that, then looked to the side before adressing Jupiter. "If I told you what you turned into, you'll be glad you don't remember."

* * *

Warwitch looked at the scene from the shadows. They didn't really need her help this time, but she would always be around just in case. She noticed Nova looking her way and thought she would tell the others, but the psichic kept quiet about it. "Oh well, at least I got to see what this Nova girl can do," she said as she walked away.

* * *

As she walked away, along with her Senshi friends, Hana's thoughts turned back to the Warwitch. She had felt a dual presence in her, as if something else was there, but it had only been for a split second. Just like with their classmate, Yukiko, when she first showed up. It could mean they were one and the same, but should she tell the Senshi, or keep quiet about it? 

"Are you okay?"

Hana nodded at Mako. "Yeah, just worried about those aliens."

"We can beat them."

Hana sighed. True, she had actually been thinking about something else, but the alien Senshi did worry her as well. "You weren't there, but I saw that Iron Mouse girl shrug off Jupiter's strongest attack. So her leader must be many times stronger."

"She's called Sailor Galaxia, from what we could learn about that group," Jupiter said.

While Hana's brain wasn't at the level of Ami, or even Terry, she could still figure out what that name meant. "Following the pattern, that means... Oh shit."

"That quite sums up what I think of this whole issue," Mako admitted.

* * *

**A/N:** _DavidJes:_ Some episodes will be shorter than usual, because I'm not fond of filler (as I think I said a few times in the past.) 

If you're wondering, this episode was delayed thanks to real life, and my rewriting of an old Halo/Sailor Moon crossover I never uploaded anywhere. Well, it's more like Halo/Cyber Moon. So if you're lucky, you may have a Cyber Moon side-story to read.

All I'm saying about that project is: Mars vs. Chief. Here's hoping I can get it done soon.


	111. Trial By Fire

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 111: Trial By Fire.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: March 5, 2008_

* * *

The Three Lights stopped in their track as they reached their classroom. A few of their classmates were there, including Zephyr, who was right now building a card pyramid on his desktop... 

... Using Pokemon cards.

"He's quite weird, isn't he?" Seiya mused.

"He's got money, so he's eccentric," Hana said.

"Sure, but... Pokemon?"

"Pokemon are cute," Minako said.

"Whatever..."

Terry looked at the now finished (and as tall as him) pyramid. "Done, and this time it won't be taken down by anyone!"

Right then, Chie came running into the classroom, kicking an eraser someone had left lying on the ground, and hitting the center of the pyramid with it, knocking all the cards down. "Uhh... Sorry."

"Saw that coming," Haruka mused.

"Same," Michiru added.

"Err... Why are you running anyway?"

"Look out the window," Chie said.

Taiki looked out and gasped. "Who's that?"

"Game Master," Minako said. "And that's one of those mantis creatures the Senshi fight once in a while."

"And where are the Senshi?" Yaten asked.

"They're rumored to be our age," Seiya said. "So I suppose they're all at school right now."

Ami walked in right then and saw everyone looking out the window. "What am I missing?"

"Game Master is beating the stuffing out of one of those mantis things."

"Correction, he's done already," Hana said.

* * *

Game Master looked at the rising column of smoke and smirked. "This was almost too easy." He noticed a crowd had gathered around him, and gave them a V sign. "Do not worry, citizens, because Game Master is here." 

"Game Master? So you're not one of the Dragon Senshi?"

"Uhh... No."

"Hey, he still beat an alien by himself," a girl said.

"Yeah, he's cool."

Suddenly, a certain black-clad Senshi landed right next to Game Master. "Having fun?"

"It's Sailor Nemesis!"

Nemesis smiled as the crowd cheered, then whispered to Game Master's ear. "The question here is, how are we going to get out of here unnoticed."

"If they can't see us leave, they can't follow us."

Nemesis thought about it for a moment and knew what he meant. "I've been waiting to test this out. Dark Fear!"

The area around them turned pitch black, causing many of the crowd to yelp in fear. When light returned, both Nemesis and Game Master were gone.

"Hey, how did they do that?"

"Was that an attack?"

"Aww, they left."

Naru and Umino walked away from the crowd, unnoticed. "It's weird. We don't usually attract crowds."

Umino chuckled. "Well, you're usually throwing energy blasts around that could vaporize a human on the spot. Not many fans would try to get close to one of your battles, unless they had magic of their own to defend themselves."

"True. Okay, let's hurry."

"I was hoping to have a calm walk to school with you."

"Can't walk when the bell's about to ring," Naru said and dashed off.

"Sometimes I hate her for being right," Umino muttered as he followed her.

* * *

Nova looked at her target from above. True, the girl looked normal enough, but there was something definitely wrong with human having two auras. 

Yukiko was meanwhile smiling as she walked. She knew Nova was following her, her own powers let her feel magical beings in a short range. She could act dumb and let her think she was normal... Or she could face her.

Nova blinked as Yukiko vanished. "Huh?" She sensed something and turned around, finding her target there, arms crossed as she leaned on a water tank. "Let me guess, you can sense my presence?"

"Bingo," Yukiko mused. "So, what now, are you going to tell your... Our friends, about this?"

"I was just checking on something I felt in you. Twice I felt a second aura in you, and I don't know what that means."

"Second aura?" Yukiko shrugged. "I don't know what you're babbling about. I've had these powers for quite some time, and I didn't ever feel anything out of place about them."

Nova nodded. "I thought that would be your answer. I'll be watching you."

"Hmph. Can't you just read my mind and see what I'm saying is true?"

"I can't... I can't do that kind of things."

"Can't or won't? Girl, having such power and not using it is dumb. "

"Some of my powers are too unstable," Nova noted.

"I'm offering you a chance to see for yourself that I'm not lying. If I were you, I'd take it."

"But you're not me," Nova said. "As I said, I'll be watching you, Warwitch."

Yukiko laughed softly. "Oh, but what would be the point? If I am really hiding something, you won't find out. I can sense you from a mile away."

Nova winced. Yes, spying on someone who knew you were around and knew what you were up to was simply impossible. "I see... Well, I'm giving you the benefit of doubt."

Yukiko gave her a honest smile. "I've been around for one year, don't you think if I was one of those power-driven alien idiots, I would have already tried to take over the world?"

"Unless you're taking your time befriending the Senshi."

"For one year, though? No evil mastermind has that much patience."

"Hah, that's true," Nova said. Or maybe that's what Yukiko was trying to make her think? No, she was probably seeing too much into it.

Besides, while she wouldn't read her mind, her psi skills still told her a lot about the girl. And, from what she could see, Yukiko wasn't lying. Whatever that second aura was, it was clear she wasn't going to find anything out by talking to Yukiko.

"I guess I'm just going to let it drop," Nova said. "I'll see you at school."

As Nova vanished, Yukiko smiled. She could still sense her, but she was several blocks away, and going the opposite way. "Two auras, I really don't know what the heck she's babbling about." Maybe her powers gave her that? It wasn't like she had full understanding of her own powers, after all.

* * *

Rei looked around the yard. "Finally, all done." 

"Miss Rei, you've got visitors."

"Yuichiro, how many times did I tell you to drop the 'miss' already?"

"Two hundred and seventy," Yuichiro said with a smile.

Rei rolled her eyes at him as he left, and turned to Usagi. "What's wrong, anyone else got attacked?"

"No, but Chibi said she wanted to see this place."

"Chibi!"

"Uhm... She said that?"

"Chibi..."

Usagi shrugged. "Well, at least that's what I understood."

"Chibi!"

Rei grimaced as the little girl tried to hug her two pet crows. "We still don't have any idea who she really is."

"I know that," Usagi said, "but I don't think she's dangerous."

"She isn't evil," Rei agreed, "but I can feel something strange about her. Some sort of hidden power."

Usagi noticed the two crows circling ChibiChibi and gulped. "They won't attack her, right?"

"No, don't worry." Rei sensed something else and sighed. "Oh, I guess someone will be attacked today, after all."

Usagi didn't get what Rei meant until she saw a woman in a white business suit, climbing up the stairs. White hair, white irises, it was quite obvious who she was. "Darn..."

The woman saw their faces and groaned. "Oh, so you already know... Good, it saves me from playing dumb to get the seed."

"But that must be easy for you," Rei said.

Mouse dropped the disguise and smirked. "Anyway, I'm here for you, priestess." As she took a step to the others, however, she felt a sharp pain in her arm. As she looked at it, she noticed she had an arrow near her shoulder. "Ow. Who the fuck?"

Yuichiro was standing near the temple, with a bow in his hand. He reached for another arrow and smiled. "Using such language in front of a little girl, you really are a rude one."

Rei sighed. "Yuichiro, get out of here."

"No, Miss Rei, you should leave while I keep this rude woman busy. Also, it wouldn't be good if you and her started shooting at each other here."

Rei gasped at that, but then looked at Usagi. "He's right. Usagi, let's go!"

Mouse tried to run after them, but another arrow hit her, this time stabbing through her leg. "Ow... Will you stop that already?"

Yuichiro readied his bow again and smiled. "Make me."

"You asked for -- Ow!" Again, another arrow hit, this time her left hand. Mouse growled as she pulled the arrows out and then glared at him. "You _really_ asked for it."

"I did, but I'm not waiting for the answer," Yuichiro mused, then dashed off.

"Heh, what a coward." Mouse realized something and groaned. "Damn it, he helped Mars escape!"

Yuichiro watched Mouse leave from behind the temple. "That was close, but at least I let Rei escape."

"You know, I don't remember ever giving you my permission to use that bow."

Yuichiro turned to see Hino standing there, looking at him with an unreadable face. "Sorry, but I couldn't think of anything else I could use to help Rei."

"Nevermind. I'm curious, though... When did you find out about her powers?"

"I've known for quite a while," Yuichiro admitted.

"Why didn't you tell her?"

"Because I knew it wouldn't really change a thing."

Hino looked at Yuichiro and smiled knowingly. "I see. Maybe you're right."

An explosion rocked the area, and Yuichiro winced. "They're fighting quite close..."

"Go help her, I know you want to."

Yuichiro smiled at the old man and dashed off.

* * *

Things were, meanwhile, not looking good for Moon. Mouse had knocked Rei out, and that meant she would soon become one of those weird Senshi clones. "You're not leaving this unscratched," Moon snapped. 

"Yeah, I noticed," Mouse muttered looking at the arrow hits. "But you're not going to hit me."

"Moonlight Screen!"

Mouse smiled and let the attack hit. It wasn't as smart a move as she thought, however, as the blast managed to knock her down. "What? Impossible, you're just Cosmic level!"

"Starlight Laser!"

The blast knocked Mouse, who had just finished standing up, back down to the ground. "Ow... Not you freaks again!"

"Says the one in a mouse costume," the newcomer snapped back. She had black hair, tied in a ponytail that brushed the ground. "It's time for you to die, Iron Mouse."

"Not yet," Mouse snapped as she summoned her usual escape means and left the area.

Moon saw the alien Senshi was also leaving. "Hey, aren't you going to help me?"

"Make no mistakes, Sailor Moon. We're not here to help you save your world. We're here to save ours."

Moon turned to Rei as the rude Senshi left. Her transformation was done, and she was wearing what seemed to be the Senshi version of a priestess robe. "Oh dear..."

"Prepare to be purified by the holy flames of Sailor Miko!" Rei said striking a pose.

"That's stupid," Moon muttered. "Let's finish this fast. Moonlight Screen!"

Miko leapt over the energy disc, and summoned her attack as she passed right above Moon's head. "Infernal Charm!"

Moon braced for the attack, but all Miko did was throw six paper charms around her. "Huh? Was that supposed to hurt?"

"Yes," Miko said as she snapped her fingers. Jets of flames shot from the charms, straight at Moon, who screamed in pain. "Burn!"

"Hailstorm."

Miko was hit by a blast of ice, rolling on the ground for a few meters before stopping and propping herself up. "Hey, who are you?"

The Senshi-clad newcomer smiled. "I'm Batman. Oh wait, nevermind, I'm Warwitch."

"Stupid name."

"Stupid attire," Warwitch snapped back. "And also, you fell right into my trap."

"What tr--"

"Moonlight Screen!" Moon walked to Miko as she fell, knocked out, and shot her healing magic at her. As Rei returned to normal, she looked up at Warwitch. "Thanks for the help."

"I'll always be there when you need me, Senshi."

Moon smiled. "Good to know. See you at school."

Warwitch stared at Moon for a few seconds before teleporting away. Rei, who was still trying to make the world stop spinning, looked at Moon questioningly. "What did you mean by that?"

"Oh, you don't know who she is yet?"

"No."

Moon chuckled. "Then you'll have to guess."

"Get serious," Rei snapped.

"So, since when does Yuu know about you?"

Rei didn't really mind her friend switching topics. "I don't know. He never told me he knew. But risking his life like that was stupid. "

"People does stupid things for love, Rei," Moon said.

Rei frowned. "I don't think that..."

"Trust me, I know about this stuff."

Rei sighed. As much as she wanted to argue, she knew Moon was right. Usagi could be quite dense and air-headed at times, but when it came to romantic issues, she was one of the sharpest minds in the group.

"I guess... I'll have a talk with him," Rei said.

Moon smiled. "Good idea."

* * *

**A/N:** _SolarWinds_: That's for you to guess... And I didn't say everyone would be targeted. As for Ami, you will find out next episode. 

As for the episode 55 bit, the italics must have slipped. It was supposed to be said in English, as in, not in Japanese as they're always speaking (just like everything else spoken in English is put in italics.) And it's meant as one of many stabs I take at the rather unwatchable Sailor Moon dubs. The error's taken care of, now Rei's saying stuff in the right language.

Oh, and yeah, Rei's grandfather is still alive. He's just one of those secondary characters I hardly ever use.


	112. Brainstorming

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 112: Brainstorming.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: March 6, 2008_

* * *

As Rei walked in, Usagi smiled at her. "So...?" 

"So, what?" Rei muttered.

"You know. You, Yuu, talking."

"Just like you and that Warwitch's identity, I'm not saying a thing. "

Ami looked at the two amusedly. "So, Usagi already knows?"

"Yes," Usagi said. "But you knew? Why didn't you tell us?"

"I wanted to see how long it took until someone else figured it out. "

"Being around Terry so much is bad for you, Ami," Rei muttered. "So, who is she?"

"It's so obvious, Rei, I'm surprised you don't know."

Rei looked at Ami for a few seconds then it hit her. "Yukiko?"

Usagi chuckled. "Yeah."

"It's strange," Ami said, "since I haven't detected any magic in her when she's not fighting. That means she's powerful enough to block our scanning means."

"Damn, Usagi, you also told her who we are."

"Huh?"

"That whole 'see you at school' bit," Rei noted. "Now she knows who you are."

"She already knew," Usagi said. "I've seen her following me around and to this base quite often. I played dumb, so she didn't know I knew she was tailing me."

Aiko 'appeared' besides them. "Speaking of the devil, she's right outside."

Usagi looked at the screen and sighed. "So much for having a normal friend."

"Again with that?" Rei said.

Usagi just walked into the elevator, ignoring Rei. "If we keep this up, everyone in Tokyo will know how our base looks like from the inside."

* * *

Yuki was surprised to see Usagi walk out of the front door of the 'abandoned' dojo. "Uhm..." 

"Yes, we know you've been spying on us."

"It wasn't spying, I just wanted to know who the Senshi were."

"Follow me."

"What, into your base? Aren't you worried about me being a magician?"

Usagi smiled at that. "Not at all. The two that are in there right now, not counting me, could easily stop you from doing any significant damage to the base."

"Why would I?" Yukiko asked. "It's been my dream to meet you guys, ever since I first heard about you."

As they reached the elevator, Usagi smiled. "Well, you already know us all."

"All, except for Sailor Pluto, the Time Guardian."

Usagi smirked. "She's our history teacher."

"What?"

* * *

As the doors opened, Ami looked at Yukiko with her visor. "No magic powers detected. Just as I thought." 

"Uhm... Hi."

"Surprised?" Rei asked.

"Not at all. I had guessed Usagi's friends were Senshi too."

"You're shielding your magic. Why?"

"I am?" Yuki asked.

"What, you don't know you're doing it?"

"No, I didn't even know I could do that."

"She's not lying, mom," Aiko said.

Yuki stared at Aiko. "Hey, who are you?"

Aiko looked at Ami. "Uh..."

"I wonder what level of weird she will be able to handle," Ami mused.

Usagi chuckled. "The worst that could happen is, she won't believe it."

Aiko smiled. "I am an AI entity, and since Ami and Terry created me, I consider them my parents."

Yuki gasped. "Oh? But you look human. Act human, even."

Aiko vanished her 'body' leaving the old hologram behind. "That's true, I've got the means to replicate a human body, and thanks to the unexpected help of the Ginzuishou, I'm self-aware."

"Wow, that's one thing about the Senshi I didn't know."

"Bet there's many more," Usagi said.

Just then, Hotaru walked in, stopping to look at Yuki before smiling evily. "I see we have a security breach. Should I eliminate the threat?"

"Hotaru..."

The pale girl smiled at Usagi. "I was joking. But why is she here anyway? Giving free tours to your fans?"

"She's Warwitch."

Hotaru looked at Yukiko again and nodded. "I should've known the most painfully obvious answer would be the right one."

Yuki smiled. "I really can't believe I finally met the Senshi."

"You must keep this a secret," Hotaru said.

"I will, don't worry. Having you as friends means more to me than any fame I could get for unmasking you."

"I hope so, for your own good," Hotaru said.

Yuki took a step back. "Please, you don't need to threaten me."

"It's not a threat, it's just a friendly warning."

"Hey, Usagi, I wanted to ask something... What happened to your cousin, the pink-haired Senshi... ChibiMoon, was it?"

"She went back home," Usagi said.

"She hasn't showed up anywhere in the world since last year."

Hotaru chuckled. "I'm sure she did, but she's not from this era."

"Oh. That explains quite a lot about her."

"It does, doesn't it?" Hotaru mused, her face turning sad for a moment before she nodded. "She's from the future, a thousand years into our future, give or take a few years."

"I see... Don't you miss her?"

Hotaru was quite surprised by the question. "Sure I do, but there really isn't anything I can do about it."

"Oh I see..." Yuki said. "So, she's from the far distant future, and she looks just like Usagi. Is she related to you?"

Usagi chuckled. "Yeah, she is."

Ami walked to Yuki. "I wanted to ask you, how is it exactly that you can use magic?"

"I don't really know, I just think about an attack and it happens. "

"A lot like us," Usagi said.

"It's been this way ever since... Well, I think the first time I realized my powers were there was back when you were fighting the group that turned the Starlight Tower into a massive black crystal. Black Moon, wasn't it?"

"Hmm... Back during the Black Moon attacks. Interesting."

"What kind of attacks can you use?"

"Let's see... The fire claw, an attack with light beams, the hailstorm, and a few others with darkness, rocks, plants and wind. Only one attack per element, though."

"She basically covers all your elements," Aiko said, "not counting luck, death, life and gravity."

"Or time," Yuki said. "But I'm far from the power you girls have."

Ami looked at the computer screen and grimaced. "Well, I wish I could stay around and chat, but I'm going out with Terry tonight."

"Going out?" Rei asked.

"Yeah, there's a museum exhibition I wanted to check."

"Oh, that sounds more like you."

"We're going to a restaurant afterwards, too."

"Heh, gonna read the menu?" Rei mused.

Ami smiled at Rei, a friendly yet somehow creepy smile. "Rei, don't make me say it, okay?"

As Ami walked out, Rei grunted. "Hmph. Make her say what?"

"'I have a boyfriend and you don't,'" Hotaru said. At Rei's glare, she shrugged. "Hey, you asked."

Rei chuckled. "I did, didn't I?"

"Oh? Why the mood swing?"

"That's a secret."

Usagi laughed. "I knew it."

Hotaru shook her head. "You girls sometimes scare me."

"Where's the rest of the group?"

"They've got lives outside the battling," Hotaru said, then added. "Sorry, didn't mean to sound rude."

"Don't worry," Yuki said. "Hmmm... Aiko, is it?"

"That's my name," Aiko said.

"What is that body of yours made of?"

"Element Zero."

"Oh. And that is?"

"Highly classified information which I've been forbidden to talk about if not with those in the Senshi team."

"Girls?"

"Can't help you there," Usagi said. "The two that really understand what that Zero thing is aren't here."

"One of them just left," Rei added.

"Oh, too bad." Yuki said. "Say, there's some rumors about you girls being immortal..."

"That's not completely true," Usagi said. "From what we know, we'll never die of natural death, but I myself was already killed in combat once."

"You... You were?" Yuki gasped.

Hotaru nodded. "I'm surprised not even the greatest fan ever knows about that. I'm Sailor Saturn, and I'm the only Senshi around with the power to revive others. But for some reason it won't work twice with the same person."

Yuki stared at Usagi. After a minute of that, Usagi sighed. "What?"

"Aren't you scared of dying? I mean, if you die again, then..."

"Scared?" Usagi said. "Of course I am. I would be downright stupid if I wasn't. But I also know if we don't fight those alien creatures that keep on showing up, then nobody will."

"Or they will, and they will fail horribly," Rei added.

"You know, girls, my admiration for you just grew a lot."

Usagi blushed. "Uhm..."

"But tell me... About ChibiMoon... ChibiUsa. Was she your daughter?"

Hotaru's eyes widened. "No way. How did you figure it out?"

"You said she was from the distant future. And she looks just like Usagi. And she's got the same powers Usagi has, from what I know of her. From all that, I wouldn't have guessed it, but then you said you wouldn't die naturally, so I could think of some weird scenarios. Like, you girls still being around a thousand years from now, and having children. I'm guessing ChibiMoon comes back and forth with the help of Pluto."

"Nice deductive skills," Rei admitted. "But how do you know about Pluto?"

"At first it was wild guessing, but then I actually saw her."

"Chances are high that Setsuna knows you know about her, then," Hotaru said. "In fact, I'm sure she may have foreseen you knowing about her and it didn't look like a threat to her."

* * *

Ami, or rather Mercury, was meanwhile on her way to Terry's mansion. Senshi had stopped being urban legends, and she knew while people could see her flying over the city, they wouldn't mind her unless she was fighting some evil creature. 

"Making things harder for us, aren't you?"

Mercury looked down and saw a woman clad in a light blue suit, which was closer to a swimsuit than a Senshi uniform. The woman's hair and eyes followed the usual monotone pattern, and she was glaring daggers up at the Ice Senshi. "I'm guessing you're not Iron Mouse. "

"Good guess," the woman said. "I'm Aluminium Siren."

"Oh, now I know what the pattern is."

"Pattern? Nevermind." Siren leapt up, landing on Mercury's airboard, and tried to grab her. Mercury, however, dropped down, falling on the street a good twenty stories below. "Hah! I'm not impressed."

"No, you're just dumb," Mercury said. With a mental command, her board started spinning, causing her foe to crash down near her. The Ice Senshi took the chance to get a reading of Siren's power. "Hmmm... I see I won't be able to defeat you in a direct confrontation."

"That's another good guess, girl," Siren said. "Now stand still while I get what I came looking for."

Mercury noticed something out of the corner of her eye and smiled. "Okay."

Siren walked up to Mercury and chuckled. "That's a good little Senshi, making this easier for me."

"No, I'm just having you walk straight into a trap."

Siren didn't understand what Mercury meant, until another airboard slammed right into her face. As she picked herself up, she noticed a new foe was there. "Hmm... Dragon Mercury, is it? Came to save your girlfriend?"

"I don't understand. Why is it that every evil girl looks so damn good?"

Mercury groaned. "Terry..."

"Oh yeah, there was also Zirconia."

Siren smiled as she saw the guy was distracted, and rushed in to hit him. She got a kick to her side as a reward, but took the hit without even flinching.

Dragon Mercury didn't stop his attack, and went for a kick to the head with his other leg. Siren, however, grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground. "Chill."

"Frost Web!"

Siren idly noticed the net wrapped around her. "Pft. Is this supposed to be an attack?"

Mercury glared at her. "You hurt him, so..." She summoned the Mercury sword, which vanished from the Dragon's hand. "... I'll have to return the favor!"

Siren grabbed the sword with one hand, using the other to rip the net apart. Noticing Mercury's surprised face, she chuckled. "Water is my element too." Before Mercury could think of another strategy, Siren put a hand on her forehead and got her star seed out. "Gah, not the one I'm looking for."

"Moonlight Screen!"

Siren was almost knocked down by the blast. "Ow... Wow, that one actually hurt a bit."

"Let her go, now," Saturn snapped.

Moon nodded. "You can't expect to fight us all and win."

"That's not likely, yes, but who said I'm staying?" Siren snapped before tossing the seed back at Mercury, and then her body melt into a puddle of water.

"Huh? Is she dead?" Warwitch asked as the puddle vanished.

"No," Saturn said, "it's just another of their strange escape devices."

Mercury was up, as was her male counterpart. He noticed she was surrounded by a dark aura and grimaced. "Damn, not Ami..."

"Wonder what she'll become," Mars mused.

The aura vanished, and everyone could see Mercury standing there, her suit replaced by what looked like a _very_ short lab coat. "Prepare to feel the unyielding intelligence of Sailor Science."

"Lame," Mars muttered.

"What's 'unyielding?'" Moon asked confused.

"Sailor Moon, always lost when people starts using real words," Science mused.

"Wow, they turned her into an asshole," Mars said.

"Your juvenile insults are quite intransigent, dear Mars," Science said.

"Okay, let's knock her out before she gives me a headache," Moon said.

"I agree," Mars seconded.

"Not so fast, my test subjects," Science said. "Let us see how resistant you are to corrosion."

Dragon Mercury saw Sailor Science producing several glass tubes and paled. "Girls, watch out for those."

"Why, what's on those tubes?" Moon said, still lost.

"Want to find out, let them hit," Science mused. "Melting Bombs!"

Moon was confused, but not stupid. She leapt out of the way of the projectiles, along with the others, and gasped as the concrete started melting down where they hit. "Ack, that's acid!"

"Oh, really?" Mars said rolling her eyes at her.

"You moved," Science snapped.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but we like our bodies to stay solid," Saturn snapped.

"Solid, you say?" Science mused. "How about frozen solid? Cryogenic Pulse!" Before the others could figure out what the attack was, several pillars of ice shot from the ground, trapping them all. "And thus, science triumphs once again."

Dragon Mercury blasted the pillar he was in apart and growled. "Ami... I don't want to hurt you, but you're being quite an ice-cold bitch."

"Don't blame me for being more intelligent than you."

The Dragon chuckled. "Oh, of course you are. But tell me, brilliant one, aren't you forgetting something important?"

"Oh? No, I caught you all. And I'll get the others when they arrive. "

"I don't think we'll need backup. And by the way, I would watch my back if I were you."

"Please, Terry. Do you think someone with my brain power will fall for such a trick?"

"You just did," a voice said from behind Science. "Rock Clap!"

Dragon Mercury winced as he saw the attack hit Science. Two massive slabs of rock appeared to each side of her, slamming against each other and leaving her in quite a beaten-up state. "That was a bit too rough."

"Sorry," Warwitch said.

"Rough or not, it worked," Saturn said as the pillars melt. She kneeled besides Science and started healing her.

"Thanks for the help," Moon said. "Why didn't you help from the start?"

"Because I know Mercury's smart, and she's too powerful for me to face directly. Being sneaky is sometimes the only way to win a battle."

"Whatever you used to beat me, it hurt."

Dragon Mercury smiled at Mercury. "Date's off, then?"

"It'll take more than getting beaten down for that," Mercury noted.

As the two Mercuries fled away, Moon smiled. "Well, that ended well. "

"I don't get it, though," Mars said, "those alien Senshi, if they're as strong as they seem, they could kill us. But instead, all they do is running away."

"Maybe they see us as such weak creatures, they don't even see fighting us as worthy," Saturn said.

"Let's not jynx it," Moon said, "because I don't want to find out just how strong those Senshi are."

* * *

**A/N:** I've dropped the 'ko' in Yukiko's name. Everyone calls her 'Yuki' or Hokuge, anyway. Oh, and this episode contains yet another clue on who she really is. You just have to pay attention to the one Senshi that could figure it out before anyone else does. 

And yes, the Animates are insanely powerful compared to the Earth Senshi. That's part of the fun the last half of this arc will be.

Oh, and what happened to Mouse, you ask? That's going to be seen next episode.


	113. Dire Luck

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 113: Dire Luck.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: March 18, 2008_

* * *

"So, you didn't have any luck either, did you?"

Siren glanced at Mouse and nodded. "To work with such handicap... I don't know what Galaxia is planning."

"And you need not know."

Siren cringed at the voice. "G- Galaxia?"

"You have nothing to fear. If you ever say something that truly angers me, your death will be so fast you won't even have time to notice it."

Siren nodded and tried to calm down. "What brings you here, Queen Galaxia?"

"Is Lead Crow around?"

"No, she's scouting for the princess and those three annoying brats, " Mouse explained.

"I see. When she comes back, tell her to come speak to me immediately," Galaxia said, not waiting for an answer before vanishing.

"So, I guess it's her turn next," Siren said. Mouse just nodded.

* * *

Yukiko looked at the computer screen for several seconds before turning it off. One week had passed since she found out the truth, and most of the Senshi had been friendly towards her.

Some of them, however, kept their distance. She couldn't blame them, it was expected that their 'superhero' job would make them a bit paranoid.

One would think Usagi was either too naive or too hard-skinned, as she rarely ever showed any signs of the effects all those battles should have in her mind. She definitely looked too cheery and carefree for someone who carried the role of a leader.

The Mooncats were an unknown factor for her. She had only seen them once, and they had looked way too edgy, but had not spoken a lot. Yuki could only wonder why they acted like that.

And finally, there was Ami. Sure, she was friendly, and had not said anything to make her feel uncomfortable, but... Whenever she looked at her, Yuki felt like she was being dissected on the spot. It was almost as if that girl could see something the others couldn't, something not even Yukiko herself knew.

But what was it? She could try asking her, but she wasn't too sure how the Ice Senshi would take her questioning.

* * *

Shingo had headed to Crown, expecting to see Usagi or one of their friends there, but apparently they were all taking their training seriously nowadays.

That his slacker sister had become an average student, and someone who saved the world an average of twice per year, was something a part of Shingo's mind still refused to believe.

"It's rare to see you here, Shingo."

"Arcades are too noisy, they remind me of my sister," Shingo said looking at the person who had just walked up to him. Damn, she looked prettier every time he saw her.

"Anything wrong?"

"No, nothing at all," Shingo lied. "It's rare to see you around, too, you're always busy with... Well, you know."

Hana laughed softly. "That's true. so, what are you up to?"

"I was looking for my sister, but I guess she's not here. Ever since that Chibi girl showed up, she's taken the same older sister role she took with ChibiUsa."

"More like a motherly role, actually," Hana noted.

"I know, but my brain still can't see Usagi as a mother. Some of her old self is still imbued in my mind."

Hana sighed. "She's changed a lot." She then looked around and grimaced. "Damn it."

"Trouble?"

"Big ones," Hana noted, then scanned the room with her eyes. "Oh, Chie is here, that means..."

"It's those aliens the Senshi are up against, right?" Shingo asked. "And since Chie is the only one in the room, then that means she's the target this time."

Hana looked at the younger boy in awe. He was smart enough to figure things out that fast? "Uhm, yeah. I think I'll have to help her."

"That's a pity, I was enjoying the company," Shingo said, "but I guess it's your duty."

Hana smiled at him, then walked away to find somewhere to transform. Shingo groaned as she left. "Well, that's another chance I wasted. "

It was right then that the front wall of Crown got blasted inwards. Shingo run for cover as he noticed Motoki shouting something over the crowd's shocked screams, and he was sure it was something close to "not again."

* * *

Chie looked around as the dust settled. The crowd was too busy running away or trying to rescue the few unlucky one that had been caught by the explosion and the debirs, so it was safe for her to transform. She whispered the words, and in a second became Sailor Lilith.

"Oh, you're still up? I had hoped that blast would knock you down as well."

"Guess I'm just lucky," Lilith said as she looked at the newcomer. The black suit this woman had made her look like... "A crow?"

"I'm Sailor Lead Crow, and I'm here to get you."

"Just try," Lilith said, eyeing the room to see if she had anything she could use in her advantage.

Crow smiled. "You asked for it, girl."

The black-clad woman rushed at Lilith, but she bounced off an invisible wall a meter away from her. "Uh, lucky," Lilith said.

"Luck's got nothing to do with it," Nova said as she walked out of the shadows.

"Well, I was lucky you were around."

"Good point," Nova said.

Crow growled at Nova. "Stay out of this, human."

"Or what, are you going to glare at me?"

So, this girl had noticed. That most likely meant the Senshi also knew. "Hmph. Don't be mistaken, it's not that I'm not using any attacks because I can't."

"Oh? What's the problem, then?"

"Queen Galaxia doesn't let us attack you, kids. If the carrier dies before we get the golden seed, then our efforts will be meaningless. "

"What are her real goals?" Lilith asked.

"Hmph. I don't need to tell you that," Crow snapped, then punched right through the invisible field, and got the seed out of Lilith. "Damn, another dud. Oh well..."

Nova glared at the spot Crowd had been standing on. Apparently, this one didn't bother with flashy escapes, but that wasn't something she would be worrying about right now. "Chie?"

The now transformed Lilith laughed. "It's Sailor Gambler now." Her suit was apparently made entirely of poker cards, and her weapon of choice were a dice and a coin. "Your luck just run out, Nova."

"What are you going to do, dice roll me to death?"

"As a matter of fact..." Gambler said before tossing a dice straight to Nova's face. "Rolling Bomb!"

Nova was barely able to raise a small shield before the dice exploded, and the blast still sent her rolling back. "Damn, not a soft hitter at all."

"Hmm, I'm sure the other pests will be here soon, so I don't have time to play with you. Let's end this fast. Destiny Coin!"

Gambler tossed the coin up, but someone else caught it. "Gotcha."

"Hey brat, give that back!"

Shingo smirked. "Make me."

"Shingo, get out of here!" Nova said.

"Too late," Gambler said. "Rolling Bomb!"

Nova rose a shield, but the blast was still strong enough to knock Shingo away. He slammed into an arcade machine and fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"You..."

Gambler was about to turn to gloat, but cringed as she saw the black aura around Nova. "Now, now, girl, no need to get all pissy over some brat."

Nova wasn't listening, she simply phased out, appearing right behind Gambler, and grabbed her arm. "Die."

As she felt the massive wave of psychic energy surging through her body, Gambler couldn't even scream. A few more seconds of this, and she would...

"Nova, stop that."

Nova turned to the voices, and saw Sailor Moon and Saturn there. She released her hold of Gambler, who was now unconscious, and sank to the ground. "I..."

"Don't say anything," Moon said as she healed Lilith. "I would've done the same in..."

Saturn looked at Shingo's form for a second before rushing to him. She didn't need any scanners to know what had happened. "He's dead. "

"He... Died helping me," Nova said. "Moon, I'm sorry I couldn't defend him..."

Saturn sighed and put a hand on Shingo's forehead. "He'll be back in a minute."

Lilith had recovered her senses and was frozen in place, looking at Shingo's body. "That... It was me who..."

Moon gave her a pained look. "Don't blame yourself, Chie."

"But I..." Lilith turned, trying to keep her temper at bay. "Sorry, I need to be alone."

Nova growled. "I can't believe I let my powers flare like that."

"You like him, don't you?" Moon whispered.

"Huh?"

"You can't fool me when it comes to that kind of things," Moon said with a sigh.

"Well..." Nova started, then noticed Shingo was standing up. She walked to him and tried her best to make her glare look good. "You, young man, don't ever do something like that again."

Shingo smiled. "Sorry, but I couldn't let something as pretty as you die."

As Nova blushed, Saturn suppresed a chuckle. "Kid's growing up."

Moon smiled. "Let's go, we have a meeting back at the base, remember?"

Saturn was about to comment they had no meeting scheduled, but then understood what she was up to. "Oh, right. Let's go."

Shingo looked outside as Moon and Saturn flied away, to the crowd watching the battle. "I don't think we can get out of here walking, huh?"

Nova nodded. "And the army guys will be here soon. Okay, let's go."

A second later, the two had left the once again wrecked Crown.

* * *

"That Nova girl, she's got quite a lot of power."

"True," Fighter said, "we should be careful around her."

"What, scared?"

"No, but you saw what she almost does to one of her allies. There's a difference between being brave and being stupid, and pissing off that psychic girl would be downright stupid."

* * *

"You failed too?"

Crow nodded. "Yeah, but those Earthlings are pushovers."

"Like all the other Senshi we faced before," Mouse said. "A pity only those Starlight loser were ever a challenge."

"A pity Galaxia will destroy them sooner or later," Siren noted.

* * *

"I wonder..."

Luna looked at Artemis. "What is it?"

"If that Galaxia woman is as strong as the legend says, then we may have to use our power against her."

"I agree, but let's wait until she shows up to decide. Maybe she's just someone using Galaxia's name to intimidate her enemies."

"I hope that's the case," Artemis said, "because I don't want to see Mina get hurt, or worse."

* * *

**A/N:** _DavidJes:_ It's not like I'm giving out enough clues, after all, I don't want anyone figuring this out. But in any case, don't worry too much. There's 'only' thirty or so episodes left before the truth's revealed.

_SailorStar9:_ Yeah, the names are dumb, and deliberately so. I hoped that was quite obvious by now. And those who know a bit about old games will 'love' what Terry's going to be turned into.

This episode was delayed thanks to yours truly getting hooked on Naruto's manga. And after that, it was delayed by me having to slaughter all the plot bunnies that were spawned thanks to it.


	114. Return Of The Ninja

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 114: Return Of The Ninja.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: March 21, 2008_

* * *

Terry leapt at his foe, who dodged sideways as expected. He brought his leg out and struck, knocking her off her feet. "What's wrong, Hotaru? You're not even trying."

"Sorry," Hotaru said as she stood up.

"You asked for some training, but you're just... Not here."

Hotaru sighed. "Yes, I wanted to take my mind off 'that,' but I just can't."

Terry nodded. "I can understand how you feel, missing the one you love."

Hotaru cringed. "In your case, it was quite definitive, but what if someone had told you Hana was coming back?"

Terry looked at Ami, then smiled. "I don't know, I would have probably waited for her, but even then, I think I could've still ended up falling for Ami anyway. Love isn't easy to predict."

"I agree."

Hotaru looked at Ami, who was seemingly not paying attention to their talk. "Hey, what are you up to this time, 'Sailor Science'?"

Ami scowled at the nickname. "I'm trying to run tests on the data I have of Yukiko Hokuge. Each and every scan I know of."

"Why? She doesn't look evil. I would sense her..."

"Just a hunch, but something tells me it's no coincidence she has those powers. They're not Senshi powers, but still, I want to be a hundred percent sure that she is not a threat to us before I let the matter drop."

"And what are the chances right now?"

"Considering our past battles, how some aliens would block all our means of scanning them, or disguise themselves as humans... I'd say I'm ten percent certain that Yukiko is an enemy."

"Only ten percent?" Hotaru asked amused.

"We've won battles with way worse odds against us," Terry noted. "But Ami, what about Rei, Hotaru and Hana? They haven't sensed anything in her."

Ami was surprised. "Oh, Hana didn't tell you?"

"About what?"

"She's felt what she describes as 'two auras' twice in Yukiko. Once the first day she went to school, and again when she saw her as Warwitch. Both events only lasted for a second, but Hana's pretty sure it wasn't a trick of her mind."

"But if she were posessed, like our dear Pinky was," Terry said, then looked at Hotaru. "Uhm... Sorry."

"Nevermind," Hotaru said with a smile. "You've got a very good point. If she was taken over by some other being, which is the only way I could find for someone to have two auras... Two souls inside, then she would have attacked us by now."

"Unless..." Terry started.

"What?"

"Unless whatever is inside Yukiko is building up energy," Terry said. "Gathering strength in order to defeat us."

"It all sounds like a crazy theory to me," Hotaru said, "but it's still something to be wary of."

Ami nodded then looked back at the screen. "Damn. If there's something in there, it's either hiding its traces perfectly, or it's nothing we've seen before."

* * *

"So, what happened after I left?"

Shingo looked at Usagi for a second before shrugging. "I don't ask you to tell me how your dates with Chiba go, now do I?"

"Good point... So it was a date?"

"We just talked."

"You know you can't fool your older, wiser sister."

"Older, yes, wiser, not a chance," Shingo noted. "Though I wonder... I don't know that much about her."

"You could ask Terry, he's the one who knows her the most."

"That would feel weird."

"Why?"

"Well, I'd be asking him stuff about his ex-girlfriend. Just looks weird to me."

"I can go with you, if that helps."

"You're just being nosy."

Usagi's eyes watered. "What, can't you trust your own sister?"

"You know the puppy eyes don't work with me."

"Bet if Hana used them, they would," Usagi teased.

Shingo blushed and walked out of the room, muttering something about nosy airheads under his breath.

* * *

"There are still many Senshi left to check in this planet," Galaxia said, "and if what I'm sensing is true, the one we're looking for has the potential to become stronger than those annoying Starlights and their Princess."

"But Galaxia," Crow said, "if that's the case, then we should be careful around the Earth Senshi. The Starlights costed us one of our soldiers already."

"That's one of the reasons why I want you to attack two targets at once from now on. You will have less Senshi to worry about that way. "

"As usual, a wise move."

Galaxia looked at the newcomer, dressed in her usual cat-like suit. "Any luck finding the Princess?"

"Mrow, none yet. Kakyuu's good at hiding, I'll give her that."

"Keep on searching, Nyanko, we can't let that one live any longer. "

* * *

"What's this?"

Seiya looked at Kage. "A ticket. Our manager thought it would be good publicity if we gave our classmates some free tickets for our next concert."

"And since I don't want to be lynched by the rest of the school," Terry noted, "I made it so everyone at school gets one."

"Wise move," Umino said.

Kage shrugged. "I'm not a fan, though, so I'll have to pass."

"That's expected," Yaten admitted. Not that he would mind, after all they were looking for a princess, not a prince.

"The concert's one week from now, keep it in case you change your mind," Taiki said.

Yuki observed the trio (who, as far as she knew, were passing as siblings,) and smiled. She had a theory about them, one she was sure Ami would like to hear about.

* * *

Not knowing who would be next was annoying, but Ami had found no way to guess the next target accurately. She at least had a pretty good idea about who the Starlights were, but she wasn't going to tell the others until she was a hundred percent sure of it.

"Hey Ami, wait!"

She turned to see Yuki and smiled. "Hello, Yuki."

"I thought you would already be home by now."

"No, I was picking some books from the library," Ami said pointing at the rather heavy-looking bags she was carrying. "The side-effect from our powers is really useful."

Yuki hadn't really noticed the bags, but they looked too heavy for Ami. Well, she had seen Usagi using her enhanced physical strength a few times in the past year, too, so she knew what the Senshi could do even without transforming. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you about a couple things."

"Go ahead," Ami said. "I was heading for the base, but I'm not really in a hurry."

Yukiko looked at her and grimaced. "There it is, again."

"Huh?"

"Maybe you don't notice, but you're often looking at me like I'm a test subject."

"I am? Sorry about that."

"So, what's the problem? You think I'm a villain?"

Ami smiled sheepishly. "There's a few things, minor details, which make me suspicious, yes."

"Then talking to me would be useless, right? I could be hiding it all too well."

"Yuki, you're not a normal girl, that's obvious. The fact you figured out who we were on our own tells me you're quite smart. But there's stuff about us, about our group, that you still don't know, because they can't be guessed."

"Like what?"

"Like, for example, that there's several of our group who can sense evil beings, in different ways. Rei can sense evil energy in close range, Hotaru can also sense them, and the Mooncats can detect magic energy in a limited area, too. Hana, from what she told me, can sense all living beings in a few kilometers around her, if she's focusing hard enough."

"I don't see what that has to do with me."

"Most of the group agrees that they never felt anything out of place about you. But Hana, on the other hand, told me she saw double magical auras in you twice, but such things only lasted for a second. "

"Double auras, that could only mean... Two souls in one body?"

Ami looked at Yuki and smiled. "But you know, whatever that means, you don't look like you're lying to us. There may be something evil in you, or not, but I guess we'll take care of it when, and if, it shows up."

"Good to know, just try not to blast me to pieces while you're dealing with that," Yuki mused.

Ami laughed along, but stopped as she sensed something. She summoned her communicator, and saw Aiko's face in it. "What's wrong?"

"Dad's being attacked," Aiko said, "And Brad, too."

"I'm going to check on Terry, then," Ami said, "see if you can send a couple of our group there, just in case."

"Will do," Aiko said. "Mom, be careful."

Ami nodded. "Don't worry, I will."

* * *

By the time the two heroines reached the mansion, they saw Mouse was there, along with a black-clad man. "Zero?"

"Zero? Zero was just a poser, I'm a real ninja."

Mercury rose an eyebrow. "Wait, does that mean your name is..."

"Dragon Ninja," the man finished.

Warwitch groaned. "Their name-choosing skills are very poor."

Mouse smirked. "Hope you girls have fun. Ta da!"

Warwitch shot a magic blast, but it missed the booth narrowly. "Oh well, so that means we're going to have to defeat Mr. Mediocre Game?"

"Ouch, that hurts, girl," Ninja said. "But this hurts too. Shuriken Storm!"

Both girls leapt out of the way as their foe leapt up, shooting countless shuriken at them. "Not a pushover, I can see that," Warwitch muttered. "Mercury?"

"I'm on it," Mercury said. "Frozen Rage!" the attack hit the still airborn target, but he turned into a large trunk as he was hit. "What?"

Warwitch saw something rush to Mercury, and leapt on its way. She managed to block Ninja's attack with her staff, but he switched targets. "Uh oh."

"Ninja Water Skill: Frost Dragon."

Mercury grimaced as a large icy dragon shot up from the ground, knocking Warwitch away, and freezing Mercury's arm. "Damn it..."

"Give up, you can't defeat my mad ninja skills."

The Ice Senshi groaned as she slammed her arm against a wall, breaking the ice down. How could she hope to defeat... Oh, right, she could use his own skills against him. "You know, that dragon of yours doesn't look so strong."

"Frost Dragon!"

Unlike Warwitch, Mercury was attuned to ice. That allowed her to stand there and let the attack pass through her, which hurt her a bit, but was also needed for her plan to work. "Frozen Rage!" Mercury shot her own ice blast from within the still-rising dragon, hoping to take her enemy by surprise... Or to make him think that was her real plan. As soon as she shot her blast, she spun around, shooting another blast behind her.

Just as she had expected, the ninja was coming at her from behind, and her attack caught him off guard. However, she wasn't expecting him to turn into a puddle of water. "What?"

"A ninja sees through tricks like those, dear Mercury."

"Fire Claw!"

The man laughed as the attack wrapped around him. "Pitiful. It's this all you've got?"

Mercury was glaring at him. "Game over, Terry." Before he could retort, she simply punched him straight in the face, knocking him through a tree. As he fell, she groaned. "Guess I overdid it."

As Mercury healed her guy, Warwitch looked around. "Wonder why those freak Senshi didn't show up this time..."

Mercury looked at her visor and paled. "Because Terry wasn't the only one attacked today."

"Oh? They're working in pairs now?"

"So it seems."

Terry stood up, clutching his jaw. "Damn, I feel like a train hit me in the face."

"I may not be the best at melee, but I still know how to knock someone out if I have to," Mercury said with a wink.

"Was I hard to deal with?"

"No, just a crazy guy in a ninja suit," Warwitch said.

"That really takes me back..." Terry said with a grin.

* * *

While the Ice Senshi fought, there was another Senshi facing an enemy who was quite formidable. An enemy with great power, who had literally cornered her in a matter of minutes.

"Mwhahahahaha! Fear the might of Dragon Warlock!"

An enemy that, Venus thought, needed to get a better name and personality before ever thinking about defeating her. "Okay Brad, that's it. I'm tired of this."

"I agree," Warlock said. Instead of his usual Dragon suit, he was wearing long, black robes and wielding a long staff. "Pyro Pentagram. "

venus leapt back a split second before a reddish star formed on the ground she'd been standing, and watched as a column of flames erupted from that point. "Damn, not easy to get him." If only those Starlight freaks were helping her, this battle would be way easier. But those three were apparently only interested in fighting Galaxia's underlings.

"Time to finish this. Magic Bomb!" Warlock formed an energy sphere in his left hand and released it.

"Hex Bolt!" Lilith's attack hissed right in front of the 'bomb,' without touching it, but the sphere exploded a second later, sending Warlock staggering back. "Gotcha."

"Hmph, what are you doing here, jinxy bitch?"

"Jinxy bitch? That's a new one," Lilith muttered.

"I'm done with playing," Warlock snapped. "Demon Sword!"

Oh shit, not that attack. Venus knew the kind of power that spell had, and knew if he unleashed it with his actual power, he could wreck the buildings around them easily. "Brad, stop!" She moved without thinking, covering the distance between them in a blink.

Lilith saw Venus move... Or rather, didn't see her move. One moment the Light Senshi was near her, and the next she was standing where Warlock had been, one arm outstretched, and Warlock was flying back, seemigly unconscious.

As she blinked again, she saw Venus was gone. Looking at Warlock, she saw her standing over his fallen form, healing him. "What the fuck was that?"

"What was what?" Venus asked.

"You teleported?"

"Huh? I only run..." Venus turned to look at Lilith, and saw the other girl was at least one block away. She had knocked her foe out and was already healing him, true, but she had done both in an instant. Looking back, she could see it in her mind, the moment her foe started summoning his attack, something awoke in her, and she could see the background blurring as she focused in his foe. She had... "Moved at super speed?"

Lilith hovered over her on her board. "That's how it looked to me," she admitted, "who knows, maybe it's got something to do with your element. Senshi of Light, speed of light?"

"Ow, damn headache."

"Sorry, had to knock you out," Venus said turning to Brad. "You were about to use your Demon Sword spell."

"It's okay," Brad said, then blinked. Venus was... A block away? "How?"

"I don't know, I simply used this when you summoned that spell, and was next to you the next second," Venus said, then 'walked' back to where the others were. "Nice power, isn't it?"

"Yeah, maybe you'll start getting to class in time with that," Brad joked.

"You're quite an asshole sometimes, you knew that?"

"That's one of my many qualities."

Venus rolled her eyes at him. "Brad, just shut up before I knock you out again."

"Yes sir!" Brad said giving her a fake military salute.

"No, seriously, what did you see in this guy?" Lilith asked.

"Sometimes I wonder the same thing," Venus said.

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, the names just keep getting worse... And if you never heard of, or played, Dragon Ninja, don't worry, you're not missing much.

This episode ended up being a bit longer than I had planned. Guess that's what happens when you put two brainy girls together and let'em chat.

Also, Venus' power is one of the few 'special' things some of the Senshi will get as they keep powering up (like Saturn's teleporting and ChibiMoon's psi powers,) and it won't be the weirdest of them, either.


	115. Tempest

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 115: Tempest.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: March 27, 2008_

* * *

Yuki smiled as she looked at the chess board in front of her, then nodded at her rival. "You're good."

"I'm programmed to be a challenge even for mom," Aiko said.

Only a few hours had passed since the last attack, and most of the group was in the base now. "By the way, Yuki, you said you had something to tell me?"

Yuki looked at Ami, then blinked in shock. "Oh, that's right! With all that fighting, I forgot about it. Listen, I think I know who the Starlights are."

Ami chuckled. "I'm quite sure I know, too. They're three, they showed up around the time the Starlights did, and they're almost as abrassive as them."

"The Three Lights?" Terry asked.

"What?" Usagi said. "But that can't be!"

"They're male," Minako said.

"I know," Ami admitted, "and that's the one thing that makes it hard to be a hundred percent sure about it."

"The only way they could be the three alien Senshi would be... That they turned into girls when they transform?"

Ami shook her head. "No, Mako, I think it's a bit more complicated than that."

Hotaru nodded. "Our Senshi forms aren't just disguises. In a way, we can only use our abilities fully when transformed. One could say they are our true forms, and these civilian forms of us are the disguises."

"Weird," Usagi said, then her eyes widened. "No way."

"Huh?" Minako was a bit lost, but then thought about it for a second. "Yuck, you mean those three are actually girls?"

"That's the only explanation I can see," Ami said.

"Well, their music's still awesome," Minako noted.

"I feel so lesbian right now," Rei muttered.

"Welcome to the club," Haruka teased.

"Uh, Ami, do you have any idea of where my speed upgrade came from?" Minako said, rapidly changing the topic.

"Not really. I've found no records of such a power ever appearing in the past, even outside the Venus Senshi."

"That's weird."

"Maybe she was born with that power," Hotaru said, "like..." She vanished, appearing a few meters away, "... me."

"You mean, she was born with it, but it only activated now?" Yuki asked. "That could be a good explanation."

"And it wouldn't be the first time our powers show up like that. Nor would it be the last," Terry said. "In any case, I'd think such a power would make you an excellent melee fighter."

"I felt quite tired after using it to move just a few meters, though, " Minako said. "There's always a catch to these things."

Brad smiled. "Mina, Terry's right about it. I don't think even I could hit you right now before you landed a few blows. Even if I was able to read your movements, my body wouldn't move fast enough to dodge."

"What, does that mean I could beat you in a melee?" Minako asked surprised.

"You could probably beat _me_ in a melee," Terry said.

"Oh hohohohoho! I am the mighty Venus, fear me!" Minako exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips as she laughed.

"I fear her, but only because she's crazy," Hotaru muttered.

"Oh, that works for me," Minako mused.

* * *

"So tell me, Tomoe, are you making any progress besides blowing pieces of our base up every once in a while?"

"That hurts, Kino," Tomoe said, "I haven't blown anything up since last month."

"I know. Quite a record for you."

"As for your question," Tomoe said, "I'm developing a weapon that may turn the tide of any battle."

"Sounds too good to be true. What could you do that the Senshi can't?"

"Well, let's take their current enemies, for instance. The few readings I managed to get from our satellites show that even the weakest of those new Senshi are as strong as Moon herself."

"And that means we can't even scratch them," Seia said finally deciding to talk up.

"If my theory is correct, we would. Or rather, they would."

"I don't follow."

"This project of mine will, in theory, use the enemy's own energy against them."

"So, we could get them to hurt themselves? What's the catch?"

"If our numbers are correct, the weapon would need more energy to shoot once than the whole city requires for one day."

"I don't think I can get such an energy expense approved," Kino said. "Any way to lower that figure?"

"I'm working on it, but it may take me a long time to come up with a solution."

* * *

Uranus and Neptune were flying back home, but stopped as a figure clad in a cat suit appeared in front of them. "Gee, they sent a catgirl to get us? How lame."

The woman glared at Uranus. "I'm Sailor Tin Nyanko, and I will make you eat those words, kid."

"You're welcome to try," Uranus snapped back as she and Neptune leapt off their boards.

* * *

If someone had told her, several years ago, that she would be who she was now, she would have laughed at them. Well, actually, she wouldn't have laughed. Hotaru had never understood what was so special about friends, not until Usagi started trying to befriend her.

And of course, she had tried to keep the blonde girl away from her, but in the end, she finally realized what friends were for. She sometimes wondered if Usagi's ability to befriend others was some sort of special power, like her own teleportation, or Minako's newfound speed. Or even ChibiUsa's weak psi powers.

She stopped walking as she thought that. She simply couldn't keep her away from her mind, and frankly, she didn't want to. Yes, knowing she would have to wait that long to see her again bothered her, but she was slowly adapting to that idea.

She felt something else in her mind, and looked around. Nobody was in earshot, so she mentally summoned her one-eyed visor. "Oh, it's you."

"Hotaru, Uranus and Neptune are fighting the enemy right now. You're close to where they are."

Hotaru heard an explosion and nodded. "Yeah, I can tell."

Aiko nodded. "I'll tell the others, but I think they'll take a few minutes to get there."

"Tell them to hurry, if those two get turned evil, I'll beat them down once again."

* * *

Uranus smirked as she looked at the bruised catgirl. "Seriously, why are you even with Galaxia? We heard all the other Senshi freaks of hers were really strong, but you..."

"But I," Nyanko said "am more catlike than you think. And cats love playing with their prey."

"What do..." Neptune started, but then gasped. Nyanko's bruises, caused by a relentless barrage of attacks from her and Uranus, were now gone, and she was standing defiantly in front of her. "... Oh, you can heal fast, huh?"

Nyanko smirked. "No, little girl, the damage was an illusion. You would never be able to do as much as touch me, if I hadn't allowed it."

Uranus growled. "I'm not so sure about that!"

Nyanko purred as Uranus charged, then blocked her jab with her hand. "Mrow, you're quite a brawler, aren't you?"

"Haruka!" Neptune shouted as she saw Nyanko get the seed out of her friend. Before she could do anything, however, Nyanko had already leapt at her (in a very cat-like form,) and knocked her to the ground.

"Oh great, I'm late."

"You rhymed," Nyanko noticed looking up at Saturn.

"Wasn't intentional," Saturn said. "So, have anything to say before I stab this glaive through you?"

Nyanko purred playfully. "The view's nice from down here."

Saturn smiled at that. "Funny last words."

Nyanko chuckled. "Oh, they're far from the last, girl. See ya!" Her body was covered by darkness, and a second later she was gone.

The Death Senshi looked at the two who had just finished transforming. Their suits were identical, with the colors of them both, and had what looked like waves and wind drawn across their chest. "Okay, I'll bite. What are your names?"

"We're Sailor Tempest..."

"... And we're going to destroy you."

"Not that again."

"What..."

"... Again?"

"Exactly," Saturn muttered. From the numbers in her visor, she knew these two were strong. And she knew they were superior when it came to melee. So all she had to do was try to knock them out while keeping her distance, or just keep them busy until the others arrived.

"Aereal..."

"...Whirlpool!" Saturn barely dodged as a massive vortex of water and wind shot from the two Senshi. The attack blasted through a few buildings before stopping. "Damn it, try not to kill any innocents!"

"Oops?" The two Senshi said in unison, not sounding sorry at all. "Aereal Whirlpool!"

Saturn risked a quick glance back and paled. There were people in the building this attack would blast through if she dodged, so there was only one thing to do. She spun her glaive, bloocking much of the attack, but it still hit her, sending her sailing down to the ground.

Before she could hit, however, she was caught by someone. "Well, guess my speed's got its uses."

Saturn smiled at Venus. "Thanks, but you can put me down now. Unless you're enjoying this, I mean."

Venus blushed as she backed away. "Uhm, no, I..."

"Just messing with your mind," Saturn said.

"Hey kids, done with the comedy yet?"

Venus looked at the two Senshi. "Those suits are a fashion emergency. "

Saturn nodded. "I know. And they're stronger than they look. Where are the others?"

"They'll be here in a few minutes. Why?"

Saturn picked her glaive up. "Because I don't have a few minutes worth of energy left. So, here's the plan..."

The two Senshi now known as Sailor Tempest looked at each other. "Saturn is weakened, and Venus is a pushover. This will be easy."

Venus smiled. "You think?" In a split second, she was right next to the two, and knocked Michiru back with a sidekick. That, however, left her open for an attack by Uranus, who sent her flying with an uppercut.

"Your fighting is useless."

"Not when you fall right into our trap," Saturn said from right behind her. "Wraith's Cry!"

Neptune saw her friend being drained and stood up, running for Saturn. Venus, however, wasn't going to just stand still and watch, so she hit her with a fast flurry of kicks which knocked her out. "This one's down."

Saturn looked on as Uranus dropped to the ground. "Same here." She got the energy from the Wraith, and immediately used it to heal the two. "That ability of yours is really useful."

Venus smiled. "I bet it's still slower than your teleporting."

The other two stood up and grimaced. "Whatever you did to stop us, it hurt."

Saturn chuckled. "It's too bad for you two, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Neptune asked.

"I beat you to a pulp twice."

"This one doesn't count," Uranus said. "Bet Venus helped you."

"That she did," Saturn said, then looked up. "You three, either leave or stop hiding. I'm not too fond of stalkers."

"Who are you talking about?" Venus asked.

"Those Starlights, they were here all along, but didn't help," Saturn said. "As far as I'm concerned, they're not allies, and if they get in my way, well..."

"Yeah, we can imagine what you will do," Neptune mused.

* * *

"Hmph. That girl knew we were here."

"So what, it's not like they can fight us."

"But you three could be helping them."

The trio turned to the green-haired woman. "Sailor Pluto, I suppose?"

"Yes, that's me," Pluto said. "You three, don't underestimate this planet's defenders."

"Hah, like you can talk. We can sense how powerful you are, so why aren't you helping them?"

"Because I can see the outcome of this war, so I know when my help will be required. You three, however, should stop hiding in the shadows."

"We're not here to save your planet."

"I know that, but if you want to save yours, you'll have to help us save ours."

"We don't..."

"With your help, my Princess will be able to defeat Galaxia. But only with your help."

Before the others could say a thing, Pluto vanished. "Well, she's one strange woman, isn't she?" Fighter commented.

"Yes, but she may be right."

"Are you suggesting what I think you are, Healer?"

"Look, we've been here for one year already, and we couldn't find our Princess. What if Pluto's right? I think it's worth the risk."

Fighter thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. "It may be. But let's wait until after our concert for that. If the Princess doesn't show up by then, then we'll contact this planet's Senshi."

* * *

**A/N:** _DavidJes_: Last total episode count for Chronicles is at 220 episodes, so we're sort of halfways... But I won't call that definitive, as it was originally going to be 180 episodes total, then I added Yukiko and some events that weren't there at first, and modified things accordingly, including two extra acts.

However, 'long' arcs like this (and the next one,) will be rare for the rest of the saga.

_SailorStar9:_ Don't worry, you'll only have to see those witty, amazing and amusing names for one more episode.

Before anyone asks, yes, all the moping Hotaru's been doing about ChibiUsa does have a purpose... Which will be unveiled in the next arc. Stay tuned for the biggest plot twist I ever managed to write, and I hope to write it better this time around.


	116. Reaper vs Reaper

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 116: Reaper vs. Reaper.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 1st, 2008_

* * *

"Are you going to the concert?" Usagi asked.

"I'm not sure. I feel kinda uneasy about that theory Ami has."

The two were at the temple, sitting outside while ChibiChibi played with Rei's pet crows.

"Wonder if she ever tires down," Rei said.

"She's a bit hyperactive, but she doesn't need to be told things twice."

"Chibi!"

Usagi grimaced as the small girl started climbing up a tree, following the two birds. "And she's quite agile, too."

"That's dangerous," Rei said.

Usagi chuckled. "Not at all, just watch her and you'll see why I'm not worried."

ChibiChibi climbed up to a tall branch of the tree, then stood on it. Before she started walking on it, however, she produced a small, pink umbrella out of nowhere.

"Weird," Rei said as the girl balanced herself on the branch, trying to catch the two crows. "She'll fall down."

"Don't worry," Usagi said calmly.

"But..." Rei's eyes widened as ChibiChibi lost her balance. Just as she was standing up to catch the girl, however, she saw the umbrella was acting as a parachute, slowing down her descent. "No way."

"Yeah, that was my reaction too, first time I saw her do that."

"What did she do?"

"She chased Luna up to the rooftop, and I was quite freaked out, admittedly. Lucky mom wasn't home then, or I would be grounded just for letting her do that."

"She fell of the roof?"

"Luna leapt off the roof, so Chibi just followed her. I'm lucky nobody saw that, because I transformed to save her, without even checking for witnesses."

"Pluto said she would help us, but she's not doing anything so far," Rei commented.

"I know, but I'm starting to like this kid," Usagi said. "She's so sugar-high and careless, she reminds me of someone I know..."

"Oh, I wonder who that might be," Rei mused.

"Back to the Three Lights, though... I'm going to that concert. They may be aliens, girls, whatever, but I still like their music."

"Yeah, that's a good point. What about Mamoru?"

"He told me to go alone, and muttered something about fearing to lose his hearing."

"That's what Yuu said, too."

"'Yuu'?" Usagi teased.

"Oh leave me alone," Rei said. "It's all your fault, after all."

"Sure, blame me for it. You were oogling at him for years, Rei."

"I was _not_ oogling, Usako."

"Chibi!"

Rei looked up and noticed ChibiChibi had finally landed... On her head. "Okay, that's a new one."

"Chibi?"

"Off my head, now," Rei said. The girl leapt off her, using her umbrella, and smiled up at her. "Puppy eyes don't work with me."

"Chibi!" ChibiChibi said and hugged Rei's leg.

"Know what, I'm starting to like this dwarf too," Rei mused.

* * *

Later that afternoon, the whole group was at the concert. Well, not exactly the whole group, as some of the girls (and most of the guys) had decided to stay out of the madness.

All things considered, Ami thought, that would have been one wise move for her, too. Looking around, she wondered just how did some girls manage to screech so loud and not have their vocal chords explode.

"You look too serious," Rei said noticing her friend. The rest of the girls were either screeching along with the crowd, or listening to the song now being sung by the three 'male' singers.

Ami smirked. "I like their music, but I also wanted to come here for other reasons," a bluish glass appeared in front of her eyes, and Rei gasped. "Don't worry, nobody'll notice."

"I hope so," Rei said, "but why are you using that here?"

Ami looked at the Three Lights, who were now switching to another song, and smiled. "Gotcha. I wanted to catch them off-guard. Apparently, while they're singing, they drop their shields down. I can now see they're the Starlights."

"Good, now put that thing away and enjoy the music."

"This isn't that bad, after all."

"See, we told you."

Terry smiled. "So you did."

* * *

Hotaru entered the base and smirked. "I see there's still sane people in this world."

"Minako isn't one of them," Brad muttered.

"That's a given, isn't it?"

"Hey, that's my girlfriend you're talking about," Brad snapped, "even if you're right, it's still not nice."

Mamoru chuckled. "Let them have fun. I think we all deserve to have a break every once in a while."

"That's true," Aiko said appearing near Hotaru.

"What about you, Kage? I thought you liked that kind of music."

"Yes, but not the group," Kage said, "and I've got a bit of a problem with their gender switching."

"Hmm, so it's just us five here," Hotaru noted.

"Four," Mamoru said, "I was just passing by, I have a college project to finish."

"And then there were four," Kage said.

* * *

Mamoru's mind was only partially paying attention to the flight. There was something bothering him lately, even though he hadn't told Usagi or anyone else about it. Back in the beginning, as Tuxedo Kamen, he had started as a protector, a mystery, but always protecting the one he loved, even though he didn't know back then.

But as time passed, he had turned into just another member of the group, and that bothered him. He wasn't the protector anymore, the guy who would come in at the last second to save the others, and specially Sailor Moon, from danger. College and life seemed to like keeping him away from battles, and he felt like he was failing in his self-imposed mission.

"Hey, I got a cute one."

Mamoru, or rather Dragon Earth, looked ahead, and saw the one known as Lead Crow (it was easy to guess from her suit,) floating meters ahead. He stopped the board and leapt off it, landing on a rooftop several meters below. "Sorry to say this, but you're not my type."

"Too bad," Crow admitted, "I would've loved to keep you as a pet."

Dragon Earth glared up at the woman, and summoned a stony rose.

* * *

Hotaru was practicing with her glaive, using Aiko as a practice companion. After all, it wasn't like Aiko would be injured or killed if she went overboard, and right now she needed this.

"Wow, she's good with that thing," Brad commented.

Kage nodded. "Remember, she was first trained by Pluto along with me, and I can honestly say I've came to fear that glaive of hers."

"You're just a chicken," Hotaru snapped as she overheard it. She slashed down at Aiko, who blocked the blow with her two swords. "You can fight back, you know?"

"I'm just using dad's routine of tiring you down before knocking you out," Aiko teased.

"I'm serious. I need the stress relief of a real fight."

Just then, the base was shaken by an explosion. "What the fuck was that?"

Aiko was scanning the area even before Brad said that. "One of Galaxia's underlings, Tin Nyanko, is right above us. She came pretty close to digging her way down here with one single blast, too."

"Wonder who she's coming for," Kage mused.

"Let's go up there and find out," Hotaru said.

"Sounds like a good plan."

* * *

Mako noticed Usagi was holding her head. "Hey, what's wrong? Too much noise?"

"No, I... I can sense Mamoru is in trouble," Usagi said.

"Aww, but I was having fun here," Minako complained.

"Get serious," Rei snapped.

"I know, I know," Minako growled. "But how do we get out of here?"

Hana smiled. "Don't forget I'm here."

"But what if they see us?" Minako asked.

"They, who?" Rei asked looking around. "Nobody's paying attention to anything but the scenario."

"Oh, okay," Minako said. "Let's go then."

"Wait," Usagi said, "there's also one of those aliens near our base. "

"Okay, let's get out of here, then we'll split," Ami said.

Hana nodded. "Ready or not, here we go!"

A moment later, the group was gone. And just as predicted by Rei, nobody really gave a damn about their sudden disappearance from the stadium.

* * *

Seiya looked at the others as their tenth song of the night ended. "Guys, can you feel it?"

Taiki nodded. "Two of them, attacking right now."

"We can't disappoint the fans," Yaten commented.

"Our mission's more important," Seiya snapped. "Besides, maybe we'll get to kill another underling."

"Sounds like fun," Taiki said. "And besides, we only had two more songs to go. We can deal with fans later."

Yaten walked up to the mic and noticed the startled looks of the fans. "We apologize for this inconvenience, but Seiya's not feeling well tonight. He thought he would be able to get this show done, but apparenlty..."

* * *

Dragon Earth dodged as a wave of feathers shot by. "You should really stop that, you could hurt somebody."

"That's the idea," Crow snapped and shot another barrage. As the Dragon leapt aside to dodge, she smirked. "Gotcha." She sunk down, straight at him, and tackled him off the building. They both fell a good ten stories down, and Crow thought the Dragon was knocked out as she saw his eyes were closed. "Guess you were right, I did hurt someone."

Dragon Earth's eyes opened and he smiled "Yes, yourself. Stone Jab!"

Next Crow knew, a large rocky fist had popped out of the ground, dragging her up and over the surrounding buildings. "Hey, that tickled. Care to try again?"

"Moonlight Screen!"

"Supreme Thunder Dragon Punch!"

"Fire Tornado!"

The three blasts knocked Crow down to the ground, and she bounced once before stopping. "No way..."

Moon glared down at the woman. "Leave now, we're not going to let you get him."

Crow smirked. "Like hell you won't!" She rushed at the Dragon, but something stopped her. A split second later, she was flying back, and she didn't know why until she saw Venus standing right in front of the Dragon. "Why you little..." she blinked as she realized Venus was gone. "What?"

"Morning Star Smash!"

The blast came from behind this time, and she was flung straight at the Dragon. Big mistake, she thought with a smirk, until she noticed the Dragon wasn't just standing there waiting for her to reach him.

"Stone Jab!"

"Moonlight Screen!"

The Dragon's giant fist knocked Crow right into the light disc, and she screamed in pain. As the attacks ended, she kneeled on the ground, coughing some blood. It couldn't be, these kids had actually managed to hurt her! "Oh, fuck this," she snapped before vanishing.

Moon leapt off her board and run to hug the Dragon. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thanks to you."

"You had her under control," Mars noted. "We just scared her away. "

Venus smiled as she saw the Dragon was okay, then fell face-first to the ground. Mercury checked on her and sighed in relief. "She's okay, just out of energy."

"Cheer up, guys, we actually hurt one of them," Jupiter commented.

Moon nodded. "They're not invincible. They never are." And she was starting to believe maybe Galaxia's power was also being overestimated. They had never failed to defeat their enemies, and this wouldn't be different.

Mercury summoned her comm and smiled. "Hi Chie. What's the situation there?"

"We managed to beat the catgirl here, but had a bit of a problem with Saturn. I think you need to come back right now."

* * *

Minutes earlier, the other group had reached the base, and stared down in awe. The cat-like woman had seemingly managed to get Saturn's seed, and was now shooting paw-like missiles at the others with a strange bazooka.

Nyanko blinked as two of her missiles turned around, then leapt up, barely missing the blast. "Goodie, more food to play with."

Dragon Mercury looked up and down at the catgirl and sighed. "No, seriously, is some deity up there finding this funny?"

"What's wrong?" Earth asked.

"I don't know if I should kick her, or lick her," Dragon Mercury noted. The others all rolled their eyes at him.

"Mrow, you're cute, boy. Maybe I'll make you my pet."

Dragons Venus and Sun were recovering their breath, so Dragon Mercury nodded. "I wonder, are you any good without your missiles?"

Nyanko purred at that. "I'm too good for you."

"Starlight Laser!"

"Starlight Thunder!"

"Starlight Inferno!"

The three blasts hit Nyanko, knocking her down. She tried to stand up, but failed miserably.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Finish her," Fighter said as she and the other two Starlights rushed in.

"Wow, you girls helping us now?" Jupiter asked.

"But wait, don't you have a concert to finish right now?" Dragon Mercury pondered. The three alien Senshi didn't need to answer, their faces were telling him all he needed to know.

Nyanko's body was covered with darkness, and she vanished. "Oh great, the catgirl escaped," Dragon Sun commented.

"That's why we told you to finish her," Fighter snapped.

"Shut up, you're not my boss," Dragon Mercury snapped back.

A wraith hissed by, getting everyone's attention. As they turned, they saw Saturn there, wearing mostly her usual outfit, but with a ragged, grey robe over it, covering her face. "It's time for you all to die. I, Sailor Hades, will see to that."

The Starlights attacked the fake Senshi, but their attacks were reflected right back at them. "Damn it..."

"I know now why you didn't help us before," Dragon Sun said, "you suck at it."

"Silence," Hades snapped. "Unless you want me to shut your mouth forever."

"I'm not scared!" Dragon Sun snapped and rushed at the fake Senshi.

"Hmph. Impattient brat." Hades shot a wraith at him, which passed right through his body. Before the creature was done passing, Dragon Sun was already down.

Lilith noticed Dragon Mercury glaring at Hades. "Terry?"

"That Nyanko was smart to leave... Bastards who force friends to kill each other like this, I..."

Hades laughed, it was a cold, emotionless laughter. "You? What can you do against my power?"

"You're about to find out. Saturn Star Power!"

Hades shot a wraith at Dragon Saturn and laughed again. "It's over. "

Dragon Saturn let the attack hit and smirked. "Is it?"

"What?"

"I see your transformation also screwed up your memory. Remember, I saw you fight against Uranus and Neptune that one time. Don't you remember what happened then?"

"That was Saturn, not me," Hades said.

"Okay, I'll show you," Dragon Saturn snapped. "Skull Spell!"

The skull dragged Hades back a few meters, then exploded, knocking her out. The Dragon sank to his knees, then fell to the ground. "Damn..."

"What's wrong?" Dragon Venus said walking to him.

"I... Remember what I told her?"

"Yeah, about her fight with the two rogues, but..." Dragon Venus winced. "You were close to death when you used that attack, weren't you?"

"And I'm..."

"You're not going to die because of me," Hotaru said as she stood up. She noticed Lilith was talking through the communicator, but didn't have time to worry about that. She put her hand on the Dragon's forehead and concentrated, but then cursed under her breath. "I don't have enough mana left to stop it."

Dragon Venus sighed. "Maybe if I help with a healing spell..."

"That wouldn't be enough," Hotaru said, then stood up. "Saturn Star Power!"

Lilith noticed Saturn was leaning on her glaive for support. "Hotaru, you used up too much energy too."

"I know that... So I need yours, guys."

The others nodded. "Go ahead," Lilith said.

The Starlights walked to them. "No. If she does that, she will die. "

Earth snorted. "How do you know?"

"They don't call me 'Healer' for nothing," Healer noticed. She kneeled besides Dragon Mercury and put her hands together, as if to pray. Seconds later, everyone could see the energy flowing from her to the Dragon, and in less than one minute, the Dragon was visibly better. "It's done."

"Amazing," Saturn said.

Just then, the rest of the group arrived. They noticed the three Starlights there and gasped.

"Senshi, we're not here to fight," Fighter said. It was quite an ironic statement, considering her name. "We've realized we will need help to defeat Galaxia."

"That's good to hear," Venus, who had recovered a minute before they reached the base, said, "but I have a question."

"What is it?" Maker asked.

"Are you male or female?"

Dragon Mercury couldn't help but laugh at that. Same old Minako, always worried about the most 'important' things.

* * *

**A/N:** For anyone who expected me to actually put the Three Lights' songs in this episode, I only have one thing to say: No luck there.

I know the Animates aren't getting much screentime, but that's mostly because I never really cared for them. I'll try to give them a good death scene, at least.


	117. Ultimate Power

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 117: Ultimate Power.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 2, 2008_

* * *

"I don't get it. Just how did you guess who we were?"

Ami looked at Seiya and smiled. "With all the things we've been through so far, gender switching, while strange for us, wasn't something we would discard."

"Specially after Zoicite or Fish Eye," Brad commented.

"What are you doing here, in our planet?" Rei asked.

"We're here to kill Galaxia," Seiya said.

"She destroyed most traces of civilization in our planet," Yaten added.

"And she killed most of our group."

"So there were more Starlight Senshi before?"

Seiya nodded "Not as many as you are, but yes, there were others."

"And also, we're looking for our Princess," Yaten added.

"She's the real leader of our group," Seiya said, "and she's stronger than even us. She escaped to this world after Galaxia's first attack."

"Why did she escape?" Usagi asked.

"Well, Galaxia isn't just looking for star seeds, but for the golden ones. Those are held by the strongest Senshi of each planet. She absorbs them herself, and grows stronger with each new seed she finds."

"But she doesn't stop there. Once she gets that seed, she also takes the rest of them before moving on to the next planet."

Ami was typing something in her computer and scowled. "There's no new data about the star seeds in here. How will we know who has the golden one?"

"It's simple," Minako said.

"What, _you_ figured it out?" Rei mused.

"Well, their Princess escaped, and she was the strongest Senshi in their world, right?"

"She didn't escape, we forced her to leave," Seiya said. "We already knew what Galaxia was after, and we knew she had the golden seed. If Galaxia got her, it would all be over for us."

"Just as I thought," Minako said. "That means Usagi is the one with the golden seed in our world."

"That makes sense," Ami admitted.

"We need to protect her, too," Seiya explained. "But I wonder where our Princess is. She hasn't answered to our message."

"Message?" Minako blinked in confusion.

Ami grinned. "That's obvious. Their songs all have the words 'star' and 'princess' in them."

Terry nodded. "That's why you chose the pop star career. It was the easiest way for your message to be heard everywhere in this world. "

"Good guess," Yaten said, "but we three also musicians in our own world."

Ami was scanning the trio. "It's amazing, though, they're above Moon's power."

"Isn't it always like that?" Rei mused.

Just then, Pluto appeared, causing the three Kou to jump in surprise. The others, however, weren't surprised at all. "I see you've chosen the right path."

"We hope so," Seiya said, "you... You're almost as strong as Galaxia. Why didn't you fight her yet?"

"First, because 'almost' isn't good enough in this case, and second, because if the only thing you use to measure a person's power is their magic, then you're doing it wrong."

The base was rocked by an explosion, and Aiko looked up with a glare. "Wish those bitches stopped doing that."

"Watch that language," Terry said. "So, which one is it?"

"Mouse and Siren," Aiko said. "Now we know why Pluto's here."

"Let's get them," Usagi said, "it's time we start fighting back."

"Where's the old, lazy, easily scared Usagi?" Rei mused.

"She grew up," Usagi said with a wink. "And who said I'm not scared?"

* * *

"Think that blast got their attention?"

"It worked for Nyanko."

"Hey, look, a rat and a whale."

Siren glared at Saturn. "You're going to eat those words."

* * *

"Everything's ready, Queen Galaxia. The trap's been set."

"They fell for it, as you predicted."

"Good," Galaxia said. "You two, don't fail me."

"We won't," Crow said before she and Nyanko vanished.

Galaxia turned to leave the room, then smiled. "I hope they don't fail, it would be their second failure, and I was already too nice forgiving them the first time around." She could easily eliminate her soldiers, but it was a bother having to get more of them afterwards.

* * *

Mouse leapt to the side as a wind blast shot by. "Well, this is fun, isn't it?"

Siren nodded as she parried Dragon Venus' sword slash with her bare hands. "Yes, it's not like they can defeat us."

"Just what are those two up to?" Mars muttered.

"I don't know, but we're not going to stand here and watch," Fighter said. "Starlight Laser!"

The blast knocked Siren back, but she countered with a water blast. Pluto used her staff to deflect that attack and smiled down at the two. "I'm not staying out of this either."

Mouse glared at Pluto for a second, then leapt at her fist-first. Pluto simply sidestepped her and used her staff to send her flying up. "Shit, she's no pushover," Mouse muttered before vanishing. She reappeared right behind Pluto, but the Time Senshi simply slammed her staff back, sending Mouse rolling back almost one block. "Ow, you bitch..."

Siren found herself extremely outnumbered, but she wasn't worried. "It's time."

"Time for wh--"

Dragon Earth turned to look at Moon as she grunted, and saw a paw-like object falling to the ground besides her. He also noticed her star seed had been knocked out of her body, and was floating right in front of her.

"Crap, that thing's bright," Lilith commented. It was true, everyone had to cover their eyes as the seed started shining with a golden hue.

"We got it, the golden seed," Crow cheered.

"'We'?" Nyanko muttered.

Dragon Earth glared at the two, then grabbed the seed. "I'm not letting you get this."

"Good move," Mercury said. "If Moon got turned into a fake Senshi, we might not be able to defeat her."

Nyanko pointed her weapon at the Dragon. "Mrow, don't make me use this."

The three Starlights charged at Nyanko. "We're not going to let that happen!"

Nyanko backflipped several times, avoiding their charge, then stopped on top of a fence. "Mrow, you kids are really gullible."

Something tackled Dragon Earth from the side, and he dropped the seed. As he stood up, he could see Mouse was holding it, smiling evily. "No!"

"Oh, yes," Mouse sneered as she tossed the seed back at Moon.

The Starlights looked on in shock. "No..."

"Her power's rising," Mercury noticed. "She's stronger than even the Starlights now."

The four Animates grabbed Moon's unconscious form and leapt away from the Senshi, smiling as they landed. "This will be fun. We'll watch her kill you all, then we'll kill her ourselves."

Pluto sighed. "They're such fools..."

"Can we defeat Moon?" Mercury asked.

"We can't kill her," Mars said.

"If it's her or us, though," Uranus noted.

"Even if that's the case, we can't," Mars snapped.

Moon was just done with her change, and stood up, glaring at her former allies. Her hair was pitch black, as was her suit, and she summoned her sword, which was now as black as the rest of her outfit, and was engulfed in black flames. "It's a good thing I don't have such handicap," she said. "But even if you fought me, you would still die."

"Bet her name now's Sailor Black Moon or some other stupid name like that," Dragon Venus commented.

"It's Sailor Oblivion, actually," the black-clad Senshi said, "and it's good you asked, this way you'll know who killed you when you wake up in hell."

"Starlight Laser!"

Oblivion stood still as the attack hit her, then smiled. "Oh, sorry, was that supposed to hurt?"

"Well, we're screwed," Earth muttered.

"Maybe we can try a Planet Attack to knock her out," Jupiter suggested.

Mercury shook her head. "No, even with Pluto here, our powers aren't enough."

"Then we'll even the odds."

"Who the heck..." Dragon Mercury muttered.

Some of his friends remembered seeing the one in a golden Senshi suit before, but with them were now a black-clad Senshi and a male Dragon with long, white hair. "Who are you, more alien Senshi?"

"We'll explain this later," the male said. Now take care of the four Animates, we'll keep Oblivion busy."

Mercury's eyes widened as she scanned them. "Whoever they are, they've got enough power to handle her."

Oblivion chuckled as she saw the three newcomers. "You? How can you three defeat me?"

"Try us," the gold-suited Senshi said.

"Of course. Oblivion Storm!"

A wide, black energy beam shot from the evil Senshi's body, but it hit an unseen barrier. "Just as expected, her power isn't even past Guardian," the male Senshi commented.

Oblivion gasped. "Who... Who the hell are you?"

"If we told you now, it would ruin the surprise," the man said.

"So be it. Oblivion... Gateway!"

The three expected another beam, but instead of that, a red circle appeared around them, with runes drawn all over it. "What the hell is..."

"Exactly," Oblivion said as a column of reddish energy shot up from the ground. "So much for those..." She stopped as the energy vanished, and she saw the three were still standing there, unscratched. "How the fuck?"

"Oh, sorry, was that supposed to hurt?" the gold-suited Senshi teased.

* * *

**A/N:** I said Moon wasn't going to turn into anything, didn't I? Well, I lied (and I kinda lied too about the lame names. Though I think Oblivion is a fitting name for a Sailor Moon gone evil.) And who are those three 'mysterious' Senshi? You guys know them already. Only not in those forms. And those who read the old Cyber Moon, don't spoil it.

_DavisJes:_ Black Lady was around in the Black Moon arc (remember, I had her kill the Ayakashi,) and "Mistress Nine" won't be around. But don't worry, Black Lady will be around later on. How and when? Not telling.

As for Terry... Guess after more than a hundred episodes, it's time I explain some things about the character's origins.

Originally, he wasn't even Dragon Mercury, but Dragon Venus. He was much more of a walking joke and much less of a skilled fighter/gadget maker, but his 'mad scientist' side was, I realized, more like Mercury than Venus. Also, at first he was using one sword, but got a hold of Mercury's sword in one episode of the first version (which wasn't even called Cyber Moon, and isn't uploaded anywhere. Don't worry, readers, you're not missing much.) The resulting light and ice blast was the first time I used a combo attack, too. And also, after using that, he was out cold for a week.

In the second rewrite, I toyed with the idea of him having two powers. I chose Mercury as his main, and Saturn as his secondary (and argueably stronger) planet. Just like now, he used the second planet power overlapping the first, hence being able to make some dead/ice combined attacks, but that also drained him really fast (and in this version, that will also happen.)

But this version gave me a chance to give him an 'excuse' to have both powers. In case someone didn't make the connection yet, there's a certain rich trader in Cyber Moon Genesis who was Terry's past life.


	118. Galaxia

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 118: Galaxia.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 3, 2008_

* * *

"Sailor Planet Attack!"

The three Starlights leapt out of the way, barely missing the blast. The strategy had worked, however, and having them keep the four Animates busy while the terran Senshi powered up their group attack paid off. "Guess that's it, huh?" Fighter mused.

"Yes, let's kill them before they recover," Healer seconded.

Crow staggered up and glared at her foes. It was simply impossible, even without their strongest member, these Senshi were quite strong. "Come on, girls, stand up."

Nyanko purred despite the pain. "This is fun, it's been a while since we faced worthy opponents."

"Guess it's time to use our own group attack," Siren said.

Fighter frowned. "Not that attack..."

The Animates didn't need to concentrate for several seconds, or even to focus their attack in one of them for it to work. That gave them quite an advantage compared to the Senshi's Planet Attack. "Galactic Destroyer!"

The Senshi shot their own attacks to stop the large wave of energy, but they barely managed to slow it down. They were all sent skipping back, and most of them fell to the ground, heavily bruised.

"They're stronger than before," Fighter said, "even without Papillion..."

"Good thing we blasted her to dust, then," Maker muttered.

"Well, I guess this is it. We didn't need that stupid Oblivion chick for this, after all," Nyanko said. "Let's finish them."

"Galactic Destroyer!"

The attack surged forwards, but was stopped by a quite visible, crystalline barrier. "Who did that?" Nemesis asked.

"I said she would help us," Pluto said pointing at a new figure that had just appeared in the battlefield.

Standing there, wearing a miniature version of Sailor Moon's Senshi suit, was ChibiChibi. "Chibi!"

"Hey, who's this brat?" Nyanko asked.

"I don't know, but I'll kill her," Siren said and shot a watery blast at the little girl.

"Chibi!" ChbiChibi glared at the four, and Siren's attack hit her harmlessly. She then closed her eyes, and a large, bright energy beam shot forwards, knocking the four Animates back and through several buildings.

"What was that?" Jupiter asked.

"That girl's power is just... Amazing," Mercury said. "Even Oblivion doesn't compare."

The others noticed ChibiChibi walking away. "Where's she going?"

"Let's follow her," Mars suggested, "in case she needs help." It was ncredible for her, such a small girl having that much power. Just who was ChibiChibi anyway?

* * *

Oblivion felt much like the rabbit staring up at a pack of hungry wolves. Who were these three, and why did they have so much power? "I'm going to kill you, and then I'll kill the others."

"Empty words," the gold-suited Senshi said. She then looked back and saw the group heading to them, along with a new Senshi. "About time, you guys."

"Just who are you?" Mars asked.

"No use telling you, since we can't hold these forms any longer," the white-haired man admitted. The three were then surrounded by light, and as the light faded the others could see three very familiar figures there.

"Artemis?" Venus asked in shock. "But you... How..."

The mooncat grinned sheepishly. "It's a power we can only use in a real emergency. If we stay in that form for too long, we can die."

"The good part is, our power is above Eternal Senshi while in that state. You needed someone to stall Moon while you fought the others, so we decided it was due time for us to show you this power," Luna added.

Oblivion laughed. "A lot of good that did to you," she was bruised and bleeding from the attacks of the trio, but she was still more than ready to kill all the weaklings right there and then.

"Chibi!"

The dark Senshi saw the small girl running to her and grimaced. "What? Who are you?"

"Chibi!" ChibiChibi leapt at Oblivion, clinging to her suit. As she did, a white aura surrounded them both.

"What's she doing?" Jupiter asked. From Oblivion's screams of pain, however, she could tell it wasn't nice.

After a few seconds, Oblivion fell to the ground, her form reverting back to that of Sailor Moon. ChibiChibi looked at her for a second before falling unconscious on top of her.

"It's over..." Venus said.

"Far from that," Nyanko snapped as the four Animates rushed in. "And now you have nobody here to help."

"I'm sorry to contradict you, Nyanko." A new figure appeared, dressed in a suit much like that of Princess Serenity, only golden.

"Oh no, not this bitch again," Crow groaned.

"Princess?" Fighter said. "At last, we found you."

"I'm sorry for not contacting you earlier, but Galaxia's been trying to find me. But I can't stay hidden and let you, and the people of this world, suffer."

Nyanko laughed. "Funny last words," she noted as she shot one of her paw-missiles.

The princess stopped the missile with her bare hand, and looked at the four Animates. "Leave now, before you force me to fight."

"Not a chance, Kakyuu," Mouse snapped.

"Her name is _Fireball_?" Dragon Venus said in shock.

"Okay guys, let's beat those four," Mars said. Surely with Kakyuu's help, it would be easy.

Kakyuu smiled at her. "Don't worry, I can handle this. Starlight Judgement!"

The Senshi gasped as the four Animates were surrounded by a dome of fire. And from the screams of pain coming from within, the fire wasn't just for shows. As the dome faded, the four evil women were barely conscious, but Crow and Nyanko were still struggling to keep standing.

"This is it," Kakyuu said. "Leave or die."

"You slut," Crow snapped. "I'd rather die fighting than hiding, unlike you."

"Enough!"

Crow paled at the voice, and didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "G-Galaxia, why..."

"You failed me, not once, but twice today. You didn't destroy this planet's Senshi, or even Kakyuu. I'm not going to tolerate your incompetence any longer."

"Damn, I guess this is it," Mouse said.

"I'm not going down yet," Siren noted.

"Agreed," Nyanko seconded. "Let's show her."

"Galactic Destroyer!" The four shot their attacks at Galaxia, and smiled as she was hit dead on. As Galaxia vanished, however, they all gasped in shock.

Galaxia was standing a meter behind them, holding four star seeds in her hand. "Incompetence and betrayal, even. I respect your fighting spirits, but it was all useless." The four seeds cracked and broke to pieces, and the four Animates fell to the ground, also vanishing seconds later. "As for you, Kakyuu..."

"Starlight Damnation!"

The attack was, this time, a rain of flames, which focused on Galaxia mostly, but still damaged the concrete and buildings around her. The evil Senshi didn't even flinch at the onslaught, instead calmly walking to Kakyuu. "As I was saying, now is your turn."

"Princess, run! We'll take care of her."

Kakyuu smiled at Fighter. "I'm counting on you, Seiya... But I'm not running away this time."

Moon woke up just then, and saw the newcomer shining with a reddish hue, along with a woman she guessed was Galaxia. "Who is she?"

"Princess Kakyuu, the leader of our dear alien Senshi friends," Mars said.

"And she's..." Mercury stopped talking then winced. "Oh shit, let's get out of here, fast!"

"You're cussing, this must be bad," Venus joked.

"I'm serious, this whole area's going to be blasted to dust," Mercury said.

Saturn nodded as she scanned Kakyuu. "She's right. Let's go."

"Fighter, it's time to leave."

"But we can't let her..."

"You know why that attack's forbidden," Healer said. "It's already too late. If we stay here, we'll die along with her."

As the Senshi fled from the scene, Galaxia smirked. "I could destroy you right now, but I'll see what this attack of yours is first."

Kakyuu smiled. "I guessed so. You are as dumb and overconfident as your minions were. Starlight Extinction!"

* * *

Kino was looking at the monitor, gasping in shock. "What exactly was that?"

"Up until two minutes ago, there were two extremely powerful entities fighting near the Senshi base. From what we could gather, one of them unleashed that shockwave." Tomoe looked at the image of a large explosion, which seemed to be several blocks long, before continuing. "Unfortunately, not everyone made it out of that area. "

"What about the Senshi?"

"The residual magic left after the explosion makes it impossible for us to scan that zone right now," Tomoe said.

"I hope they're okay," Seia commented, "because if whatever did that is still alive, then they are the only hope we've got to stop it."

* * *

Moon stood up as soon as she recovered her senses. Last thing she remembered, was Mercury shouting something, and then something hit her... Apparently it had hit them all, as she realized when she looked at her friends. She looked back, however, and choked a scream. "No... No way!"

Mercury was already up, busily scanning the area. Buildings were wrecked around them, but a bit to the north, in the direction their base was, there was simply nothing, just a half mile wide, smoking crater. "This is..." Mercury was, despite her calm stance, as shocked as Moon. "There were possibly hundreds of civilians there, but now, there's nothing left."

"What about our area?" Moon asked. She was conscious of all the destruction Kakyuu's attack had caused, but she still needed to know if her family was safe.

"Don't worry, the blast didn't reach that far," Mercury said. She then said some quite unladilike words. "No... Galaxia is..."

"Chibi!" ChibiChibi squealed as the evil Queen appeared next to them.

"I'm right here, Earthlings." Galaxia's golden suit was slightly singed, but other than that, she had no visible damage.

The three Starlights were shocked, their friend had died for nothing after all. "You can't be alive."

"But I am," Galaxia snapped. "Don't worry, you'll join your princess in the afterlife very soon."

A barrage of energy blasts hit Galaxia from behind, and she turned to see the alien twins, Nova, Warwitch and Game Master were there, ready to attack her again.

"Hana, what are you doing here?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"You think we'll just sit around while this bitch destroys Tokyo?" Nova said.

"You should have," Galaxia snapped and shot several black energy orbs at them.

The sidekicks split to dodge, but the orbs corrected their course and followed them. Game Master and Warwitch were the first ones to get hit, and they both slumped to the ground, then Ail and Ann. Nova kept phasing randomly, but the last orb kept on chasing her.

Galaxia smiled as she held four more star seeds in her hands. "I'll let that human run all she wants. There's no escaping my attack." The seeds vanished, and the Senshi noticed their friends were also gone.

"Umino!" Nemesis fell to her knees. "No..."

Saturn grimaced. "If there's no body left, I can't revive him."

The Starlights were just kneeling on the ground, still shocked over their Princess' death. Mars frowned. "I don't think we can get help from them right now."

"We don't need it," Dragon Mercury said. "We'll slice that bitch to pieces!"

As the Dragons all rushed at her as one, Galaxia laughed. She parried Dragon Mercury's swords with her hands, kicking him back before spinning arond, delivering a kick to Dragon Venus' midsection. Dragon Sun went for a slash to her chest, but Galaxia dodged that, knocking him away with a headbutt. Dragon Earth was the last one standing, and Galaxia smirked as she looked at him. "Well?"

"Rock Rose Hold!"

The evil Senshi chuckled as the rocky flower trapped her. "Oh, so you plan on stopping me with this?"

"Not really," the Dragon said. Behind Galaxia, the other Dragons all stood up, running straight at her.

Galaxia closed her eyes, and several orbs shot out, each hitting one of the Dragons. As they all fell, Galaxia blasted the rocky rose to dust. "Stupid terrans, there's nothing you can do against my power. "

Moon was shocked, that woman was really unstoppable! She noticed something and turned to the side. "Ami, Minako, what..."

Mercury and Venus were both shining with energy. "Even if I die, I can't forgive her for killing him," Mercury said.

"It's time to get serious," Venus snapped, "nobody kills my friends and walks out of it unscratched."

Mars looked at the others and nodded. "Let's help her."

The rest of the Senshi also got ready. Galaxia smiled. "Oh, it's all of you against me now? Sounds like fun."

Mercury's glare darkened, and she summoned a familiar pair of swords. Venus also had the Venus sword in her hands, along with her chain. "Trust me, this won't be fun for you," Mercury snapped.

Moon backed away. "Guys, no... I don't want to lose you, too..."

Pluto looked at her shockedly. "Moon, get a hold of yourself! We need you to defeat her!"

Mars looked back at Moon, then shook her head. "If she's going to be her old crybaby self, then no, we don't need her."

Galaxia gave them all a wicked grin. "So, who wants to die first?"

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, Mercury just got the Saturn and Mercury swords herself. What will she do with them? Guess you'll have to find out next episode.

Not that Minako will just stand around and watch. Or the rest of the Senshi, for that matter. Galaxia's on for a lot of pain... Or is she?

_SolarWinds:_ I said it... When someone asked about it. As for why only Moon has a golden seed, well, who knows? Remember Mamoru wasn't checked on.

Just joking. Moon's the only one with a golden seed in this solar system. Well, there would be another person with one, but she's not born yet nor is she on vacation in the past this time around.


	119. Invincible

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 119: Invincible.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 3, 2008_

* * *

Mercury had been about to tackle Galaxia into a wall, but the two 'rogue' Senshi beat her to it. As she watched, Galaxia was dodging blast after blast, and keeping them out of melee range. Maybe that was her weakness? Or was that what she wanted them to think?

"Ami..."

"Mako, don't worry. I'm not letting anger take over me, I'm using it as a weapon. And if the others fail, then I'll show Galaxia what I can do when they kill my friends."

Jupiter nodded, then noticed something else. "Uhm, where's Minako?"

Mercury looked to the fight, and noticed Galaxia was being knocked back time and again by an unseen foe. "Apparently, she's not as patient as I am.

Galaxia was quite surprised, this one Senshi had a lot of speed on her side. She blocked time and again, but saw no opening to counter. And the other Senshi were all preparing to attack, too.

"Hope Minako can move out of the way," Uranus said.

Neptune nodded. "Let's do this."

Both rushed in, summoning their talismans and crossing them as they run. "Submarine..."

"Wind Sword..."

"Reflection!"

Neptune's mirror lit up, transferring most of its energy to Uranus' sword, and the wind Senshi used that energy, along with her own, to slash down at Galaxia. Neptune didn't just watch, though, since she aimed her mirror at the enemy, shooting a jet of water at her.

Galaxia, however, wasn't too shaken by both hits. "You call those attacks, kids?"

"Fuck, she doesn't even bleed," Uranus muttered.

"No, I don't, not with attacks that weak," Galaxia snapped and shot a couple energy orbs at them. As they hit, she looked at the two seeds in her hands.

"We failed..." Uranus said as she fell to the ground.

"We must trust her, she'll win in the end," Neptune said, staggering up.

"Yes, even if we fall now," Uranus said, also standing up, "she will defeat you."

Galaxia chuckled. "Who? Your princess? Look at her, she's just kneeling there and whimpering. She's already failed you." As she said that, the two seeds vanished.

Pluto felt a tear fall from her eyes. "Haruka, Michiru..."

Galaxia smiled as she felt another hit from her unseen opponent. "How long can you keep that up, girly?"

Venus herself didn't know that, so she decided to finish the battle fast. "Die!"

Galaxia saw Venus coming at her, sword drawn, but stopped her charge with her hand. She grabbed Venus by the neck and laughed. "Other than your speed, you've got nothing."

"Time Storm!"

Galaxia felt the energy around her and grimaced. "Time magic, interesting." She tossed Venus away like a rag doll, then turned to Pluto. "You're a dangerous one."

Just as Galaxia was about to shoot one of her orbs at her, Pluto concentrated. Everything around her froze in time, and she smiled. However, she felt something hit her, and turned around to see Galaxia standing there, smirking. "How did you..."

"Time magic doesn't work with me, moron," Galaxia said as the star seed she was holding vanished, and so did Pluto's body.

Saturn grimaced. One moment Pluto was there, and the next... She could guess what had happened, and she really didn't like it. "Guys, we've got to find a way to kill her, or she'll get us all."

Moon stood up, finally getting over her shock. "Yes, you're right. We have to destroy this woman. Ami, do you think a Planet Attack will work?"

Mercury's body was still shining. "It possibly won't. And she could just get us while we charge up."

Luna, Artemis and Shade walked up to them. "I guess it's time we do what we were trained for."

Moon saw them transforming into their human forms again. "Wait, Luna, you said you couldn't use this for too long..."

Luna looked back at Moon and smiled. "It's a price I'm willing to pay if it helps defeating Galaxia."

"The legendary Galaxia," Artemis said looking at the evil woman. "You know, for someone who's hundreds of thousands of years old, you don't look that bad."

Shade sighed. "Get serious."

The three 'cats' surrounded Galaxia, who just stood there waiting. "Aren't you going to attack us?" Luna mused.

"No, I'm actually interested in what you three can do."

"Big mistake," Luna said. "Guardian's... Torment!"

Energy flowed between the three, slowly forming a ring that shrunk until it was brushing Galaxia's arms. The ring then exploded, sending the evil Senshi flying up.

"Did we kill her?" Artemis asked as he looked up.

"No," Shade said. "She's stronger than the legends say."

"Too bad," Luna said. "We're dead either way."

Venus woke up just in time to see three orbs hitting the three mooncats. "Artemis!"

"Mina... I'm sorry, I'm not strong enough to protect you."

As the mooncats returned to their normal forms, Galaxia landed meters away from them. "Hmph, just like all the other pets I've faced, they're too weak."

Venus didn't wait to see Artemis' body vanish, she was already hitting Galaxia with all she had before that. Galaxia was slowly pulled back by the constant rain of kicks and punches, but suddenly stopped and smiled deviously. She punched out, somehow knocking Venus back, who yelped in surprise. "Gotcha."

Venus summoned her sword and chain and smiled as she stood up. "This is for Brad. Venus..." Her whip lit up, as did her sword. "Light Spear!"

Moon couldn't help but stare at Venus' attack wide-eyed. She used the whip as a sort of chain, and the sword was the point of the spear. Once and again the light Senshi shot her makeshift new weapon at Galaxia, but all the attacks were deflected. When she kneeled down, seemingly tired, Galaxia smirked in victory.

"Now you die," she snapped and shot an orb at Venus.

Venus, however, vanished from view, and Galaxia yelped in pain, then looked down at her arm. She saw Venus besides her, barely able to stand, but smiling nonetheless. "Hah, so you can bleed too. That means we can kill you."

Galaxia laughed as her orb hit Venus. "You can't, little girl. You've failed."

Venus fell on her knees. "Can't deny that, but..." she looked at Moon. "I've got friends I can trust, unlike you."

Galaxia snorted at that, and absorbed yet another seed. "So, are you kids still willing to fight?"

Moon was glaring at Galaxia now. "I'm going to..."

Earth stopped Moon. "Usagi, let us try first."

"What? No, if you do that, you'll all die!"

Mercury chuckled. "Don't you see it? Galaxia's energy is wearing out slowly. If we keep on attacking, then we'll weaken her enough for you to kill her."

"Ami, I can't let you all die!"

Mercury smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Usagi, but I'm still planning to cut that woman to pieces for killing Terry."

Earth rushed at Galaxia. "Chie, let's get her!"

Jupiter rushed after Earth, with Lilith right behind them. "Jupiter Supreme Thunder Dragon..."

"Earth Nature's..."

"Lilith Hex..."

"Punch!"

"Fury!"

"Bolt!"

Galaxia gave them a mocking grin as the three charged at her, then saw Jupiter's fist was absorbing the energy of the other two attacks. The end result was that Jupiter's fist looked like a plant-like dragon head, with electricity running through it. She idly noticed Earth summoning a staff, while Lilith took two daggers out of thin air. "Impossible..."

Jupiter's punch hit Galaxia's chest, along with Earth's staff and Lilith's daggers, and the explosion that followed sent them all flying back.

"Girls, no..."

Earth looked at Moon as she walked to them and smiled. "Don't worry, Usagi."

"At least we hurt her," Jupiter said.

"Defeat her, Sailor Moon. For us and for everyone else," Lilith said.

Moon jumped back as three orbs hit her friends. "No!"

Galaxia chuckled. "Stand aside, this is a battlefield. Crybabies like you should stay at home and wait to die with the rest of the planet."

"Why you..."

Saturn blocked Moon's path with her glaive. "No, she's trying to tease you, she knows what we're planning."

"It doesn't matter if a hundred of you attack me," Galaxia snapped. "I'll kill you all, and your princess too!"

"Don't speak of death so lightly in front of me," Saturn snapped back.

Mars rushed at Galaxia, along with Mercury, while Saturn and Nemesis stood behind, waiting. The fire Senshi tried to punch Galaxia, but the evil queen grabbed her fist and squeezed it. "You little, foolish girl..."

"Fire Tornado!"

Galaxia felt her hand she was using to crack Mars' hand heat up, then it was surrounded by fire. She screamed in pain, then felt two swords hitting the back of her armor. "Oh, backstabbing won't work on me," she mused.

"Maybe not," Mercury said, "but that's not all I can do." She looked at Mars, who nodded at her. "Mercury Freezing Requiem!"

A pillar of ice formed around Galaxia and Mars, trapping them both. Mercur kneeled on the ground and smiled for a brief moment, then shook her head. "Still alive."

The pillar exploded, and Galaxia walked to Mercury, leaving the unconscious Mars on the rests of the icy construct. "I have to admit, you girls have some power... But it's still not enough against me."

"Fire Tornado!"

"What?" Galaxia felt her back heating up, then looked down to the sword coming out of her stomach. "You bitch..."

"No matter what your armor's made of, I guessed thermic shock would make it weaker," Mercury explained.

Galaxia smiled as she pulled the sword in, dragging it all the way through her body. "Seriously, do you think what that speedy bitch said was true?"

Mercury saw Galaxia's wound closing and gasped. "No..."

"Just because I can bleed, it doesn't mean I can be killed."

Moon felt someone besides her and looked down. "You?"

"Chibi..."

"You shouldn't be here," Moon said.

"Chibi!"

For some reason, Moon could understand what the girl meant. "Okay, but don't try to fight her yourself, please."

"Okay, I guess it's time to help," Saturn said.

Nemesis nodded then looked at Moon for a second. "Even if we fail... "

"Please, don't do this," Moon said.

Saturn smiled sadly. "You know, if you die, then there won't be any ChibiUsa in the future. I just can't let that happen."

"Just let us do our part," Nemesis said.

Moon looked down sadly as Nemesis and Saturn joined her other two friends. She then noticed someone walking to her. "You guys..."

"I envy your friends," Fighter said. "Because, you know, it should be Kakyuu who was here, and not us."

Maker nodded. "Don't worry, if your friends fail, we will defeat Galaxia ourselves."

Moon turned back to the battle as the area lit up. From what she could tell, Galaxia was wrapped in a twister of fire, ice, death and dark energy. "They got her," she said.

As the attack ended, however, Galaxia was still there, and the four Senshi were barely standing. "Come on, don't die so soon, earthlings!"

Mercury walked to Galaxia, barely able to keep her swords up. "I'm not planning to die yet. Freezing Requiem!"

"Get her while she's still inside," Mars said. "Fire Tornado!"

"Dark Fear!"

"Death Ripple!"

"Frozen Rage!"

The attacks caused the ice pillar to explode, and everyone could hear Galaxia scream in pain. As the onslaught ended, everyone could see Galaxia down to one knee, breathing heavily. "This can't be... You earth rats..."

"Can't you die already?" Saturn snapped.

"You first," Galaxia snapped and shot more of her energy orbs at them. Nemesis was too tired to dodge, while Mercury managed to leap back a few times before getting hit. Mars and Saturn were able to dodge a few times before they were also knocked down.

"No..." Moon rushed to her fallen friends. "Please, don't die!"

"Always the crybaby, aren't you?" Mars mused. "But this time, I think I won't blame you."

"You have to defeat her, Usagi," Saturn said.

"But how? I can't do it without you, guys."

"You can, we will always be with you," Mars said.

"Hmph. Enough talking," Galaxia said and absorbed the seeds.

"This can't be happening..." Moon said as she fell on her knees.

"Sailor Moon!" Fighter said. "Stand up and fight!"

"Poor little thing," Galaxia teased, "I think I broke her will to fight."

"Don't worry," Fighter snapped, "it's not like she will need to fight."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Galaxia said. "Then I accept."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm pretty sure the canon police is looking for me right now. Guilty as charged, but hey, at least everyone knows I won't be able to screw canon up much more after this arc's over.

Not until I get to the Crystal Tokyo sagas, that is.

_DavisJes:_ Papillion was mentioned as a joke before (the "what's next, a metal butterfly?" line,) and the cats just couldn't stay out of this battle (even the sidekicks gave it a try...)

They showed up in that form in the old version too, but only for the final battle of the saga. This time around, I'm giving them more chances of showing off their mad skills. Think about it, any other final boss that showed up before would've really been beaten to a pulp by them. Too bad they had to fight Galaxia this time around.

Oh, and... Yeah, two episodes in one day. I just couldn't stop writing this battle, once I got started. But no, I'm not going to finish the next (and last one for Stars) episode today.


	120. Light Of Hope

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 11: Sailor Stars.**

**Episode 120: Light Of Hope.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 4, 2008_

* * *

"Starlight Laser!"

"Starlight Inferno!"

"Starlight Thunder!"

Galaxia dodged the three attacks and chuckled. "Give it up, you couldn't defeat me before."

"Same could be said of you," Fighter snapped.

"Besides, if you're so sure of winning, why are you dodging?"

"I'm powerful, not stupid," Galaxia snapped back.

Fighter hated to admit that, but the evil Queen had a point. "Right. I think it's time we stop playing."

"I was wondering when you would say that," Maker noted.

"The real fun's about to begin."

Moon was still kneeling on the ground near the place where her friends had last been. She knew if she stood there, Galaxia would eventually kill her, but right now, she couldn't see a way to stop her. They had tried everything they could, and all her friends were gone.

_'I didn't think I would see this day. The mighty Sailor Moon, losing all hope?'_

She looked around. No, that wasn't her own voice, but who was saying that?

_'This isn't a nightmare, Moon. You won't wake up from it. The only way to end this is defeating Galaxia.'_

Moon gave up trying to locate the voice. It was partially right, she couldn't lose hope just like that. She had to fight on. But Galaxia, she was an ancient Senshi, even older than the now lost Moon kingdom, older than the First Senshi she'd heard Ami talk about a few times. How could she compare to her power?

Galaxia had, meanwhile, stopped moving as she noticed the Starlights were gathering energy. She could just kill them then and there, but she had other plans for them. She would weaken them, then she would kill Sailor Moon, and once despair took over them, she would turn these three into her new Animates.

"Starlight..."

"Eternal..."

"Obliteration!"

The trio shot their gathered energy at Galaxia, and the explosion blasted a few blocks to dust. When Moon woke up, she noticed several things. First off, that Galaxia was now using the three alien Senshi as punching bags. Second, that yet another part of the city was gone. And third, that ChibiChibi was nowhere to be seen. "No, she can't be..."

"Chibi!"

Galaxia was, by now, done beating the Starlights down. She started to slowly walk to Moon, who backed off. ChibiChibi, however, stood her ground. "Don't, she's too powerful!"

The evil Queen looked down at the little girl. "Oh, and who might you be? A Kinder Senshi?"

"Chibi..."

Galaxia looked into the little girl's eyes and realized what this creature was. Her eyes, they weren't those of a little girl. They could've deceived those who hadn't lived as long as her, but this creature, she was...

"Chibi!"

Moon blinked in shock as she saw ChibiChibi blast Galaxia away. "How...?"

_"There is still hope, Sailor Moon. But only if you stand up and fight. Otherwise, your friends' deaths were for naught.'_

Moon looked at ChibiChibi. "Is that voice you?"

"Chibi?" ChibiChibi looked at her confusedly.

Moon remembered Pluto's words, that this girl was going to help them win the war, but she really wondered how. She stood up, however, and glared at Galaxia as the evil queen leisurely walked to them. "You won't defeat me."

"I've heard that too many times before," Galaxia said mockingly.

_'Never give up hope, Usagi. We will always be with you.'_

Moon's eyes widened. That voice... It wasn't Rei's, either, but how did it...

_'Without you, there's no future.'_

_'Defeat her, Sailor Moon. For us, and for the Earth's future. '_

Galaxia had been about to finish off the pitiful excuse for a Senshi, but she stopped as she saw Moon's body shine. "What is that...?"

"It's the power of the things you left behind when you turned to the evil side, Galaxia," Moon said.

"That's precious, but my powers are complete."

"Are they? Then let me show you," Moon said and rushed at Galaxia.

The evil Queen thought about just mock her as she did with the others, by taking her attack, but for some reason she knew she couldn't let this girl hit her. She leapt back and avoided Moon's first charge. "What... What are you?"

"Me? I'm a warrior, just like you. No, better than you."

"Better? I doubt that. What do you think makes you better than me?"

"Because I've got friends, compassion, and hope."

"Friends? A great friend you are, letting them all die just so you could take all the glory."

Moon could see the faces of all her friends in her mind. "They're still with me," she said and summoned her sword.

Galaxia unconsciously backed away. For some reason, Moon's skirt was rapidly changing colors, cycling through the colors of all the Earth Senshi. "What is that..."

"Is that fear I'm sensing?" Moon asked coldly.

"Hah! No, I'm just surprised a weakling like you can keep fighting on after I ruined your life forever."

"I may lose everything I have, but I'll never lose hope. And I know I'll find a way to bring them back."

Galaxia snorted at that, then shot one of her orbs at Moon. Something else got on the way of it, however, and she gasped. "You pest..."

"Chibi!" Moon shouted.

"Chibi..."

Moon gasped as ChibiChibi vanished, a star seed left in her place. It was golden, just like hers, but it wasn't shining. "What is that seed?"

"No, it can't be! It should have been destroyed eons ago!"

Moon walked forwards and grabbed the seed. She could actually feel the seed trying to 'talk' to her in her mind.

She could see what had happened now. Galaxia herself had never been evil. She had fought an enemy she thought weaker than her, but that enemy had killed all her allies. Once she lost hope and lowered her guard, the monster took over her body, using her power for its own evil deeds. This Galaxia facing her wasn't the real Galaxia, but a mere soulless puppet.

"So that's how..." Moon whispered.

But what the monster hadn't considered, was that Galaxia's very soul survived, in the star seed the creature had thought destroyed when he took over her body. That seed travelled through countless star systems, following the evil creature closely, but never finding anyone who could help defeating the monster.

Galaxia was now genuinely scared. Moon's rant on hope and friendship? She could laugh at all that, it wasn't the first time she heard such a stupid thing. But this... This star seed, how could it exist? It wasn't supposed to exist anymore!

Moon smiled as she looked at the seed again. She could see ChibiChibi in her mind, smiling at her. "Yes, I understand. I will help you."

Galaxia saw Moon's crystal shine, and also saw the star seed, which she refused to call 'her' star seed, was slowly recovering its former glow. "No... Stop it! You don't know what you're doing!"

Moon looked at her, but her face wasn't like before. There was no hatred there, only kindness. "Such a creature as you, whose only purpose is to cause pain to others. I pity you, because such an existance is a curse. But it's time to put an end to that curse."

The three Starlights were too beaten up to fight, but they had watched everything that happened. "She... She's a real Princess," Fighter said.

"She can do it, she can defeat Galaxia," Maker said.

"If only we had known that... Galaxia wasn't meant to be defeated, only healed."

Moon started walking to Galaxia, and the evil Queen started backing away. Galaxia snarled at her and summoned a black sword, slashing down at the last terran Senshi.

Moon blocked the blow, her smile never faltering. "Don't fight it, this time you won't escape destiny.

"No! Don't come any closer!" Galaxia warned and started gathering energy. Moon was faster, however, and rushed at her, punching her straight in the chest. "Hah! Still going for violence, are we?"

Moon smiled and opened her fist, showing her palm to Galaxia. It was right then that Galaxia felt it, the burning heat inside of her, just as she realized the star seed Moon had been holding was gone.

Fighter and the others covered their eyes as Galaxia's body became as bright as a star. "She did it!"

Moon had to close her eyes, as the light Galaxia was giving was just too much to bear. When the light dimmed, she opened her eyes, and saw Galaxia still standing there. She looked different, however, as her armor-like suit had been replaced by one similar to Moon's own, only with three golden skirts. She had no tiara in her forehead, but had countless, tiny points of light there instead, which slowly faded down as she smiled at Moon. "Sailor Moon, thank you."

Moon smiled back, then looked around at the wrecked city. _'What's going to happen now, how can I bring everyone back.'_

"You can't, at least not with your actual power," Galaxia said. Had she read her mind? "But I can."

"You can?"

"Yes. The creature that was inside me, Chaos, as it called itself, wanted to destroy all life. It knew if it left the Senshi alive, one of them could eventually find a way to destroy it. So, instead of evading them, it started killing them, one world at a time."

"I've got one doubt," Moon said, "where's ChibiChibi?"

"I'm her, in a way. My star seed didn't get out of its bruise with Chaos unscratched, so all it could do was turn into a younger version of me. Way younger. And I still remember how you cared about her, too."

Moon saw the three Starlights walking to them, and smiled. "She's not evil anymore."

"Maybe we should make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else," Fighter said.

Galaxia's face turned somber for a moment. "I'm not evil, but if I have to fight, I will. Also, with Chaos inside, and without a soul, my body could only use a small part of my real power."

"A small... Part?" Maker stuttered.

Moon couldn't feel or scan her power like others in her group could, but she was sure Galaxia wasn't bluffing. "So, how long will it take you to revive all those killed here?"

Galaxia smiled. "Consider it done." The others backed away as countless star seeds started coming out of Galaxia's body, spreading out and flying away. Several of the seeds stood floating near her, however, and Galaxia nodded. "It's done."

"You revived everyone in this world?"

"Not only in this world," Galaxia said, "but all those Chaos killed, everywhere."

Moon saw most of the seeds around Galaxia move and gather around her. The seeds then slowly faded and became figures she could recognize.

"The crybaby did it again."

She looked around at all her friends, and smiled. "Guys... I..."

Dragon Earth smiled as Moon run to him and hugged him close. "Usagi, it's okay."

"We're all here thanks to you," Mercury said.

"Huh? How do you know that?" Moon asked, wiping her tears away with her hands.

"The voices in your head weren't just your imagination, _Rabbit_." Dragon Mercury said.

"We missed one hell of a battle, didn't we?" Nova asked.

"Sure you did," Dragon Mercury said, "but on the other hand, you didn't see me get my ass kicked by Galaxia. That's a good thing."

Venus noticed her male counterpart eyeing Galaxia. "Brad..."

"I was just wondering why is it that she's stronger than you, when she isn't nearly as beautiful," Dragon Venus said.

"Good answer," Venus said with a wink.

The Starlights were looking at the scene from a few meters, but they all sensed a familiar presence and turned around. "Princess?"

Kakyuu nodded. "Seiya, Yaten, Taiki, it's good to see this is over. "

Fighter walked to her with a serious look in her face. "Don't ever use that attack again just to save us. We're supposed to be the ones saving you, Princess."

"Only if you stop calling me 'Princess.'"

"It's a deal... _Your Highness,_" Fighter said with a grin.

"It's time for me to go," Galaxia said.

"Hey, we could use someone with your power to help us," Dragon Sun noted.

"I'm sorry, but this world's already got a Princess," Galaxia said, "besides, I've got friends waiting for me, back home."

"Will we see you again?" Moon asked.

"I don't really know, the future isn't something I can predict, even with all my power."

As Galaxia left, Moon turned to Pluto. "You..."

"What about me?"

"You knew how all this would end, didn't you?"

"I can only see all the different futures, and do my best to make sure the best outcome is the one we get," Pluto said.

Moon sighed. "I wish all those deaths could be avoided, though."

"We're all alive after the battle," Mars said, "I guess that still counts."

Mercury walked up to Pluto, her visor down. "I'm curious, though, why can't my scanner read Galaxia's power?"

"Because she's beyond what our planet's Senshi ever reached. But who knows, maybe someday you will all be as strong as her. Or stronger.

"Now that's a good plan for the future," Nemesis admitted.

* * *

Several minutes later, the Senshi and their friends were back to their civilian forms, and right outside the base. To their surprise, they noticed Galaxia hadn't just revived everyone who was killed in their fight, but had also rebuilt the city.

"I'm sorry to say this, but we must leave, too."

Usagi smiled at Kakyuu. "You have a world to rule, I guess."

Kakyuu nodded. "You try keeping this one in one piece, and maybe someday we will come back."

The three 'Kou' were now using their human disguise again, and Seiya walked up to Usagi, bowing his head. "At first, we thought of you all as weak and useless, but... You all fought Galaxia against all odds, and in the end, you defeated her. You terran Senshi are stronger than us, even if your power isn't that high."

"Nice way to put it," Yaten muttered.

"Wish we had more time to stay," Kakyuu said, "but we need to go back home and make sure our world is healed."

And with those words, the four aliens vanished. Usagi sighed and turned to the others. "Know what I want to do right now?"

"I don't know... Sleep for a week?" Rei asked slyly.

"No, I want to train, to be ready for the next battle."

"Quick, hold her while I transform," Rei said, "she's gone evil again!"

"Can it, Rei," Usagi said.

"Well, Usagi's got a point," Brad said. "There's always a next battle."

"I just hope they let us rest for a while," Terry commented.

Right then, a nearby shop's wall exploded, and a mantis-like monster walked out of it. Everyone sighed in defeat.

"Terry, don't say that kind of things, you should know by now the Universe loves to turn such statements against us," Ami scolded.

"My bad. But hey, _another_ mantis freak?"

"Yeah, I wonder if they'll ever stop coming to nag us," Hotaru said as she looked around for witnesses, then summoned her glaive.

"I can bet we won't like the answer to that question," Moon said as she closed her eyes. "Moon Cosmic Power!"

Compared to what they had just gone through, the battle that followed was short and dull. But one thing was clear for them, their lives would never stay that way for long. And as they all stared at the charred remains of the insect-like creature, there was someone else also looking at that scene.

* * *

Several figures were looking at a monitor that showed the Senshi walking away from the battle they had just won. "There they are."

"They look weaker than expected."

"That's not surprising, dear. The ones we fought before had a thousand years of fighting to back them up."

"These ones, however, will be a piece of cake."

The first figure growled. "Never underestimate the prey, no matter how easy it may seem."

"Aye, I know that. But we must get them all before _she_ arrives."

"Yes, if _she_ joins them, our hunt won't go as smoothly as it should."

* * *

**A/N:** And this concludes your regularly scheduled canon arcs. From next episode on, we go into new grounds, but don't worry, you won't be disappointed by the next 'few' arcs (and arcs will keep on getting darker and darker, too, just like they did in the old version.)

To make things clear: Nope, Moon doesn't have a chance in hell to defeat Galaxia in a power battle, not for several power levels, at least. And since I didn't want to make her jump from Cosmic to Eternal or above (yes, there will be 'above Eternal,' levels in this thing,) then I just opted for the path closer to canon.

I just won't make the critter inside Galaxia _"The_ Chaos." Such a concept sounds quite dumb to me, honestly. And he won't be coming back to bother them now that he was blasted to nothing.

What's next, you may wonder? Well, hunting season's about to start. And I'll leave that statement confuse you all (except for those who read the old Cyber Moon,) until next episode. And to the few I know read that old version... Don't spoil anything, as you already saw the main plot points of the next arc before.


	121. Hunter's Moon

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 121: Hunter's Moon.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 9, 2008_

* * *

Rei sat in front of the fire and closed her eyes. It had been only a few weeks since their final battle against Galaxia, and peace had seemingly returned to the city, but Rei couldn't stop feeling like she was being watched by someone, or something. She wanted to be ready for it, so she was going to ask the fire.

As she opened her eyes, she could see several images. A dinosaur, maybe a tyrannosaur, then a closed door, and the third was Crystal Tokyo. She kept on looking at the fires for a minute more, but nothing else appeared.

What did all that mean? She wasn't sure, but she would have to warn the others about it.

* * *

"Ever felt like there's something about to happen, and that it won't be good?"

Terry looked at Hotaru and chuckled. "Being a Senshi for so long, I'm always expecting something like that."

"I'm serious. I feel like something big's going to start soon. Bigger than even our fight with Galaxia."

"Oh, well, I can't say I feel anything like that, but I'm no psychic. "

"Well, something bad is going to happen soon," Minako said. "We'll be in college in a few months."

Terry snorted. "You girls and your silly fears."

"It's not fear, it's just laziness," Minako said.

"Well, at least you admit it," Hotaru mused.

* * *

"Rei, are you okay?"

Rei forced a smile as she looked at Yuichiro. "It's something about my 'job,'" she said. "I had some visions and I can't really figure out what all of them mean."

"What are they?"

The two almost jumped as they heard the voice. "Oh, it's you, grandpa."

"Yes, I do live here, you know."

Rei sighed. "I'm aware of that. Say,maybe you can see the connection between these visions I had. I saw three images, one of a dinosaur, the other of a closed door, and the third was... Well, a place called Crystal Tokyo." She didn't think her grandfather would know what Crystal Tokyo was, though, but he could help with the other two.

"Hmm... Crystal Tokyo, that's in your future, isn't it?"

"How do you know?" Rei asked. She'd told Yuichiro about it, as he was curious about the time when she had been away during the Black Moon attacks. Maybe he'd told him?

"I just asked a lady in green," Hino said. "The closed door... Is there some entrance somewhere you know about?"

"The time gate," Rei said. "But... Closed?"

"Those are connected," Hino said, "something will happen with Crystal Tokyo, and the Time Gate will be closed. And it's all connected to... Dinosaurs."

"That sounds weird," Yuichiro noted, "but I guess I'll have to get used to it."

Rei smiled. "Well, I'll have to tell my friends about this. Thanks for the help, grandpa."

Hino grinned as Rei hugged him. "It's the least I can do to help my favorite granddaughter."

"I'm your _only_ granddaughter," Rei noted.

"What's your point?"

Rei shook her head and walked away. Yuu smiled. "She's still a hothead, huh?"

"I heard that!" Rei snapped from the distance.

"Someone's going to sleep on the couch tonight," Hino mused.

"We sleep in different rooms, you know?" Yuu noted.

"Keep on annoying her, and she'll have it replaced by a couch," Hino said as he walked back into the temple.

* * *

"So, how is college anyway?"

"As fun as high school."

"Ouch, I was fearing you'd say that."

Mamoru laughed. "Some things never change, huh?"

Usagi smiled. Some things would never change, and she was glad that was the case. She wasn't worried about the future, she knew she'd end up being a queen and all that, but for the time being she wanted to enjoy this. Moments like this, when she could go for a walk through the park with him, were the best for her. And tonight was indeed helping the mood. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and the moon reflected on a nearby pond. As they stopped to watch the pond in the center of the park, she leaned on him and put her head on his shoulder. Everything was perfect. The quiet silence of the night, the scent of Mamoru'sbody, the robot that had just walked out of the pond...

Robot?

Usagi quickly went into battle mode, and looked at the creature. It wasn't much taller than she was, but it was also clearly an artificial creature. It's greyish metal skin reflected the moonlight giving the creature an eerielook, as it's yellow robotic eyes gave her a cold stare.

"Who or what are you?" Mamoru asked, risking a glance around. Good, there weren't any other couples nearby, so if things got worse, they could transform.

"I'm ClawRoid, and I'm here to capture Sailor Moon."

Usagi frowned. Oh, that was great, this meant there was yet another evil queen or overlord out there bent on getting whatever they were carriers of this time around. "I liked it more when we were all about protecting the innocent," she commented.

The robot's eyes blinked. "You will fight me, Sailor Moon, and your friend can join in if he wants. If you defeat me, others will come, but if I win, you're coming with me."

"What if I don't want to fight?" Usagi asked.

"Then I will activate my self-destruct mechanism and destroy this whole park, along with a few blocks around it."

"Who can refuse an offer like that?" Mamoru mused.

Usagi sighed. "Okay then, you asked for it. Moon Cosmic Power!"

* * *

Saturn was flying home when she sensed something wrong with the park. "I hate when I'm right."

She produced her communicator, and Aiko's face appeared. "Saturn, we detected..."

"I sensed it too, I'll check it out."

"I'm sending all the others to that location, too," Aiko explained, "they will be there in a few minutes."

"Good, I think I'll need the help."

* * *

Rei walked in seconds after Aiko was done talking to Saturn. "Hi Terry, Mina... Where's everybody else?"

"I'm calling them," Aiko said, "there's a new enemy in town."

"I came here to tell you about that, I had visions of this new foe," Rei said, "but there's no time now, let's go see what kind of creature is it this time around."

"Maybe the Poodles Of Perdition, or the Angry Andromedan Amebes" Terry mused.

"You read too many comics," Minako noted.

"Actually, I don't,"

"Then your mind's quite screwed up," Minako said.

"Compliments won't save you, mortal," Terry said in an ominous voice as the three entered the elevator.

Aiko stood there for a few seconds before shaking her head and turning to look at the Tokyo map in the monitor. "Sometimes I wonder how someone that silly could create something as amazing as me." She blinked at that last thought, then smiled. Apparently, even though genetics weren't involved, she still had inherited her father's ego.

* * *

Moon dodged to the side as the robot tried to slash her arm. The creature was amazingly fast and strong, and she hadn't been able to hit it at either long or short range.

Dragon Earth had been even worse off, as the monster had managed to dig its claws into his sword arm. He was quite angry at himself for being so careless, but right now there was nothing he could do about it.

"Surrender, Sailor Moon. There's no way you can stop me."

"Death Scythe."

Moon blinked as the robot was slashed in half, exploding before the glaive was done cutting through it. "Saturn?"

"I was heading home and sensed this monster," Saturn explained. "And well, I've watched you fight for the last two minutes or so, and you really were way over your head there."

"That robot was a very good fighter," Moon said.

"Not really, it didn't remember to pay attention to its surroundings, " Saturn noted. She walked to Dragon Earth and smiled. "Need help with that?"

"No, I'll just stand here and bleed to death."

"It's just a scratch," Saturn muttered, "but anyway..."

Just as Saturn started healing the Dragon, a clapping sound was heard. The three turned to the side and saw a man in a green armored outfit. Moon noticed the man was quite well-built, but far from handsome, unless one considered bald men with a red crystal where his left eye should be to be attractive.

"Bravo, Sailor Senshi. Let me introduce myself. My name's Rex, and hunting you is my mission."

"Hunting us?" Dragon Earth asked.

"Yes, that's what we do. We hunt you vile creatures one by one. then move on to the next Senshi-infested planet."

"Moonlight Screen!"

Rex blocked the attack with his left hand (which, Moon noticed, was covered by a metallic glove with a look similar to that of a lizard, ) and frowned. "That was uncalled for. I didn't attack you, my Roid did it. I'm not planning to fight you yet."

"Death Scythe."

Rex phased out of the way, appearing right behind a very surprised Saturn. "Tsk, tsk, if you insist..." He shot a black energy bolt, which sent Saturn right into the pond. "Hmph, don't go and die so easily, girl."

"Why you..." Moon snapped and summoned her sword.

"Damn, you Senshi never follow my rules, do you?"

The pond's water suddenly started bubbling, and a very angry-looking Saturn walked out of it. "Hey asshole, I'm not done with you yet."

"Really? And what will you do, try to backstab me again?"

"No, I'll try something better." Saturn smiled as her gloves vanished, replaced by a new pair that was as purple as her suit, and with skulls drawn on their back. "Death's Touch," she whispered. How she knew those gloves' name wasn't something she would bother with right now, as she knew what she could do with them. "Saturn Cosmic Power!"

Rex snorted. "Oh, but a simple power up won't work."

Saturn said nothing, instead pointing her glaive at him. "Saturn Wraith's Curse!"

Rex smirked as he saw a group of ghastly figures surrounding Saturn. Stupid little Senshi girl, he would kill her here and now. He phased out, reappearing right behind Saturn and punching through her... Only she wasn't there anymore.

"Guess you did fell for this trick after all." He heard Saturn's voice just as he felt the hands grabbing his arms, then he screamed in pain as he felt energy washing over his body. "Die."

Rex phased out of her grasp, but that was all he could do now, and he knelt on the ground, pale and weakened. "What the fuck was that... ?"

"I drained most of your energy," Saturn explained, her eyes white. "Not in vain are these gloves called Death's Touch."

"I..." Rex tried to stand up, but couldn't quite do it. "... I'll kill you next time we meet, Saturn," he said with a glare, then vanished.

Saturn's eyes returned to normal, and she smiled for a few seconds before turning back to Moon. "Well, that was relatively easy."

"Another Cosmic Senshi, huh?" Dragon Earth mused.

"Yeah," Saturn said, "and these gloves are amazing. If that man hadn't phased out, I could've drained him completely in a few more seconds."

"That's scary," Moon said.

"I know," Saturn said, "and maybe I shouldn't feel so good about what I almost did, but... He's evil."

* * *

Rex staggered into the large room, and saw four other figures there. The others gasped at his looks, and the one female figure was the first to speak. "Who did that?"

"Saturn... She was close to draining me out of energy."

"They're stronger than they look, then, we should be cautious," the only male in the room taller than Rex said.

"Even if that's true, Lion, we still must stay on schedule. It would be a pity if _she_ arrived and these Senshi were still alive. "

"That's true, Vulture," Rex said to the short man who'd just spoken. "You will go next, choose a target and attack, you may send a Roid ahead of you if you want."

"Good, I get to see these Senshi in action, and maybe kill one of them."

* * *

**A/N:** _SolarWinds_: No, and even if someone guessed it right, I wouldn't say a thing. So _she_ will remain a mystery for a few more episodes.

By the way, it's time for power-ups to return, Saturn was just the first of many. Just a fair warning for those who think the Senshi don't need more power. (There's no such thing as 'powerful enough,' in my opinion.)


	122. Enter Vulture

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 122: Enter Vulture.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 10, 2008_

* * *

"What kind of name's Rex anyway?"

The Senshi had gathered shortly after the battle, and those who had been there were just done telling the others about their new enemy.

"my older brother had a dog named Rex," Brad noted.

"Maybe that's why he's evil," Minako mused.

"His armor kinda made him look like... A lizard," Usagi said.

Rei gasped. "A dinosaur."

Ami nodded. "Tyrannosaurus Rex, a vicious carnivore, or so do books say."

"I had visions earlier today, and I came here to tell you, guys," Rei said, "the first vision was of a dinosaur, a T-Rex if what Ami says is right."

"What about the others?"

"I got an image of a closed door, and the third was Crystal Tokyo. "

Ami thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. "I know what the second one means, the time gate's closed?"

"Wait, how could that happen, anyway?" Haruka asked. "Wouldn't Pluto know?"

Pluto appeared right then, and smiled. "Oh, don't worry, I did notice. Rei's visions are partially correct, because the Time Gate is still open."

"But...?"

"But not the paths that lead to the Crystal Tokyo era. I can't open them from this side."

"What does that mean?" Chie asked. "It's not like we went back and forwards through time all the... Time, but still, I'd like to know if something bad's going to happen to our future."

"I've tried to open those paths, but I can't," Pluto said.

"Think an enemy closed them?"

"No. The only one who could do something like this, is the Pluto from Crystal Tokyo," Pluto said. "She must have a reason for that."

"I hope so," Usagi said. "But Rei, do you think that Rex guy is related to the gates?"

Before Rei could answer, Pluto nodded. "A large spaceship zoomed by one of the paths right before it was closed. I'm certain that's where Rex is attacking from."

"So, what can we do?"

"Wait for the next time he shows up," Hotaru said, "and kick him hard until he tells us what he did."

"Sounds like a plan," Mamoru mused.

* * *

"Are you ready?"

Vulture nodded. "Yes, I'll attack the brains of the group, and then we'll have a better chance to kill the others."

"Sounds good, but remember, don't underestimate them."

"Have I ever?"

"Yes. Don't be a fool, we're not immortals."

* * *

"Maybe I should tell them."

Luna looked up at Usagi. "Huh? Tell who?"

"My parents. They deserve to know what I'm doing. I've been close to death... Heck, I've died more than once, what if I die again and there's no way for me to revive?"

Luna saw Usagi's sad face and sighed. "Maybe you're right. There's no telling what could happen from now on."

"That future... Crystal Tokyo... Do you think it will become true?"

"If we all work for it, then I'm sure it's going to happen someday," Luna said.

"I miss her, I really do... And with all Pluto said yesterday, I wish I had a way to see if she's still okay."

Luna winced. She had a wild guess on how these hunters and Crystal Tokyo were related, but she couldn't tell Usagi about it, not without concrete proof.

* * *

Hotaru was in her bedroom, looking at the two gloves she had acquired in her last battle. These artifacts were strong, yes, but she was also worried about what she felt when she used them against Rex.

"Hotaru, it's rare seeing you here."

She looked up at her father standing in the doorway and smiled. "Not as much as seeing _you_ here."

"Good point. You looked upset a minute ago. Want to talk about it?"

"Yes, it's about these gloves."

Tomoe looked at the gloves. "What are those, something Zephyr built?"

"No, they're ancient artifacts that increase my power. But there's something odd about them."

"Something odd?"

"See, with these gloves, I can do something I could only do before with those wraiths I summoned as Saturn. I can drain the life energy from other living beings."

"Amazing."

"Yes, but... I used it against our new enemy, and came close to killing him. Once I started getting his energy, I just couldn't stop. And it wasn't because he was evil, but because..."

"That new power felt good?" Tomoe guessed.

Hotaru nodded. "I... Damn, it's hard for me to say this, but I'm scared of what I could do with these gloves."

Tomoe smiled. "Hotaru, you were born to be a hero, not a villain. Trust yourself, trust your friends. Even if you did become evil, you know they would do all they could to kick you back to your senses. "

"That's true," Hotaru said. "Thanks, dad, I sometimes forget I'm not alone anymore."

"You never were," Tomoe said. "I may be a bit crazy and may love science, but don't ever think I don't care about you, daughter."

Hotaru hugged him. "Don't worry, dad, I know."

"Just keep those gloves off when you hug me," Tomoe said.

Hotaru sighed. "Way to kill the mood, dad."

"Thanks, I try."

* * *

"Say, Art, what's the deal with that power of yours? Why didn't you use it before?"

"Because up to Galaxia, no villain looked impossible to defeat for you. But against Galaxia, we knew we had to help."

"In the end, Usagi was the one."

"Yeah, but she wouldn't have defeated Galaxia without us."

"That's true. We kick ass," Minako said and started cackling.

"Mina..."

"What?"

"Cut it off with the cackling. It freaks me out."

"I know," Minako said and resumed her cackling.

* * *

Ami closed the book she was reading and stopped walking. She just couldn't focus in it, as her mind was busy with theories about what was going on. There was something happening in the future, something they apparently were forbidden to know about. Maybe the Senshi of the future had defeated these hunters, and they came back to kill them in the past, but then the future versions of her group would surely come back to fight them here as well. Unless...

She froze as a thought crossed her mind. No, it simply couldn't be that. And she knew she shouldn't be worrying about that as much as she should be about what the new enemies' abilities were.

"You know, you shouldn't be so distracted. It makes attacking you way easier."

Ami turned to see a man wearing a battle armor, but it had metallic wings under his arms, and his nose looked a lot like a beak. "If attacking me is so easy, why didn't you do it?"

"Because hunting a defenseless prey isn't fun at all. So go ahead and transform, Sailor Mercury."

Ami looked around and nodded. Nobody in shouting range, so she wouldn't have to worry about bystanders. "Mercury Star Power!"

"Hmm... Not a bad transformation, but I've seen better."

"What's your name anyhow," Mercury said, "Eagle? Crow? Raven?"

"Vulture."

Mercury smiled. "Okay, let's see if you are as strong as the other hunter. Frost Web! Frozen Rage!"

Vulture was ensnared by the icy net, and got hit by Mercury's attack dead on. Maybe Rex was right after all, and he should stop playing around and kill this girl.

Mercury grimaced, Vulture had stood up and ripped her net to pieces. It was a good thing the net could reform itself, but she had hoped that would keep him down for a few seconds at least.

"Dark Fear!"

Vulture was knocked down again, and spat a few words Mercury couldn't understand, most likely insults in his own language. "I see, little Nemesis comes to play."

Mercury frowned. The readings she was getting weren't anywhere near what she had expected. "You can't defeat us both."

"I know, so... FireRoid, come forth!"

An android appeared, its metallic body engulfed in flames. "Do you like your Senshi burnt or extra crispy?"

"Robots with a sense of humor, nice," Nemesis muttered. She then saw the creature charging at her and smiled. "The Dodo is all yours, Ami. "

"It's Vulture!" Vulture snapped, before turning to Mercury. "So, little Mercury, what are you going to do now?"

Mercury concentrated then smiled. "I'm going to defeat you."

Vulture laughed as Mercury rushed at him. "Not a chance!" he snapped as he fled up. Mercury saw this and rushed into an alley, and Vulture chuckled. "Running away won't save you!"

As he followed her, however, he couldn't find his target. "Huh? Where the hell are you?"

"Right above you, Pelican," Mercury snapped as she fell. Vulture barely missed the slash, but still got a cut down his chest. "Gotcha, " she said as her airboard stopped her descent.

vulture smiled. "Not quite," he said then vanished. Before Mercury could figure out what he was up to, he had already appeared besides her, tackling her off her board and crashing down to the ground a good twenty stories below.

Nemesis heard a crash and risked looking away from the creature, which kept on sending fire blasts her way. Mercury was down, and Vulture was now raining punches on her. That guy wasn't such a pushover after all...

"Your fight is with me," FireRoid snapped as it tackled the distracted Nemesis.

Nemesis pushed the creature away, getting a few burns in her arms and legs as she did. She couldn't defeat this creature alone, but she had to help Mercury. She dodged FireRoid as it tried to attack her again, then noticed something in her neck.

A necklace? She touched the item and smiled. "Shadowbind," she whispered. "Now I know what to do. Nemesis Cosmic Power!"

FireRoid tried to attack Nemesis, but her transformation was almost immediate. And as soon as it had ended, Nemesis' own shadow rushed at the android, wrapping around it and keeping it frozen in place. "What the heck?" it tried to burn through the shadow, but it was useless.

"Dark Terror," Nemesis said coldly. Her shadow grew bigger, swallowing the android completely, and then shrunk to normal, crushing the creature inside.

Vulture knew his minion was gone, but he was just about ready to kill Mercury. The Ice Senshi didn't look like she could as much as glare at him, so he rose his hand, a couple pointy metal feathers appearing in it, and smiled. "Say goodbye, kid."

"Not yet." Nemesis used her shadow again, wrapping it around Vulture's arm. "Dark Terror."

Vulture screamed as he felt his arm being crushed. He ripped the shadow off with his other arm, but the one that had been trapped wasn't in a good shape at all. "Damn you, Nemesis. I'm going to... "

"Frozen... Rage.!"

Nemesis saw Vulture fly over her head, then gasped as she saw Mercury. "Ami!"

Mercury was barely standing, her face quite bruised, "I'm okay, don't..."

Nemesis rushed forwards and caught her before she hit the ground. "You're not okay," she said before summoning her comm. "Saturn, are you there?"

Hotaru's face appeared in the screen. "What's wrong?"

"It's Ami, she was attacked by one of those hunters, and she needs healing, quick."

"I'll go," Terry said as his face replaced Hotaru's. "I'm only a few blocks from there."

Nemesis nodded and cut the comm. "Hang in there, Ami."

* * *

Usagi looked at Luna as she walked in. "I'll do it."

"Mrow?" Luna asked.

"You know what I mean. Mom, dad, are you both home?"

Kenji walked out of the kitchen, followed by Ikuko. "What's the matter, Usagi?"

"I've got something to tell you," Usagi said, "something I've kept a secret from you for a long time."

Ikuko walked to Usagi. "What do you mean?"

"Mom, dad, I... I'm Sailor Moon."

* * *

**A/N:** Those who read the previous incarnation of these hunters, you'll notice they're a bit more violent than before, but can still be funny at times.


	123. Hammering In My Head

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 123: Hammering In My Head.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 12, 2008_

* * *

Shocked? Skeptical? Usagi tried to read her parents' faces, but she really couldn't tell what they were thinking. "Mom, dad, did you hear what I said?"

"Is it some kind of joke?" Ikuko asked.

"She's crazy... Or maybe we are," Kenji said.

Luna decided to step into the conversation right then. "I can assure you what Usagi says is true.

"Talking cats, too. This must be a dream," Ikuko mused.

"Mom, I'm telling the truth," Usagi said. "I know it's hard to believe, but..."

"I think they won't believe this until they see it," Luna said.

Usagi took a deep breath and nodded. "Guess you're right." She looked at her parents and smiled. "If there's no other way... Moon Cosmic Power!"

Ikuko, just like her husband, stood there shocked as Usagi transformed. They had seen Sailor Moon enough times in newspapers and TV news reports to know how she looked like. "You... My daughter, is..."

"A heroine," Kenji said with a smile. "This isn't a dream, is it?"

"Not at all," Luna said, "I guess I should explain this..."

"No, Luna, let me do this," Usagi said as she turned back to normal.

Luna nodded. "As you wish."

* * *

Dragon Saturn sat down, his suit turning back to his Mercury form. "Well, that was a real close call."

Mercury smiled. "Thanks for the help."

"Hmph, I should've been here to protect you."

"Don't blame yourself," Mercury said, "that man surprised me."

"Guess we should go back home," Nemesis said, "I think we're safe for the day."

"I'll need to interrogate one of those hunters to know their agenda, " Mercury said.

"Good, but next time make sure you're the one beating them down," Dragon Mercury teased.

"Don't worry, I will."

* * *

Shingo walked in and saw Luna talking to his parents, along with Usagi. It didn't take more than two seconds for him to figure out what was going on. "So, sis, you finally told them?"

"Shingo knew about it?"

"Yes, mom, I did. But I promised I'd keep it a secret."

"So, your friends are all Senshi too?" Kenji asked turning back to Usagi.

"Not all of them," Usagi said.

"Some are allied with us, but don't have Senshi powers. Like Hana, for example."

"Huh? Who is she then?"

Shingo smiled at that. "She's Nova."

"Amazing, we've got a daughter who saves the world at least once a year, and our son's dating the Psychic Queen."

Shingo chuckled. "Just don't use that nickname when she's around, she hates it."

"I know this is a lot to take for you two, but..."

"Oh, don't worry," Ikuko said. "I'm actually glad you told us, Usagi. I've always thought you were a somewhat lazy, normal teenager, but now I see you were far more than that."

"But why did you tell us this now?" Kenji asked.

Usagi had been dreading that question. "Uhm, you see, I thought I had to tell you, because there's a new enemy out there, hunting us... "

"Oh, so that's what they were up to?" Shingo mused.

"Yes, and I fear something could happen to me."

"You could get hurt, you mean?" Kenji asked.

"Hurt... I get hurt often, but we have some healers in the group. But if I died again, then..."

"Again?" Ikuko asked. "You mean you died before?"

"Once when that giant meteorite showed up years ago, and once fighting Game Master."

"So, they brought you back?" Kenji asked. "Hard to believe."

"In our final battle against our last enemy, we all got killed," Luna said. "Being dead isn't bad, in fact you don't really feel anything, but the whole getting your soul ripped out of your body thing wasn't nice."

Usagi nodded. "So, that's why. I know I could die again, and I wanted to tell you this before I did."

"Why you, though, why not the army, or..."

"These enemies we're facing, well... You saw what Galaxia did. She rebuilt the city and revived everyone, but she wasn't a soft hitter. The ones we're facing now are just as strong."

"The army is pretty much useless," Luna said. "They try to help, but if your daughter and her friends weren't around, this planet would be a deserted rock nowadays."

"Someone's got to save the world," Usagi said, "and I just happen to have the power to do it."

"I think this is going to take some time to get used to," Ikuko said.

"At least now I can stop lying to you when I have to run off to fight some evil creature."

* * *

Next morning, after school, Mako and Karin were walking back home, when Mako spotted something. She grabbed a book off her backpack and started reading it.

"What's wrong?" Karin asked.

"Just follow me and don't look at the men following us. I know you'll love this."

The men all whistled as the two teenagers walked by. Some of them started following them, while the others dragged behind. The two girls took a 'wrong' turn while walking and ended up in an alley.

"Hey guys, look. We got two cuties."

"Yeah, they are..."

Mako turned around and looked at the men. "You guys again?"

"Oh shit, it's the psycho bitch!"

Karin couldn't help but laugh as the gang left, running as fast as they could. "That was quite amusing."

"Yeah, but I don't really like those guys lurking around my neighborhood. They can't hurt me, but..."

Karin nodded. "Wanna beat them down?"

"No need," Mako said, "I'll tell Hana about them."

"Men can be quite annoying, huh?"

Karin looked at the woman who had just appeared in the alley. A brown, form-fitting leather suit, which left little to imagination, complet with clawed gloves and dog ears. "Hey, what's your name, Bitch?"

"Name's Hyena, and you're going to regret that."

"Jupiter Star Power!"

"Earth Star Power!"

Hyena snorted. "I know how you two like to fight, but I don't need to get close to you to beat you. I don't even need to move."

"She's bluffing."

Jupiter nodded. "Yeah, let's show her how we Senshi fight."

Hyena smirked at the two charging Senshi, then took a deep breath. She let out a loud scream, the soundwaves rippling through the air and knocking the two Senshi out of the alley.

"What the fuck..."

"World, don't spin so fast," Earth muttered.

The evil woman walked to them and smiled. "So, are you going to give up?"

"Never," Jupiter said.

Hyena grinned. "Good. You're my target, Jupiter, so let me bring someone here to keep your girlfriend's company. RockRoid!"

Earth looked at the android and sighed. It was metallic like the others, but had a rocky armor over its body. "So, I'm supposed to fight this tin can?"

"Let's rock," RockRoid said.

"Forget it," Earth groaned, "just for that lame pun, I'll beat you to a pulp."

* * *

Usagi winced. "Trouble."

"What's wrong?"

Usagi looked around. "I can... Sometimes I can feel when an evil being appears, but I don't really control this power," she explained.

"Take care," Ikuko said. Usagi nodded before rushing out of the house. "Are those bad guys dangerous?"

* * *

"Moon?"

Sailor Moon turned and saw Saturn following her as she fled. "Saturn, did you sense it too?"

"No, I was heading home when I saw you fly by. So, someone's being attacked?"

"Mako and Karin," Moon said, "and don't ask me how I know."

"Lead the way, then," Saturn said.

* * *

Jupiter staggered up, shaking her head to try and recover her senses. That Hyena bitch sure screamed loud, and she had hardly any time to recover between her attacks. She just hoped her guess was right about her enemy's power, or she would really be screwed.

Hyena rushed forwards, swinging her fist at Jupiter, but the Lightning Senshi blocked that. "Hey, what's up, no more screaming?"

Hyena didn't answer, instead trying to kick her foe. Jupiter, however, grabbed her leg and knocked her down. "Damn it..."

"Hah, I was right, I guess," Jupiter said.

Hyena picked herself up and growled. "About what?"

"About your sound attacks, they really strain your throat, huh?"

Hyena grimaced. Jupiter wasn't supposed to be one of the smart Senshi, but still had figured out what her weakness was. Oh well, that meant she would have to resort to other methods.

Jupiter smiled as Hyena run to her. Good, she liked fights better when she didn't have to resort to her long range attacks. She caught Hyena's leg, but yelped as the woman kept going, dragging her back and slamming her into a wall. "How the heck..."

"I don't like to use my strength to fight, but since you were being a bother..." She grabbed Jupiter's head and slammed it back against the wall. "... I'll have to play rough."

"Nature's Fury!"

Hyena was knocked away by her own minon, which exploded right as they both landed. Earth walked to Jupiter and grimaced. "Mako, are you okay?"

"I'll live, I just need a while to recover," Jupiter said.

Hyena didn't wait for them to stop chatting, she gave out a battlecry and tackled Earth, hitting her with a jab to the chest as she went, and knocking her down. As Earth tried to stand up, Hyena sent her flying with a kick to the head.

Jupiter was still trying to recover, but saw Earth hit a wall and fall down to the ground, unconscious. Or maybe even...

Hyena turned as she sensed something, and saw Jupiter was surrounded by a white aura. "Oh, now that doesn't look good."

Jupiter concentrated, and an item appeared in her hands. A silvery, large metal hammer. "Stormforge," Jupiter said before smiling. "Jupiter Cosmic Power!"

Hyena smiled and walked to Earth. "I think I'll just kill her instead, then."

Jupiter didn't wait for her transformation to end, as she was already running to Hyena as the lightning arcs around her faded. She rose her hammer and brought it down to the ground, still several meters away from the villain.

"Rolling Thunder!"

Hyena saw a disc made of pure electricity shoot out from the point where the hammer hit, and paled. Next she knew, she had been knocked through a building, and felt several things inside her were quite broken. "Damn... it..."

Jupiter rushed to the back of the building, but Hyena vanished before she could finish her. "Coward..." She remembered Earth and run back to check on her. "Karin, hey... Are you okay?"

Saturn and Moon arrived just then, and Saturn rushed to Earth's side as well. "Damn it, you're lucky we got here now," she said before she started using her healing power.

Moon looked at Mako and smiled. "Another Cosmic Senshi, I see. That's good."

"Yeah, this way we can fight those hunters better."

"And also, that means I may get a new level up soon," Moon noted. Jupiter stared at her for a few seconds then shook her head. "What?"

"I thought you didn't like to fight?"

"I don't, but since I have to anyway, I want to keep on powering up as long as the enemies we face do the same."

"These hunters... They're strong," Jupiter said. "And this Hyena girl used screams as her main attack. I'm not sure my brain's in the same place anymore."

"Maybe she woke a few of your braincells up," Earth noted.

Jupiter turned and smiled. "Good to see you're in one piece."

"Barely," Earth said as she tried to stand up.

"Don't strain yourself, I'm not done healing you yet," Saturn noted.

Moon sighed. She'd have to ask the Mercuries about these hunters, as they had been trying to figure out where they attacked from for the last few days.

And she wasn't sure of how things would go if those hunters decided to stop attacking them one on one. No matter how much she tried not to think about it, she knew the chances were high for one or more of her friends to die in this one war.

'Guess I'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen,' she thought with a sigh.

* * *

**A/N:** _SolarWinds:_ Yeah, that's how it works, they need those Talismans to get to Cosmic level. And as I said back when Moon went Cosmic, the others took a while to get their own upgrades. Moon got her own in episode eighty-six, so that's almost fourty episodes before the others start getting their upgrades. As for what kind of item each talisman will be, my lips are sealed.

Oh, and there's only three more episodes left before I the best plot twist of the fic (in my opinion, at least.) After that's done with, I can go and start posting up Crystal and Aeons too.

Before anyone says it, yes, Jupiter just got Thor's hammer. ;)

_Edit:_ Added a little bit of missing text right before the battle. Nothing critical, but the scene looked choppy without it.


	124. Lion's Roar

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 124: Lion's Roar.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 12, 2008_

* * *

"You know we're in June, right guys?"

"Yeah, so?" Rei said, knowing quite well what it meant.

Usagi beamed. "Oh, don't play dumb, you know my birthday's only two days away."

"Turning eighteen isn't different from turning seventeen or whatever other number," Terry noted.

Ami was meanwhile scanning Hotaru's gloves, Mako's hammer and Nemesis' necklace. "Amazing, these three are at least as ancient as Moon's brooch."

"What about the symbols?"

"They are only the names of your planets," Ami said, "or, I should say, I can translate those words as the names of your planets."

Mako looked at her hammer. "So you mean that whoever created these items, called our worlds a different way?"

"Clouded Sun," Ami said.

"Huh?"

"That's the direct translation," Ami explained.

"As for the others, Dark Limit and Graveyard."

"Graveyard?" Hotaru said. "You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all," Mercury said. "But the biggest mystery remains, who created this things? Because they're most likely the same who created our swords and maybe even the Ginzuishou."

"Not a race I'd like to have as enemies, then," Karin said.

"Maybe we'll meet them someday, or maybe they became extinct."

"Can you explain how these artifacts work?" Haruka asked.

"No, all I can say is, they're magical."

"Or maybe we just don't know enough about them," Terry suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard a quote once, that 'technology, if advanced enough, could be mistaken for magic.' That could be the case here, and what we call magic is just technology that's too advanced for us to understand."

Ami smiled. "If that's the case, then we may be able to understand how it works."

* * *

Rex looked at the tall man and nodded. "Lion, you're next."

"I know. I'll attack Lilith."

"Luck's a dangerous element to have against."

"Luck is nothing when you just can't get hit," Lion noted.

"I agree, but be careful, or you could end up beaten worse than your girlfriend was."

* * *

Chie leaned on a wall and watched people walk by. She liked being around her friends, but she was also feeling weird lately, as she was the only one of their group that didn't have a boyfriend, or girlfriend.

But she didn't want to get her hopes high chasing guys, either. Maybe she just had to trust her luck. The mall was packed full of people, after all.

"Yeah, right, as if a tall, handsome man would just appear out of nowhere looking for me."

"Hello there, lucky girl."

Chie turned around and stared at the figure in shock. There he was, a tall, handsome man, but wearing an armor like those the others had described for the hunters, and with a slot machine-like robot standing by his side. "The universe is such a bitch sometimes... So, who are you, tough guy?"

Lion smirked. "Name's Lion. But you know, this is a bad location for us."

"Is it? I'd think you'd love to have me unable to fight."

"Not at all, there's no fun in hunting a defenseless prey."

Chie smirked. Defenseless? She'll show him just how defenseless she was.

"What are you smiling at?" Lion said, then shrugged as a marquee fell on him. Or rather, the marquee fell, hitting an invisible forcefield and splitting in half. "That's not going to work."

Chie rushed to the guy, aware of the crowd which was either running away or staring at the tall man. However, her fist slammed into something a few centimeters away from Lion's face, and she staggered back, her knuckles shooting waves of pain into her brain. "Ow... How did you..."

"I don't need to keep my energy shield up all the time. I can generate a kinetic barrier anywhere around me, and I do so instantly. Nothing gets through my defense, girl."

Chie summoned her daggers and tossed them at Lion. They bounced off the seemingly unbreakable barrier, and both went in different directions. One hit a lamp, then the wall, then came at Lion from behind, while the other one shot up, ricochetting off the roof and coming at Lion's head from above.

Lion chuckled as both daggers bounced off his shield again. "You could keep that up all day, and it wouldn't work."

Chie sighed. "I admit your ability is something I can't beat so easily, but I won't give up!"

Lion saw Chie jump at him and snorted. "Useless." He let the girl hit, then looked around. "Humans, you better leave this place before I decide to shoot you all down."

The people that hadn't still run out of the mall started doing so, and Lion turned to his prey. "Okay, you may now change for the party. "

Chie stood up and got ready to transform, but just as she was about to, Lion was wrapped up in flames. "What the..."

Warwitch walked out of one of the stores, smirking. "Guess I was right, I found his blind spot."

Lion growled. "You, you're not a Senshi. Leave now, or I will destroy you."

The girl chuckled. "I doubt it, but feel free to try." She was quite aware she didn't know what Lion's attacks were, but this way, she would be able to find out. It was a bit of a gambit, but she hoped Lilith could get Lion while he was distracted.

* * *

Minutes earlier, Ami had been at the mall's book shop, browsing for some of the books she'd need for college. However, she heard screams outside and decided to abandon her search, as she knew what usually made people run away screaming.

She found the bathroom empty, and transformed there, making sure none of the cammeras could see her. Mercury scanned the building and soon saw what was going on. A tall man was fighting Warwitch, while a blocky robot was keeping Lilith busy by tossing coins at her. Coins, Mercury realized, that could easily cut through walls.

As she approached the fights, she saw Chie had her foe controlled, as its coins couldn't hit her, but Warwitch, on the other hand, was dodging as the man swung his fists at her. The weird thing was, even though he swung his fists meters away from the witch, she staggered back as if hit by them. "Telekinetic abilities, Hmmm..."

Also, the man was floating, and Mercury knew why when she saw Warwitch created a column of lightning right under his feet. The column was absorbed by a barrier, which Mercury could see was also created with his kinetic abilities. This wouldn't be an easy fight, but she had already sent a signal to Aiko. They would have to hold their ground until help arrived, or defeat this new hunter.

* * *

Lion smiled as Warwitch fell on her knees. "Aww, is the magician out of new tricks?"

"Just let me catch my breath and I'll show you," Warwitch snapped.

Lion grinned. "Not likely." He sent a kinetic wave at her, clasping around her neck and rising her from the ground. "You are allied with the Senshi, so I can't let you live."

"Frozen Rage!"

The ice stopped inches away from Lion's back, and he turned to Mercury, without losing his grip on Warwitch. "Oh, I see we weren't alone. I guess I'll take three trophies home today."

"Hey catboy, fetch!" Lilith snapped. She then backflipped, dodging several sharp coins that the android shot at her. The coins all bounced off Lion's shield, and they all shot back at the android, ripping it to pieces. "Sorry, my luck killed your toy."

Lion shrugged. "Like I care." He sent another wave, at Lilith this time, and caught her off guard. He then turned at Mercury and smiled. "Here's the deal. Surrender, and I'll let these two leave. "

Mercury glared at Lion. "Giving up isn't something we Senshi do."

"Yeah, I'm used to that. You're all equally stubborn to death."

The Ice Senshi knew ranged attacks would do little good, and so would going melee. There had to be a way to beat this man, but how?

Lion, however, wasn't going to let her analyze things any further. "I guess it's time for you three to die." He 'grabbed' Mercury with his power, and rose her off the ground. "I'll let you live long enough to see the other two die," he noticed.

Mercury looked at the others. Warwitch was trying to break the kinetic grasp with her spells, while Lilith did so with her bare hands. She knew Lion wasted little energy when using those attacks, so she knew he had more than enough time to choke them all to death.

And she couldn't just hang in there and wait for help to arrive. She just couldn't afford to risk that. There was only one way to get out of this one alive.

Lion blinked a few times as he thought he was seeing things. No, it wasn't his imagination, Mercury's left glove had been replaced by a different one, this one had a keyboard on its back.

Mercury looked at the glove and smiled. She tried to sense something and instantly knew what the glove was. "Just in time... Mercury Cosmic Power!"

Lion covered his eyes as the light blinded him for a second. As it faded, he saw Mercury was now wearing a Cosmic suit. "You think that's going to help? I still have you and your friends trapped."

"Not for long. Mercury..." two bubbles of water formed around Mercury's hands, each growing in size at an amazing rate. She put both hands together, palms aimed at Lion and completed her attack phrase. "... Tsunami Wave!"

The attack's name fit it well, Lion realized just before the massive wave of water hit him. His ability stopped any of the magically charged water to actually hit him, but that also caused the water to drag him back a few meters, and he lost his hold on the three girls. "Damn, I'm going to kill you, Mercury."

Mercury smiled as she typed some data in her new glove-computer. "I think you won't. I just found a major flaw in your shields."

"You did? If it's the ground one, it won't help you."

"No, let me show you," she said as she rushed at him. Lion decided to humor her, as all she would get would be a bruised hand. As she swung her fist at him, he noticed something odd, the way she had her fist was almost as if she were holding a... "Touche."

Lion looked down at the sword jammed through his chest and coughed up some blood. "Impossible, how did you..."

"I realized the shield blocked attacks from the outside, but it didn't stop you from using your own. So the tricky part was getting insde the shield. I realized the only way to do that was... What you can see now."

Lion smiled. "You're as smart as we supposed."

As Lion vanished, Lilith stood up. "Did you kill him?"

"No, he teleported out," Mercury said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, just a bit woozy from lack of oxygen."

Warwitch was sitting on the ground, holding her head. She looked around and groaned. "Ugh, why is the floor all wet?"

"That's my fault, I guess," Mercury said.

"Tsunami wave, no kidding," Lilith said. "What's with the glove?"

"Remember my computer?" Mercury said. Lilith nodded. "This seems to be its true form."

"So you had your talisman with you all along, only in a different form."

Mercury nodded at Warwitch. "That's correct. With this form, I can use it while dodging, and the visor acts as a monitor."

"Wonder if it plays Doom," Lilith commented. The other two girls stared at her. "What?"

"You girls are one weird bunch," Warwitch commented.

"Says the one who looks like the Wicked Witch of the West," Lilith countered.

"Ouch," Warwitch said with a smile.

"Oh, it does."

"Does what?" Warwitch asked, turning to Mercury.

"It plays Doom," Mercury said.

"That's what I get for asking," Warwitch muttered to herself.

* * *

**A/N:** _SailorStar9:_ I'm not spoiling any surprises on how the Dark Alliance will act this time around. And neither should you. :P

And yep, the Hunters all have 'predator' names (hyenas and vultures are scavenging creatures, but they are said to kill stuff themselves if they can't find any corpse to gnaw on.) Hey if we can have villains named after minerals and metals...

I'm basing some of the new skills on abilities used in other shows. I don't think I've got to name the show where both Nemesis' and Lion's skills show up often, do I?


	125. Speed Demon

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 125: Speed Demon.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 14, 2008_

* * *

"So the others are getting their talismans now."

"Yeah, it's kind of bad, it felt nice being one level above everyone else."

"Haruka, I have the feeling something important is going to happen soon. Something that will change the tide of this one war, and maybe the ones after it."

"I've sensed something, too. Maybe Moon will level up again."

"No, it's something else... But I can't tell exactly what." Michiru sighed, she sometimes wished she had Pluto's ability to see the future.

"If it's something good, then I don't see why you would be so worried."

"Because... I can't stop feeling like something is wrong."

"Something has to be for the future Pluto to have closed the path to the future."

"And we have no idea what it is."

"Tell you what, if those hunters ever come to get one of us, we can kick their asses and have them tell us what happened."

"Sounds like fun."

* * *

"Any progress with that orbital weapon?"

Tomoe nodded. "Plans changed, but yes, we're making progress, General."

"Changed? How so?"

"We realized that backfire cannon idea was going to take too long to bring down to bearable levels. So instead we focused in causing lots of damage."

"Oh, I see. So, is it working?"

"We have managed to create a beam with as much power as Moon had two years ago."

"How much energy does it need?"

"That's the bad part. It takes almost as much energy as our other project did."

"Let's save it for a real emergency," the General said.

* * *

"How is your plan going?"

Vulture didn't turn to look at the other man. "Don't worry, Jaguar, it will be ready by tomorrow."

"Rex told me to go and hunt someone before that. Maybe I'll be lucky where the others failed."

"I don't know, Jaguar. Even Lion got his rear kicked."

"He's too slow, unlike me."

"Yes, I'll admit that, but still, be wary."

* * *

Pluto stood in front of the one path she couldn't walk through. It was quite unnerving for her to see her future self would have enough power to stop even her from going to the future.

"But she couldn't stop the hunters from reaching our era," Pluto noticed. "The question is whether she couldn't stop them, or she let them pass." If the first option was true, then she could see the Senshi would have trouble fighting these hunters. If it was the second... Then she didn't know what to think. It was herself who had done this, but the reasons behind this blocking were beyond her understanding.

* * *

Usagi was heading for the base when she saw Ami walking with someone. She had to supress a gasp as she realized who that someone was. "Uhhh... Hi girls."

"Hi Usagi," Ami said. "Bet you're surprised to see her here."

"No kidding," Usagi said. "I knew she could do it, but since she said she didn't want to..."

"Curiosity killed the AI," Aiko said with a smile.

"If anyone sees us, though, remember, you're my cousin," Ami said to the artificial girl.

"Yes Mo... Ami."

"Another fake cousin for the collection," Usagi mused.

Terry walked to them and smiled. "So, do the cammeras work well?"

Aiko nodded. "Yeah." She looked around and sighed. "It's better to see it this way, though. And wait until I download myself into this body."

"Huh? I thought you couldn't be downloaded to other things," Usagi said. Then again, she was the first to admit she knew little about how computers worked. Specially sentient ones.

"It didn't work when dad tried," Aiko said, "but I've tested it a few times and I can do it myself."

"You shouldn't be able to, in theory," Terry said, "but theories aren't always the same as field testing."

"So, you guys go to Crown for fun, huh?"

"Yes, why?" Ami asked. "Want to go there?"

"Wait for a few minutes," Aiko said and 'vanished.'

"What's she up to?" Usagi asked.

"Don't worry, you'll know soon," Ami said.

* * *

Haruka and Michiru were heading for Setsuna's house. Maybe she would know what was going on, as she could see glimpses of their future, at least of a few days ahead. However, they would have to delay their visit, as they realized as they felt a breeze pick up.

"Unlike the other pansies, I like a challenge," the man now standing before them said. "I know you two are at a higher level than the others already, now let's see what you can do."

"Nobody around," Michiru said.

"Good. Uranus Cosmic Power!"

"Neptune Cosmic Power!"

The man chuckled. "This will be fun."

"What's your name anyhow?" Uranus said as he noticed the man was wearing an orange suit with cat-like ears. "Catboy?"

"I'm Jaguar," the man said, "and if you're not going to attack, let me show you my power."

"Huh?" Neptune looked around as Jaguar vanished. "Where is h--Ack!"

Uranus saw Neptune fall to the ground, clutching her chest. "What.." she was hit too, and staggered back. "Bastard, show yourself!"

"I'm right here," Jaguar said, though the source of the voice couldn't be located.

"Stop hiding, coward," Neptune snapped. She hadn't seen the blast, but she was sure he was attacking them from a distance.

"Hiding? Oh, I get it, your eyes are _that_ slow." He appeared right in front of Uranus, punching her in the gut before vanishing, appearing right next to Neptune, who was standing up, and knocking her back down. "See? I'm not hiding, I'm right in front of you, girls."

"His speed is amazing," Uranus said as she panted to recover her breath.

"How will we defeat him if we can't see him?"

"I'm not sure," Uranus said right before she was hit again, this time with enough force to knock her through a wall and into a fashion store.

"That's easy to know, you won't defeat me," Jaguar teased.

Neptune groaned. She knew Jaguar had a weakness, but which one was it? While she knew she wasn't at the same level as Ami, Yukiko or Terry, she also wasn't dumb. Given time, she could analyze the enemy and tell Haruka where to aim, or hit them herself.

As Jaguar knocked her down again, though, she grunted. Maybe this time it wouldn't be that easy. She had been hit three times and hadn't even seen Jaguar attack...

Jaguar attacked Uranus again, and she smiled. Now she knew what his pattern was, and also his weakness. Ami would've guessed it on the second attack, but she didn't mind the difference. And if she was right, Jaguar would be attacking her in a few seconds, so... "Submarine Reflection!"

A very surprised Jaguar was sent flying back by the water jet, and grunted as he hit a tree, tumbling it down. He stood up glaring furiously at Neptune. "That... You little bitch, I'm..."

"Wind Sword Blast!"

"Submarine Reflection!"

The two attacks hit, and Jaguar fell on his knees. "One tip, speedy guy, if you stop moving, you're screwed," Uranus said.

"I'll remember that, for our next fight," Jaguar snapped and vanished.

"That was, uhm... Not easy," Uranus said as she clutched her stomach. "Not a soft hitter, that catboy."

"That he wasn't," Neptune said, "but luckily he was too full of himself, thinking we wouldn't realize he was always attacking us from the same side."

* * *

"What do you think of these hunters?"

A smiled. "Maybe they will succeed where others failed. We should keep an eye on them."

"I'll do more than that," Onara said, "I'll try and get a sample of their androids' systems and alloys. We could use them to improve the Omega."

"Are you still building those things?" Rubeus mused.

"I ordered him to," A said. "They take time to be built, but the more we wait, the more of them we'll have. They could be useful for our own attack."

"When are we going to attack, anyhow? The Senshi are growing stronger."

"Patience, Kaorinite, we are also growing stronger. Rushing into a war against the Senshi would be our death sentence, as it was with many before us."

* * *

Usagi took out her communicator and smiled. "Aiko, are you back at the base?"

"No, I'm a block away from you, but I just sensed Uranus and Neptune fighting."

"Okay, tell us where, and we'll go help," Ami said.

Aiko came walking to them. "No need for that, they already scared whoever attacked them off."

"Are the base's systems still working?" Terry asked.

"Yes, and I have full control over them."

Usagi poked Aiko's arm. "Doesn't feel like Zero."

"I've given the substance a flesh-like feel," Aiko explained. "And I've also built a sensory system. I hope testing it outside will help me perfect it."

Usagi poked Aiko again. "So you can feel this?"

"Yes, and it's quite annoying, if I may say so."

Terry chuckled. "I guess I should say something like 'welcome to the surface,' huh?"

"Either my humor subroutine isn't working, or your jokes aren't funny," Aiko said, "and I checked my systems before coming here."

"Respect your elders," Terry muttered.

"I'll do that when you start acting like one," Aiko said with a wink.

* * *

**A/N:** _SailorStar9:_ But it's funnier to know something the others don't, isn't it?

Jaguar's the last of the Hunters I had to introduce. And he showed up just in time, because next episode is... Okay, I'm not telling, but it has to do with Rei's visions and what they really mean.

Oh, and Aiko... Yeah, she's pretty much an android right now. If her soul could be considered human, I suppose she could be called a cyborg. Weird little thing, that computer girl is.


	126. Birthday Surprise

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 126: Birthday Surprise.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 15, 2008_

* * *

"She's coming, get everything ready."

"Thanks for the info, alarm girl."

Aiko smiled at Hotaru. "You're welcome, death girl."

"Quiet, you two," Ami scolded.

Just then, Usagi walked in, along with her parents, Shingo and Luna. "So, what do you think?"

Ikuko looked around. "This place's huge."

"Where do you keep the giant lions?" Kenji asked.

"Lions?" everyone else asked.

"You kids don't know a thing about good, old cartoons."

"Cake, friends, gifts, what else can a girl ask for?" Usagi asked.

"Won't argue with that," Rei said.

"And we have clowns, too," Hotaru noted pointing at Brad and Terry.

"You are all Senshi?" Kenji asked.

"Not all of us," Hana said.

"They know about you," Shingo said.

Natsumi and Seijuru dropped their human forms and smiled. "And not all of us are human, either."

Ikuko took a step back, but saw her daughter wasn't worried. "Those two are..."

"Not from this planet," Usagi said, "but they're friends. They've helped us a lot in our past battles."

"You guys and your enemies are kinda out of our league now," Ail commented.

Umino smiled. "And I'm the Game Master."

"You?" Kenji asked in shock. "Usagi told us Game Master killed her. "

"He was being controlled by an evil creature," Usagi said.

"Must be a lot of stress to have fought so many battles, to always be on alert for the next attack..." Ikuko said.

"It would turn any normal human insane," Terry said, "but I don't think any of us could be called normal."

"Someone's missing here," Ikuko said, then clutched her head. "Ugh... "

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Yes, but I... Strange, I didn't remember her until a minute ago."

"Remember who?"

"ChibiUsa," Ikuko said. "Where is she?"

Ami had summoned her glove and was looking at Ikuko with her visor. "Interesting... Now that she knows about us being Senshi, ChibiUsa's memory blockers aren't working anymore."

"Oh..."

"Memory blockers?" Ikuko asked.

"Yes, you see... ChibiUsa isn't from here, but she needed a place to stay so she used magic to make you believe she was Usagi's cousin. "

"So, who is she?"

"I know you'll find it hard to believe," Usagi said, "but she's my daughter, from the future."

Kenji looked at Usagi, then at Mamoru, then fainted.

"Guess he handled it well," Hotaru mused.

Ikuko was trying to find her voice, so Ami decided to speak. "You see, ChibiUsa first came here looking for us to help our future selves against a group of enemies... She's from a possible future where we're all still alive."

"How far into the future?" Ikuko asked.

"I'll tell you it's more than we're supposed to live," Usagi said.

"So she's gone back there?"

Usagi nodded, glad to see her father had recovered. "And as far as I know, she won't be coming back."

Setsuna, who had been silently listen until now, frowned. "Usagi, I'm sorry but I have to go check on something."

"What's wrong, Setsuna?"

"Something at the Time Gate," Setsuna said then vanished.

"Who was that?" Ikuko asked.

"Sailor Pluto, guardian of time," Hotaru said, "and not one to socialize often."

Aiko suddenly looked up and muttered some choice insults. "This is really bad."

"Ack! Don't tell me they're attacking today."

"Sorry, but that's exactly it," Aiko said. "But it's none of the hunters, just one of their androids."

Ami sighed. "That's no problem, then, we can deal with those easily. "

"Not this one, mom," Aiko said, "this one's as tall as a building. And it's heading this way."

Usagi groaned. "No way..." She turned to her parents and gave them a sad look. "Sorry, but I have to..."

Kenji nodded. "Go get them, Sailor Moon."

As the Senshi and their friends left through several of the exits the base had, Luna looked at Ikuko, who was staring at Aiko. "Is something wrong?"

"Did that girl call Ami 'mom'?"

Luna nodded. "It's yet another thing you'll find hard to believe."

"The Senshi will be busy for a bit, so I'll tell you who and what I am," Aiko said.

"Let's go," Artemis said, "they may need our help this time around. "

* * *

"Sir, Juuban is under attack again," Seia said as she rushed into Kino's office.

"What is it this time?"

"A giant robot," Seia said.

"Oh, I see. Are the evacuation forces deployed yet?"

"Of course, sir."

"Send some air and ground support units, too. The Senshi may need all the help they can get."

"Yes, sir."

As Rakurai left, the General idly pondered why the news that a giant robot was attacking the city hadn't sounded strange at all to him. He swiftly knew the answer, he had gotten used to this kind of things after years of helping the Senshi keep the city in one piece.

* * *

"That's the biggest robot I've ever seen," Dragon Sun commented.

"Those hunters must be compensating," Earth mused.

"It's my birthday, so let's make this quick. Moonlight Screen!"

The energy disc hit the creature, but it simply looked down at Moon and grunted.

"I think you pissed him off," Venus said.

"Everyone, attack it together," Moon said.

And so did the Senshi, along with a massive psi blast from Nova, energy balls from the twins, a large blue beam from Game Master, and a pillar of fire by WarWitch. All that did was cause the giant to stagger back, but its metal skin was unscratched.

"We could use Pluto's help with this one," Jupiter noted.

"What did she have to check, anyhow?" Uranus asked.

"I don't know, but something tells me we'll find out soon," Mars guessed.

"That is, if we survive this," Earth noted.

"I don't see the problem," Dragon Venus said. "That bug's not attacking."

Just then, the android's eyes lit up. "Damn it, Brad, don't say that kind of things!" Venus snapped as everyone dove out of the way of the eye blast.

"Sorry."

* * *

The hunters were watching the 'show' through the eyes of the android, and they were quite impressed by Vulture's work.

"See, I told you the Senshi wouldn't be able to fight my GigaRoid. "

"What if they use one of their group attacks?" Hyena asked.

As if to answer that, the Senshi used their Planet attack just then. All it seemingly did was make the android angrier. "It makes no difference," Vulture said. "They can't defeat this one, even at Cosmic level."

* * *

"That monster looks dangerous," Ikuko commented. Those still inside the base were watching the battle through Aiko's external cammeras.

Aiko nodded. "Yes, but it's always like that with our enemies."

Shingo nodded. "Remember the last one blew our area up."

"Those were actually our allies, trying to destroy the enemy," Aiko corrected. "But the Senshi do have enough power individually to be able to cause a lot of property damage themselves."

"Think they can win?"

"They always do," Aiko said. And she sometimes wished there was a way for her to help other than being an 'alarm girl.'

* * *

She had felt something amiss in the timelines, but what was it? Pluto stood in front of what would have looked like Rei's shrine at first sight, but was a part of the path from her time to the Crystal Tokyo epoque.

Pluto was surprised to see someone come out of the path she thought closed. She was even more surprised to see who it was. "What are you doing here?"

"There's no time to explain," one of the figures said, "we need to get to where the Senshi are, now."

Pluto nodded. "I'll tag along, for once I need the explanation as well."

* * *

Moon glared up at the creature. Even their strongest attack didn't do a thing against it, what could they do to... No, she couldn't start thinking like that, they'd managed to defeat Galaxia, so they could defeat this robot too.

They were all circling the creature with their airboards, trying to find a weak spot. But even Mercury, who was using her new glove, couldn't see any weakness in this monster.

The sidekicks were all out of it, they were either too tired to keep fighting, or had been knocked out by it.

She saw Venus vanish and blinked in shock. Apparently, Minako could transfer her power to her airboard too, but the hits the robot was getting were far from enough to deal with it.

The monster swung its hands wildly, somehow getting lucky and hitting Venus. The blond Senshi fell off her board, but was caught by her Dragon. As Moon looked at them, Mercury came flying up to her. "Ami, tell me there's a way to stop this thing."

"I can't find a weak spot in its structure," Mercury said, "all we can do now is keep on shooting at it and hope we can weaken the armor."

The robot grunted again, and this time it clapped its hands together. The shockwave caused by that sent all the Senshi flying away, and it also knocked a few buildings around it.

Moon ended up on top of a building, and as she stood up, she noticed most of her friends (those she could see from where she was,) were out for the count. "That thing, its just too strong..."

Pluto appeared right next to her and smiled. "Don't worry, help's just arrived."

"Heart Crusher!"

Moon's eyes widened as a massive pink heart smashed the android's head in. "That attack..."

"Sailor Moon never gives up. You can do it."

She didn't need to turn to look at her to know who she was. But she was right. She couldn't give up, and if the power she had right now wasn't enough to win, then...

The robot shot an eye beam at them, but Pluto blocked it by swirling her staff in front of her. "Moon, do it now!"

Mercury woke up, and the first thing she noticed was a power peak near her. Looking up at the roof of a nearby building, she could see Moon was there, powering up, along with Pluto and... "No way, she came back?"

"Moon Guardian Power!"

Most of the Senshi recovered by the time Moon had finished her transformation. Mercury looked up and gasped. Her suit was quite changed, the gloves and boots were longer now, and had small wings to their sides. The bows were gone, though her brooch was still there, and she had three white skirts now, all transluscent.

She didn't waste time and got straight to business. Leaping on her airboard, she rose up higher than the android (which was trying to hit her with its massive hands, even headless,) and then dropped off the board as she summoned her sword. "Full Moon Slash!"

Her sword lit up as she jammed it into her enemy's chest. Instead of getting stuck there, the sword cut through the metal, a spike of light coming out of the creature's back, and Moon slowly descended as her sword literally cut the massive robot in half.

She fell on her feet, then leapt away just in time as the creature exploded, causing severe damage to the buildings around them. "I hope I don't have to pay for that," she muttered.

But there was something else she wanted to check on right now. She rushed back to where the others were, and saw the one person she wasn't hoping to see for a thousand years. "ChibiUsa, why are you here, what..."

ChibiMoon just hugged her and sobbed, and Moon looked at Pluto, who seemed as lost as her, for once.

"Let's head to the base," Diana said from her vantage point on Pluto's shoulder. "I can give you a quick explanation of what happened, and she can fill in when she recovers."

* * *

**A/N:** I said this was going to be one twisted plot twist.

Next episode we'll see what really happened in the future... And a glimpse of what life was like for ChibiUsa in Crystal Tokyo.

_DavisJes:_ Getting shorter? Next episode will compensate that. And hey, the final episode of the Starlights arc was longer, too. I'm just avoiding useless filler as much as I can.


	127. Shattered Crystal

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 127: Shattered Crystal.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 16, 2008_

* * *

She woke up and looked at the wall display. Eight in the morning, but her friend had apparently been up for longer. She decided for something simple, dressing in a sleeveless pink top and pink skirt, then walked out of the room.

"Good morning, Chibi."

Usagi Tsukino, otherwise known as ChibiUsa or Princess Serenity, smiled at the pale girl who was leaning on the wall, drinking coffee. "You've been up for a while, huh?"

"I couldn't sleep," Hotaru said.

"Next time, wake me up, and we can have some morning fun," ChibiUsa said with a wink.

"You know, for a princess, you sure have a dirty mind."

"I don't think there's anyone else to blame for it but you," the pink-haired girl countered.

Hotaru left the coffee in the table besides her, then hugged the younger girl, giving her a soft kiss. "Yes, I guess you're right."

* * *

A couple hours later, the two were walking through the park. ChibiUsa smiled, she could still see the same park she usually walked through a thousand years in the past, but the old lamps had been replaced by luminiscent crystal columns, and many of the trees in the park were alien, brought from Nemesis' four moons. While most plants from that planet couldn't withstand the sun of the Earth, there were some species which burrowed themselves during the day, coming out only during the night.

She knew there were plans to colonize the rest of the solar system, but the attempts from other countries in the world had failed in the last few centuries. As for the Earth, it was still a place where warring over national borders and resources happened often, but nobody attacked Crystal Tokyo. One of the reasons was that they sent help to countries in need, and had helped the planet itself heal worldwide, but the other was that the Senshi were respected and feared. They could survive a nuclear blast, and radiation didn't affect them in any visible way, but even if any country had been insane enough to try that, they would have only managed to scratch the invisible shield around the city.

"You're awfully silent today. I thought I was the silent one."

"Don't nag, old woman," ChibiUsa muttered. She knew Hotaru hated that nickname, but she also knew she was the only one who could call her that without being hit by an army of wraiths.

"Respect your elders," Hotaru countered. "But seriously, what are you thinking about?"

"About life, and how dull it can be."

"So, I'm not exciting enough for you?" Hotaru asked with fake sadness in her voice.

"No, I didn't mean that. You're the only thing keeping my life interesting in this era, but... There's no fighting, no conflicts, nothing to do here."

"There's a lot to do," Hotaru said, "but I know what you mean. We've been together for two years, and I've learnt that you're far from a carbon copy of your mother."

ChibiUsa smiled. "I love my mother, don't take me wrong, but this city she created is dull, boring and... And I'm quite sick of seeing crystals everywhere."

Hotaru chuckled at that. "Try being around for a thousand years." The younger girl could swear there was a hint of sadness in her voice as she said that, but Hotaru's face didn't show any signs of that feeling. Was it just her mind playing tricks on her?

"Mom was more than happy to settle down and let some of the other Senshi take care of the fighting, but I... I don't think I'm okay with just staying here for centuries."

"You're the princess, you know we can't expose you to..."

"To what? Firearms? Energy beams? Hell, even at the level I'm now, I think I wouldn't come out of a nuke blast with anything other than a bit of burnt hair."

"I hate it when you're right," Hotaru said.

"You must hate a lot, then," ChibiUsa teased. They had reached the other side of the park by now, and she stopped. "Maybe... Maybe we can go on a trip someday, see how things are like in other countries, maybe we can even help the rogues out stopping a war or two."

"Yeah, maybe we can," Hotaru said.

Once again, ChibiUsa felt something wrong with her lover. "Hotaru, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just... I've got a very bad feeling, something I haven't felt for centuries now."

"Maybe it's some big bad enemy coming for us," ChibiUsa said.

"Chibi... You know the saying, 'careful what you wish for,' right?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure whatever it is, we can handle it." There was a minute of silence as the two thought about what Hotaru sensed. ChibiUsa knew, both from what she had seen and what she had heard of the time she wasn't here, that Hotaru's psi sense was actually quite sharp nowadays, so it could only mean that there _was_ something out there, about to attack. "Hey, how about we go to the training room?"

"To train, right?" Hotaru asked.

"What else could we do there?" ChibiUsa asked with the best innocent face she could make.

"As if you needed to ask," Hotaru noted, "but yes, I think kicking a few monsters around will help me out of this mood."

"Shouldn't we tell Ami about that first?"

"No need. If I'm sensing them, I'm sure Ami's net picked them up already."

ChibiUsa nodded. She had heard wonders about Ami's system-wide satellite net. No matter where an alien came from, not counting the time gate, she could see them coming from a parsec away.

Or that's what Ami said, ChibiUsa didn't know just how many miles a parsec was, nor did she really care finding out.

* * *

Minutes later, the couple was walking through one of the countless corridors of the palace. They reached their destination, a large metallic door (which contrasted quite eerily with the white, crystal-like corridors,) with a console nested in the wall besides it. "So, up for a practice session?"

"Something of level four," Hotaru said.

"Only four? You're a weakling." ChibiUsa teased.

"Okay, let's see what level you like, then," Hotaru said.

"Let's see... How about ten?"

"That's good enough for a training," Hotaru noted. "Ready?"

"Always."

And the two walked through the door.

* * *

ChibiUsa leapt back as the alien tried to cut her in half. As she landed, she used her left foot to recoil, punching the creature through, and splattering alien pieces all over the place. "I'm glad these vanish after we're done."

Hotaru was, admittedly, having a lot less trouble than her. Princess or not, ChibiUsa was several power levels behind her, and it really showed in these practice fights.

The room was like something she'd seen in old television shows, a room in which they could train, explore parts of the world they'd never been to without having to go there, or simply spend some time in when they wanted privacy.

It was created by a fusion of magic and technology, and while the creatures in there were artificial, they hit like real ones, and in the unlikely case someone got killed while in that room, it would be a real death. That was one the reasons why the room was only used by the Senshi and some of their friends.

And speaking of friends... One of the monsters that was charging towards Hotaru was cut in half by an energy blade, and the two women smiled at the quite attractive blue-haired woman standing there, wearing a suit similar to that Zero and Nova used in the past. "Hmph... Aiko, don't come out of nowhere without warning us," Hotaru scolded. "I could've hit you by accident."

Aiko nodded. "Yes, sorry about that, but it was the fastest way to contact you."

"Oh, what's wrong?" ChibiUsa asked as she stopped. One of the creatures jumped at her, but she simply punched its face in. Literally. "Ugh... Okay, turn off this simulation, will you?"

Aiko nodded, and the scenario changed from a devastated city packed full of alien creatures, to a grey, dull room with an equally grey and dull door meters away from where they were standing. "Princess, Hotaru, our satellites have detected an alien ship heading this way. They'll be landing in only a couple hours."

"Are the others in the war room?"

"Yes," Aiko said.

"Okay then, see you there."

Aiko sighed as the two vanished. "If mom was right, then this will be a very interesting day." Interesting wasn't quite the word she should be using, but she shrugged that off as she also vanished.

* * *

As they appeared in the large room, ChibiUsa could see Rei was shooting daggers at them. She knew very well that the palace had a security system meant for stopping anyone from teleporting in and attacking from the inside, and she also knew that when someone with as much power as her, or any other Senshi, broke through that system, then she had to make a call to the military and police headquarters and tell them that it was just a false alarm.

Which was just what Rei was doing now, hopefully saving them both from the lecture.

"Hotaru, Usagi," Ami said politely. "We have just started discussing our strategy to face this threat."

"They're not friendly, huh?" ChibiUsa said. All the better, she would love to kick some real alien rears for a change.

"When we hailed them, they outright told us they were coming here to kill us all."

"That's quite a feat to boast about before actually achieving it," Hotaru noted.

"Yes, but we should be careful. We've all been revived more than once in the past," Serenity said. "Our satellites tell us they've got enough troops in that ship to be a real danger to the city."

"We'll wait for them outside," Rei said, "The Queen, King and Princess should remain here, and let us handle this."

"Hell no, I'm not staying out of the first real battle I've seen in this era," ChibiUsa snapped.

"Princess, you can't..."

Serenity rose her hand, and Rei stopped. "No, Rei, she's right. Me and Endymion will have to fight too."

"Are you sure?" Rei asked. There was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other, and Rei seemed to understand something as she nodded in defeat. "I see, then we'll do as you say. You're the boss, after all."

"Any idea of what they are like, their power levels and such?" Hotaru asked.

"None yet, all I could tell from my scans was that their ship has hundreds of robotic entities inside."

"I see... Well, I guess we'll go back to what we were doing. Call us when..."

"No, it's only a few hours, we need to get ready," Serenity said. She never gave orders, but she didn't need to. Her friends knew when her requests and comments were meant to be taken seriously.

Hotaru sighed. "Yes, I guess..." She looked at ChibiUsa for a second then turned back to the Queen. "Can we leave now?"

Serenity gave her a meaningful look. "Yes, but don't disappear on us, or I'll send Aiko to look for you and drag you here."

"That would be fun," Aiko noticed.

"Warning acknowledged, but unneeded," Hotaru said as she walked out of the room. "Come on, Chibi."

ChibiUsa nodded at her and followed her outside, wondering just what the heck was really going on between Hotaru and Serenity.

* * *

"What was all that about?"

"We're all tense, it's been quite some time since we last fought anything," Hotaru said.

"That's not the whole truth, right?"

Hotaru smiled. "No, it's not." She leaned forwards and gave the younger girl a deep kiss, smiling inwards as she noticed she wasn't resisting it.

ChibiUsa reluctantly broke the kiss. "As much as I'd like to, we can't think about _that_ right now. Those aliens will most likely force us to interrupt our fun anyway."

Hotaru sighed. "Yes, you're right."

"And besides, you didn't quite answer my question."

Hotaru looked away. "I can't lie to you, can I?"

"Nope."

"Okay, you see... It's what I told you earlier. I'm not just sensing those enemies, I have a feeling that... Well, that some of us may not make it out of the battle alive."

ChibiUsa grimaced. She knew far too well, as the others had told her several times, that most of them had already been resurrected by the two Saturns, and hence knew if any of them died again, that would be it, unless another Deus Ex appeared. But...

"Mom can revive any of us."

Hotaru smiled. "Yes, I know that, and I think it's foolish of her to want to be there for this battle."

"She's the strongest Senshi in our world. She'll be fine."

"Hope you're right," Hotaru said with a small smile.

* * *

Hours passed like minutes, and soon the whole Senshi team was assembled, waiting for the spaceship to land. Even Uranus, Neptune and Dragon Sun, who had been taking care of some war in what was once known as Europe, were there.

For some reason, that gave ChibiMoon (she didn't want to chage her battle name, as she had grown used to it in the past,) a bad feeling. It was almost as if the others knew something they weren't telling her.

"Everyone, get ready," Serenity, or rather Sailor Moon, said. It was the first time she'd ever seen her mother using that suit, and though it was different from the one she'd seen in the past, there was no mistaking her for a lesser Senshi.

The ship finally landed, and as soon as it had stopped, a panel slid aside on its side, and countless androids started pouring out of it like a flood. "Here they come!" Mars shouted.

"Venus Light Comet!"

ChibiMoon looked up as the sky lit up. A massive ball of light was falling down at an amazing speed, and crashing right into the center of the robotic army. She saw several of the creatures explode, but the count was far less than she had expected for an attack of such power.

"Don't just stand there gawking," Saturn said. "Let's join the fun. "

* * *

ChibiUsa stopped for a few seconds as painful memories resurfaced. The others waited for her to continue, and after a while, Hotaru was the one to prod her to go on. "So, what happened next?"

"I'll tell you what happened, but after that, Diana should continue the story, as I wasn't quite myself for a few minutes."

* * *

The creatures, though many, weren't individually a match for the Senshi, but with each warrior having to fight five or six of them at a time, things weren't looking good for the Earth defenders.

ChibiMoon looked at the ship, and noticed there weren't any more of those robots coming out of it. However, she could see five figures now standing on top of the ship.

As she looked at the five, one of them vanished. She heard a noise behind and turned to see Saturn had slashed one of the robots in half. "Thanks."

"No problem, but you should watch your back, you--" Saturn stopped and coughed up blood. "No way..."

The man standing behind Saturn smiled. "Heed your own advice, Senshi bitch."

As Saturn fell, ChibiMoon felt something snap inside. There was only one thing in her mind, killing that bastard, and the rest of them afterwards.

Diana was there with the other mooncats, in case they were needed. As she saw Saturn fall, she noticed something was wrong with the Princess. "Mom, what's happening?"

"That's her... Darker side. Something we all thought was gone, but apparently..."

Diana frowned. "I'll help her."

Luna nodded. "It's time for us to join this battle."

* * *

Terry looked at Diana. "Wait, what do you mean by 'her darker side'?"

Diana looked at ChibiMoon, who was again sobbing as she remembered that battle. "She told me about it afterwards. What you know as Black Lady isn't a different entity, its her own, darker emotions which Wiseman had once managed to turn to his favor."

"So she still can..."

"Yes," Diana said, "and it wasn't easy to get her out of that state. "

* * *

Pluto looked on as the battle raged. "I wonder..."

"It's the only way," Serenity said.

"Are you sure about it?"

"I know she'll know what to do, when the time's right."

"Hope you're right, or we're doomed," Pluto noted.

* * *

ChibiMoon was tearing through the enemy ranks like they were made of paper. She knew she was losing it, and fast, but she also knew she could use this rage to do what she had to. To kill the bastards who killed Hotaru. That was all there was in her mind.

"Princess, calm the heck down. The only thing you'll achieve by being so reckless, is to be killed."

The Princess' voice was like a growl. "Like I care."

"Yes, throwing your own life out the window is easy, but think about your parents."

ChibiMoon stopped, her rage fading fast, but she still felt something else. Hatred for those monsters. "I..."

"Hotaru isn't the only one," Luna noticed, "look around you!"

ChibiMoon looked around and her eyes watered. It was true, those five figures, whoever they were, had managed to kill half their friends already. Now she knew why the mooncats were there in their Senshi forms, this looked like a losing battle for them. "This can't be..."

"Princess, pull back, we'll handle--" Uranus couldn't finish the sentence, as a sound wave knocked her back, and sent her rolling straight to one of the enemies. The man, whose suit made him look like a big cat, punched Uranus hard, and ChibiMoon could see blood shooting out of her back.

"No!"

Neptune reacted much like ChibiMoon had before, but her charge was stopped by a barrage of metal objects falling from above. The water Senshi was dead by the time her body hit the ground.

ChibiMoon couldn't believe what was happening. She simply couldn't bear the scene before her. Not only Hotaru, but all her friends were dying in front of her.

The next thing Diana knew, she was rolling back on the ground. But what had hit her? As she stood up, she could see the cause, and she gasped in shock. ChibiMoon was kneeling on the ground, but the energy blast she had generated had literally incinerated everything in an area of two hundred meters around her. The robots were gone, but their leaders remained.

"Hey, that pink bitch hits hard," the one that had killed Saturn commented.

"Let's get her first," the one in a reptilian suit said, and shot a large energy beam at the exhausted Senshi.

ChibiMoon looked up as the blast was stopped by something... Or rather, someone. "You guys, you shouldn't have..."

Luna knelt on the ground, panting as blood run through her suit. She was the strongest of her kin, and thus she knew her two other friends were gone. "Princess, take care of Diana for me," she said before rushing forwards, heading straight for the one that had tried to kill ChibiMoon.

Diana stood besides the Princess and growled at her. "Stand up!"

"But this is..."

"Hopeless?" Diana said. "Don't say that."

ChibiMoon saw Serenity, Endymion and Pluto walking to her. She also realized they were the only ones the villains hadn't killed yet. "Mom, what will we do to win this?"

"We will fight on. You must go to the past before they do."

"What?"

"You will be safe there, and you can warn us about it," Endymion said.

"No, I want to stay and fight!"

"Daughter, listen... We knew about this. We knew this would happen," Serenity said. "Trust me, the only way to win this fight, is if you escape."

"But I..."

"She won't listen," Endymion said. "I feared that."

Pluto sighed. "It's all happening as expected. Farewell, Small Lady. "

* * *

"Next I knew, I was inside the time tunnel," ChibiUsa said.

"But what happened to us, then?" Minako asked.

"Always the dense one," ChibiUsa muttered.

"Princess..."

ChibiUsa gasped. "Sorry, I didn't... Look, I'll make it clear in case you guys don't get it yet. You all died in that battle."

"What about the Queen and..."

ChibiMoon sighed. "I sensed them, their lives fading. And I couldn't move, I couldn't bear the pain anymore. That was until I saw those bastards' hissing by on their spaceship. Then I realized I had to get back here and stop it all from happening again."

Saturn looked at the girl and could really understand what she felt. But it was also shocking for her, to know she would die in the future. However... "But wait... What about the barrier?"

"Barrier?" ChibiUsa asked.

Pluto nodded. "There's a barrier blocking the path you walked through. I guess it was set up so you can't go back and..."

"Your power was always a mystery," ChibiUsa said, "and I doubt even your death would stop such a barrier from existing."

"Well, that sure sucks," Brad said. "I hate knowing when I'm going to die, even if it's a thousand years away."

ChibiUsa suddenly laughed. "Damn them..."

"What?"

"What mom said in the future, that they knew it was going to happen as it did... To hell with destiny."

Pluto was the first to realize what the girl mean, and she guessed Ami was close to knowing, too. "So, we knew about it, and sent you back to tell us..."

".. So we will know in the future," Minako said. The others all gasped at her. "What? Being around Ami this long, I can actually get some of the weird stuff she says."

"She's right," ChibiUsa said. "So, here I am."

"You can go back once that barrier's gone, though," Chie said, "and stop it all from happening."

Pluto snorted. "That would be most unwise. History has already been written as it is."

ChibiUsa nodded and stood up. "Chie, our universe is, let's say, like a balloon, and think about time and space being the walls of that balloon."

"Uh, I get it. So?"

The pink-haired girl summoned her Luna-P (something the others didn't think she still carried around,) and turned it into a balloon. "So, let's say I go and do what you said. That would be like ripping a piece off the balloon," she did just that, and the balloon exploded. "See what I mean?"

"It's just a theory, though," Chie said dismissively.

"But it is one theory not even I want to test," Pluto admitted.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Mako asked.

"I don't know about you, guys," ChibiUsa said, "but I'm going to search for those five assholes, and tear their hearts right out of their chests with my bare hands."

As the younger girl left, Kage sighed. "Not a happy one, is she? I can understand why, though."

Usagi sighed and looked at her parents. "Mom, dad, I..."

"Don't worry, just go," Ikuko said.

Terry looked around as Usagi also left. "For some reason, I doubt Chibi saw the whole picture."

"What do you mean?" Mamoru asked.

"Call me crazy, but if we were alive in the future, it was because she warned us, and..."

"And we defeated them, here, in the past," Ami guessed.

"Wait, if they killed us in the future, how could we kill them here," Mako asked.

"I don't know, but there's something quite strange about this," Terry said. "Unfortunately, we may have to wait a thousand years to find out."

* * *

**A/N:** This little sad tale continues in the next episode, as it took far more than I first thought it would. I wanted to give ChibiUsa some happy scenes before the battle, and that took a lot more than I had planned.

Longest episode since the final battle of the Dark Kingdom arcs, actually. Longest episode in the saga, not counting the final episode of Genesis.

I know I'm asking for a wave of questions, but don't worry, they will all be answered in due time.


	128. Play With Fire

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 128: Play With Fire...**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 17, 2008_

* * *

"Is this seat taken?"

ChibiUsa didn't look up. "No."

Usagi looked at the girl, she was good at reading people's mood, and her daughter was in a very bad one. "ChibiUsa, listen, I know how you must be feeling, but..."

"You don't," ChibiUsa said coldly. "Can you imagine that? Can you know how it feels to lose everyone like that, knowing they won't be back?"

Usagi grimaced at that. Of course she did know how it felt. "Guess our future selves never told you about Galaxia, then."

"..." ChibiUsa finally looked at Usagi, her face wet with tears. "Sorry, I didn't remember that... Yes, you're right, but..."

"But? What are you going to do, go and kill the hunters?"

"I already said so. I'll kill them myself."

"I doubt Queen Serenity would like to see you like this."

"How would you know?"

"I know she's got a thousand years of experience more than me, but I know she's still me, deep inside. And I don't want to see you like this, daughter."

"I don't like hearing those words from you, either."

"Mamoru..." Usagi said. She hadn't noticed him until that moment, but there he was, standing right behind their bench.

"We are a team, ChibiUsa. If you get the chance to kill one of them, go ahead, but don't try to go on a vendetta against them. It'll only get you killed."

"I'm already feeling dead inside."

"Maybe I should kick her around a bit. That may take her out of that sour mood."

ChibiUsa almost froze at the voice. True, she had seen her there with the others, but they hadn't spoke to each other since she arrived. She had purposefully tried to avoid this moment, actually, because her death weighed a lot more than the other in her mind. "Hotaru, I..."

"I know I'm probably not the same one you were with in the future. And I won't be for a thousand years, right? But there's one thing I knew from listening to your story, something I know didn't change at all. I... I love you, don't ever doubt that."

ChibiUsa looked up at Hotaru, and for the first time since she had returned, she smiled. "You're right, all of you..."

Usagi smiled too. "Either now or in the future, you should know we all care about you, and we'll be there for you."

ChibiUsa stood up and wiped her tears off. "I'm sorry I ruined your party, mom."

"Don't worry, that giant Rex sent had already ruined it."

"Rex, huh? That's the leader's name?" ChibiUsa asked.

"Yes... We've been attacked by them all already, but I don't know what they'll try after that super robot."

"Let's go back," ChibiUsa said, "I haven't eaten a thing in days."

"Days?"

"I... Got lost in the tunnel," ChibiUsa said with a blush. "It had been years since I last walked through it, and I was still in shock. "

"That explains why those Hunters came back way before she did," Mamoru said.

* * *

That night, Diana was having a similar talk with her parents.

"You know, I really feel sorry for ChibiUsa."

"You saw us die, too, didn't you?" Artemis asked.

Diana nodded. "Yes, but... I knew about it beforehand. Everyone but the Princess did."

"Must be hard to keep something like that a secret," Artemis said.

"You have no idea."

* * *

"How old are you, anyway?"

ChibiUsa smiled at Shingo. "I'm fifteen."

"You've grown up quite nicely."

"Now, Shingo, if I didn't know better, I'd think you're flirting with me."

"Can't a boy have his fun?" Shingo asked.

"Of course, until either your psichic girlfriend, or my psycho girlfriend, find out."

"Eeeh. You're no fun."

Usagi walked into the room right then and smiled. "I've talked it with mom and dad, and they've got no problem with you staying here. "

"Not like she has anywhere else to go," Shingo noticed.

"That's true," ChibiUsa said, her eyes watering.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

ChibiUsa shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Usagi sat besides her in the bed. "That kind of wounds take more time to heal than the physical ones."

"You must have your fair share of them yourself, huh?"

"I've watched my friends die, I've been forced to kill those who were only fighting for what they thought was right, I've been attacked more times than I can count, but know what..."

ChibiUsa waited for her mother to continue. Shingo had left silently, and ChibiUsa wondered if he already was... No, most likely not.

"I've always had hope for the future. Even back when I was fighting Beryl's army, I knew I had to do it for the future. But after I met you, well... I've worked hard to make that future come true, no matter what enemies we may face."

"But now that you know about..."

"I was born without knowing what I was. I had hoped to live to my eighties or so, and die a quiet, dull death at home with my family," Usagi said, "but you know, I can't say I don't fear death, but I feel like there's something about your story that doesn't fit."

"Huh? What I told you is exactly what happened," ChibiUsa said.

"I'm not saying you lied. I'm saying you didn't see the whole picture."

"What do you mean?"

"That if we really knew about what was going to happen, then we would have a backup plan. And if we knew, is because we defeated them in this era. It just doesn't make sense that we would lose to them in the future, then, unless we were purposefully losing."

"You mean... You let yourselves get killed to keep the timelines intact?"

"I don't know, there's got to be something else there, something we aren't seeing."

"Strange to say it this way, but... It's in the past for me. And I'm trying to forget about it."

"I know. By the way, mom said you'll have to go to school as soon as you get used to this era again."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that... May help me take my mind off the hunters." ChibiUsa frowned at that. She could feel it, her darker side, stirring whenever she thought about them. She wasn't sure she would be able to control herself if her darkest emotions took over.

* * *

The next morning passed without incidents. Rei stood right outside the temple, watching the sunset, and frowned. So, her visions had come true, after all, and with the worst possible outcome. And she was tired of being the target of the enemy. When they didn't come looking for some seed, it was a mirror, and now they just wanted to kill them for no reason at all. The worst part was, Rei was sure there was a reason, and that they might be better off not knowing it.

"You look upset, miss Rei."

Rei turned around and scowled at Yuu. "Yuu, I've told you not to call me..."

She was cut by him as he kissed her. They stood locked like that for what seemed like hours, and Yuu smiled at her as she blushed. "I know, but I'd rather see you angry at me than sad."

"Please, kids, I could cut the fuzziness with a knife..."

Rei turned to glare at the woman who had just appeared in her yard. "You must be Hyena."

"Yes, that's my name."

Rei sighed. "My friends told me what your powers are, so... I won't fight you here."

Hyena rose an eyebrow. "Why?"

"This is my home, and your screams could destroy it."

"Okay, I'll bite."

Rei looked at Yuu. "Stay here."

"But..."

"This woman could kill you, Yuu. Don't be a fool."

Yuu looked at Rei for a few seconds before nodding. "Right, but be careful."

"I always am."

* * *

ChibiUsa was sparring with Aiko, who was quite impressed at the girl's skills. She still had the upper hand, but it was easy to guess who had taught the pinkhead her moves. "You're quite good."

"I learnt with the best swordsman of Crystal Tokyo," ChibiUsa said.

"Me too," Aiko mused.

Usagi was looking at the two, and was as surprised as Aiko. She realized she had a lot of training to go through to be close to their skill, and she knew it was only her fault if she wasn't as good a melee fighter as them.

She grimaced as she sensed something. "There's enemies at the Hikawa Shrine."

Aiko nodded. "True, I'm sensing them too."

ChibiUsa smiled. "Let's go, then. I can't wait to meet those freaks again."

"Chibi..."

"Don't worry, mom, I'm not going to be reckless." I hope, she added mentally with a sigh.

* * *

Mars leapt back, dodging a kick from Hyena, but the woman used her scream attack once more, knocking her to the ground. Mars was barely able to focus anymore, she knew if not for her Senshi endurance, her ears would've been destroyed after the first two screams. "Damn it, Rei, focus..."

Hyena punched her in the gut, and Mars kneeled down. "Too late, little Senshi bitch." She pulled her hand back, a white energy blade forming in it, then struck.

However, the blade didn't reach Mars. Both women realized someone else had taken the hit, and Mars felt a fire burning inside as she realized who it was.

"Yuu!"

"Stupid moron, he wanted to die that badly?" Hyena looked at Mars, who was now standing, and realized things were about to get complicated.

"Mars Cosmic Power!"

Hyena smiled. "Big deal, I can still kill you!" she screamed again, feeling the strain in her vocal chords already. However, she knew her attack would get Mars, there was no escaping sound...

Or was there? A wall of flames rose in front of Mars, and she walke through it, staring coldly at Hyena. The woman didn't realize what had happened to her attack until she was hit by it herself. "Reflecting even sound... That's..."

"An unbreakable barrier," Mars said, "a fire that burns as much as my rage does right now."

"Blah Blah blah," Hyena muttered and rushed at Mars. The Fire Senshi just stood there, and Hyena's charge met another wall of flames, which formed almost instantly. "No way, that barrier is... Like Lion's one..."

Mars looked at Hyena and smiled. "It's time to try out my new power. " She produced a charm, it was aflame but didn't seem to burn out like a normal piece of paper would. "I'll show you what happens when you mess with me. Mars Flaring Anger!"

Hyena remembered seeing the charm fly at her, then she was surrounded by a column of flames. If the pain was any indication of the damage caused, she knew she was lucky to be alive.

Mars summoned her sword and looked down at Hyena. "Any last words, bitch?"

"No," Hyena said, then vanished.

Mars looked at the spot where Hyena had last been for a few seconds, then her eyes widened, and she rushed back to Yuu. "Yuu, please, wake up."

"He's dead. I can feel it."

Mars saw Dragon Mercury was there, and smiled through her tear-filled eyes. "But... You can..."

"You don't even need to ask," Dragon Mercury said. "Saturn Star Power!"

"Thanks, Terry," Mars said as Dragon Saturn used his skills to bring Yuu back.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner, but for what little I saw, you really kicked that bitch's rear."

Yuu took a deep breath as his senses returned. "What, how..." He saw Dragon Saturn standing over him and sighed. "Oh, that."

Mars glared at him. "Yuu, you idiot! Didn't I tell you to stay out of the fight?"

"I'm glad I didn't," Yuu said. "You would have died instead of me. "

"That still doesn't make it right, I don't want you to ever do..."

For the second time that day, she was cut off by his kiss. Dragon Saturn smiled at the scene. "I think I'll leave you two alone now. "

There was no answer, as both had their mouth occupied, so the Dragon fled off, summoning his comm as his suit reverted to his Mercury form. "Terry here. Mars got attacked by Hyena, and Yuu was killed. I took care of that, but I think..."

"Terry, come to the base as soon as you can," Usagi said through the comm. "We were attacked by Rex, and I have something to tell you all about the hunters."

Dragon Mercury frowned. Usagi looked quite serious, and he wondered just what she had discovered.

* * *

**A/N:** _SailorStar9:_ In the misquoted words of Obi-Wan Kenobi: This isn't the Black Lady you're looking for.


	129. Hunter's Tale

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 129: Hunter's Tale.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 21, 2008_

* * *

Moon recognized the man floating ahead of them immediately. "Damn, not Rex again." She sensed a surge of evil energy, but it wasn't coming from Rex. As she looked at the younger Senshi, she almost fell off her board in shock. "You..."

ChibiMoon, or rather Black Lady, smiled coldly at her. "Don't worry, this isn't going to take long."

Rex saw the girl rushing at him and smirked. Foolish girl, even in that form she was no challenge. "I came here to finish what I started, and I guess I'll have the chance to do so sooner than I thought. Die!"

Black Lady was hit by the blast, and her eyes widened right before an explosion engulfed her. Moon almost let out a shout, but noticed something right behind Rex. "No way..."

Rex never saw the girl behind her, but he did feel the sword piercing through his chest. "Fuck..."

"This is when you die."

Rex smiled despite the pain. "If you were aiming for my heart, brat, you missed it completely."

"ChibiUsa!" Moon rushed and caught the girl after Rex blasted her. She was back to her normal Senshi form, but she didn't seem up for a fight. "Why, you said you wouldn't..."

"I couldn't help it," The younger girl said, "I just..."

Moon glared at Rex. "You bastard..."

"I'm just doing the Universe a favor, by eliminating the Senshi infestation."

"So that's your excuse? You excuse your evil by saying that you're the hero? Pathetic."

"Am I?" Rex snorted. "Tell me, Sailor Moon, how many lives have you ended? How many armies have you destroyed? And most important question is, after it's all said and done, after there's no more enemies to fight, who will you fight?"

"..." Moon was speechless. What was this man saying?

"I'll tell you what you'll do. I've seen it happen in several worlds already. And it's just what happened to my own homeworld."

"What are you saying? We Senshi fight evil, we fight to defend our world, we..."

"You fight. You're born to do just that. And once there's nobody else to fight, you start fighting one another. That's what happened in our world, the Senshi grew bored after decades of peace, and started sparring. First they were friendly battles, but soon they became serious. Before anyone realized, we had full-scale fights between Senshi, and they destroyed several of our cities in a matter of weeks."

Seeing that he had the two girls' attention, Rex continued. "Our armies tried to fight back, but were useless against them. I was one of the best soldiers in my world, and I gathered a few others who also had outstanding fighting skills. We planned for weeks, to put an end to the Senshi Wars, as they were calling their stupid fights. "

"But we were a little too late. The four strongest Senshi of our planet, who were also the last four left, decided to settle their little war, and chose our world's biggest city for that. In a matter of hours, they destroyed it all, they killed millions, just for fun. "

"That's..." Moon couldn't believe Senshi would do that. But they were different, they would never do that. Or would they?

"We had trained for months, so we were ready to strike back. We caught them in the middle of their battle, and killed three of them while they were busy shooting each other. But the strongest one was left, and she did something we didn't think she would dare to. She knew we had become strong enough to eliminate her, she was quite sure she wouldn't survive if she fought. I remember her words, 'Nobody is going to kill me, Senshi or not. I'll take you all down with me.' She was insane, truly insane."

"What... What did she do?" ChibiMoon was still furious at the man, but she was beginning to understand why he did what he did.

"We barely had time to escape in our ship, the five of us. And for a moment I thought we were also gone, when the shockwave hit us."

"She attacked your ship?" Moon asked.

"She didn't need to. She simply blew the planet to space dust. She didn't make it out of it, of course, but she was pretty sure we wouldn't survive, either."

"Impossible, Senshi can't..." Moon sighed. No, that wasn't entirely true, Galaxia had been killing Senshi, too. But this man... "So, what are you doing now, going from planet to planet and killing Senshi?"

"That's exactly it. You're all evil inside, all rotten. The first few planets we got to were in a similar situation as ours, but luckily we were able to eliminate the Senshi in them before it was too late. People thanked us for it in some cases, but in others, they seemed to hate us. I didn't really care, they would understand it sooner or later."

"You're wrong," ChibiMoon said. "We're not evil, not all of us. You can't kill us all just because your planet was destroyed by some corrupted Senshi."

Rex snorted. "That's precious, coming from you. You were eager to kill me, just because I killed your allies in the future."

ChibiMoon growled at him. "And I'm even more eager to kill you now. You're as rotten as those that turned you into what you are."

"Chibi, no," Moon said.

"Usagi, stand back."

Moon ignored her daughter completely. She summoned her sword, and leapt straight at Rex. "Full Moon Slash!"

Rex grabbed Moon's sword and smiled at her. "Foolish little girl. I've beaten enemies far stronger than you."

Moon was smiling, too, and Rex noticed that a little too late. "Boom. "

ChibiMoon shielded her eyes as Moon's sword exploded with energy. Moon fell near her, out cold, but she saw Rex was down to his knees. "Enemies stronger than us?" she mused. "If that's true, then she wouldn't have hit you that hard."

Rex panted and glared at the girl. "You brat, don't you understand? I'm not the villain here, you are!"

"I... I think hating you was wrong, then."

"So, you see your mistaken ways, at last."

"No, I see yours. I really pity you, Rex."

Rex laughed. "Stupid little brat... I'm going to kill you and your friends, just wait."

Moon woke up right when Rex vanished. "Ugh, that wasn't a smart move. "

ChibiMoon sighed. "Mom, I sorry I reacted like..."

"Hush," Moon said, "I may not agree with your behavior, but I understand why you did it."

"We should tell the others what he told us."

"He wasn't lying, was he?"

ChibiMoon shook her head. "He really thinks he's the good guy."

* * *

The others had listened the two Moons' story to the end, and they were all silent for several minutes.

"So that's why he's doing it, some Galaxia-wannabe destroyed his home world," Mako said.

"It's scary, though, to know we could have that kind of power, too," Chie said.

"Something like that's what happened to _your_ planet," Ami noted.

"That was different, it stopped a dangerous virus from spreading," Hotaru noted.

Rei snorted. "I don't care what his life story is. His actions are evil."

"I bet he's left many worlds helpless against alien attacks in his holy crusade," Terry said. "I agree with Rei, here."

"Ami, could you scan one of those hunters next time you fight one?"

Ami was surprised by ChibiUsa's request. "Uh, sure. Why?"

"Because I want to know where their heart is. Today I missed, but they won't be so lucky next time."

Terry groaned. "Girl, revenge isn't as good as it sounds. Stop acting like that, or I'll have to kick some sense into you."

"I doubt that," ChibiUsa said.

"Stop that, you two," Usagi snapped. The others stared at her in shock. "ChibiUsa, I agree with Terry, revenge isn't worth it. But also, I fear the only way to end this would be to kill those hunters. If that's the case, then you will surely get a chance to do it. Just remember you're not alone in this."

ChibiUsa smiled. "I know, I keep forgetting."

Hotaru looked at ChibiUsa and blushed. "I think we need to talk, about a few things..."

"Can I watch?" Brad joked. He was promptly headlocked by Minako. "Ack, joking!"

"You better be, mister," Minako said with a frown.

ChibiUsa shook her head. "You guys are quite weird, you know?"

"Weren't we that way, well..."

The pinkhead smiled at Brad. "No. I think somewhere between now and then, you'll hit puberty."

"Ouch." Brad muttered. "Just go and 'talk,' you two," he said with a grin. Minako headlocked him again. "Gah, what now?"

"Just in case you were thinking about following them," Minako explained.

"Love hurts, huh?" Mamoru mused as ChibiUsa and Hotaru left.

Brad sighed in defeat. "You have no idea."

"Let's go, I've got some shopping to do," Minako said.

Brad groaned. "You know I hate going to the mall."

"Pleeeeeease?" Minako said putting the best puppy eyes she could make.

Brad smiled. "Okay, since you ask nicely..."

As the two Venus left, Rei chuckled. "She's got him on a leash."

"Yeah, wonder how she does it," Ami mused.

"I should start running now, shouldn't I?" Terry said.

"Yeah, that would be wise," Mamoru admitted.

* * *

"There was one thing I've wanted to ask you since you arrived," Hotaru admitted as the two walked through mostly empty streets.

"Go ahead."

"How old are you now?"

"I'm fifteen," ChibiUsa said. "Wonders of time travelling."

"I bet. Listen, I was wondering about you and me, I mean, were we really, uhm..." Hotaru blushed as she tried to say the words she wanted to.

ChibiUsa smiled. "I never saw the older you like this, so shy. I like it." That caused Hotaru's blush to deepen. "But yes, we were lovers then."

"Nobody was against it?" Hotaru asked surprised. "I mean, I was several hundred years old and you were... Well, fifteen."

"There sure were people who didn't see us, or any of the other 'strange' couples around as a good thing. However, not many of them dared voicing their opinions out, and nobody did inside the walls of Crystal Tokyo."

"Security was that good?"

"It was handled by Rei and Hana."

"Oh... Hey, wait, that means Hana was..."

ChibiUsa nodded. "She was no Senshi, but from what I know, being exposed to the Ginzuishou for too long does that."

Hotaru frowned. "But what about Usagi's parents, then?"

The pinkhead sighed. "I don't know. The few times I asked, Serenity made it clear she didn't want to talk about it. Please, don't tell Usagi anything about that, either."

"Don't worry, I won't," Hotaru said. "So, you think we could be, uhm..."

ChibiUsa stopped and smiled as Hotaru blushed again. She hugged her and kissed her deeply, enjoying the sensations she had missed so much in the last few days. There were other things she missed about their relationship, but she knew she had to wait for Hotaru to be ready.

As they broke the kiss, Hotaru smiled as well. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Aww, how cute, the girls are having fun."

"Maybe we can join in."

ChibiUsa noticed the group of men who were walking to them from both sides. They looked like they hadn't seen soap and water for a few weeks, and their attitude reeked as much as their looks. "Get lost," she warned them.

"Oh, lookie, that one's a fighty one!"

"She looks harmless, guys. And the other one too."

ChibiUsa smirked. "I warned you." She mentally summoned her Luna-P, turning it into a machinegun even before it materialized. "And now, you shall all die."

Hotaru watched in shock as ChibiUsa aimed the gun at the men. "Chibi, don't..."

ChibiUsa shrugged and dropped the gun. "You're right, it's no fun like that." She looked around to make sure nobody else was looking, and then stomped the ground. Hard.

The men all backed away as they saw the girl had left a quite visible crack in the concrete under her foot. "Oh shit..."

"This one's like that tall bitch!" One of the men shouted.

"Run for it!"

"Tall bitch?" ChibiUsa mused as the men run away.

Hotaru giggled. "Mako once said she had been attacked by some punks, and that she had showed off her strength to scare them off."

"Guess we just found those punks, then."

"Should I make sure they don't bother us again?" Hotaru said, her eyes showing coldness for a few seconds.

"Oh, but I can think of a few other things we could do that would be a lot more fun."

"Like what?" Hotaru asked, and was surprised by another kiss. "Oh, I see," she said as it ended. "But are you always so..."

"Bold?" ChibiUsa guessed. "I guess so. I was the princess, I could pretty much do this wherever I wanted to."

"So you're a spoiled one," Hotaru said. "I'll have to correct that. "

"Just try," the younger girl teased.

"Sure will," Hotaru teased back.

* * *

**A/N:** Now you know why the hunters do what they do. They're still Grade A Villains, but one can almost feel sorry for them. Almost.

As for ChibiUsa and Hotaru... You really didn't think they would do anything other than talk, did you? There's some things I just won't add to the fic, as I don't want it to get into R-rated territory. (I'll hint at them, though. Because I'm evil.)

_DavisJes_: Yep, and it reads as it should now. Thanks for noticing, though. I tend to leave those here and there just so you guys don't think I'm a computer. Or am I?


	130. Faster Than Light

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 130: Faster Than Light.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 23, 2008_

* * *

At first sight, one would think Dragon Mercury was fighting an imaginary foe. But he was actually testing his theory about Venus' power. And it was just as he thought: The more time she passed using that power, the more time she could stay at her top speed while fighting.

And Brad had been right about something. All his training and reflexes meant nothing when he simply couldn't react fast enough. He was able to actually see her movements, barely so, but his body couldn't move fast enough to stop her attacks. However...

Ami sighed as Dragon Mercury fell down for the fifth time in less than two minutes. "You know, you're not going to get her," she said.

Dragon Mercury stood up and smiled. "I'd like to try this once again. "

Venus, who had stopped meters away from him, smiled back. "Okay," she said just as she vanished from view.

Dragon Mercury was once again hit, twice, before he could even move. But he suddenly swung his fist forwards, sending a very surprised Venus skipping on her back. "Gotcha."

Venus held her jaw as she stood up. "Damn, just how did you..."

"Even though you may not realize it yourself, you've got an attack pattern," Dragon Mercury explained. I've been studying it since you started attacking me, until I knew I had it figured out. Then it was just a matter of making the right move at the right time."

"I see," Venus said. "So, other than me beating you down, what good was this fight for?"

Brad chuckled. "Mina, he told me about it. The more you use that skill, the more time you can keep on using it without resting. And also..."

"Also?"

"... You should learn from your own defeat. Learn to read your opponent's moves before acting, even if it means getting a bit roughed up."

Venus nodded. She knew Brad could be a walking joke often, but when it came to fighting, he was always serious. "I guess... Specially since there's that one hunter who may be as fast as me."

"Jaguar is a joke," Haruka commented. The two 'rogues' had been there for a while, but had decided to watch the fight (what could be seen of it, anyhow,) and it reminded them a lot of what had happened with Jaguar. "Once you figure out his movements, that is."

Michiru nodded. "If you just try to fight him without any strategy, though, you're going to be in trouble."

Venus smiled. "I see... I want to fight that guy already, to show him he can't defeat the Goddess Of Love."

Brad sighed in defeat as Venus started cackling. "I had to get the loony one."

"She's a bit crazy," Haruka admitted, "but I think I know why you like her."

Michiru nodded. "Nice body she has, huh?"

"You girls..." Brad muttered. "... Are quite right."

* * *

"Do I really have to get this one?"

"Yes. His girl's power makes it quite hard for anyone to beat him. To use a terran saying, she's glued to him."

Jaguar looked at Hyena with a smirk. "Like you and Lion, then. And talking about that, wouldn't Lion's ability screw up her power, too?"

Hyena nodded. "Yes, but he's hunting a different target."

* * *

"ChibiUsa was in a better mood today, wasn't she?"

Usagi smiled at her mother. "Yeah, love does that to people."

"Oh, she found a boyfriend already?"

"She knew her from the future, actually," Usagi said.

Ikuko froze in place. "Her?"

Usagi winced. She didn't thought her mother would be against that kind of things. "Mom..."

"Don't worry, it's just I didn't think she..."

Usagi nodded. "It surprised me too, but I know I can trust that girl. "

"She's one of your friends, isn't she?"

"I'll tell you if you promise not to try and shoot her," Usagi joked.

"I was thinking about using an axe or a cleaver, actually," Ikuko joked back. "But you know, I'm still having a hard time with her being your daughter."

"A part of me is still trying to believe that," Usagi admitted, "but I know what I saw, I know what she's been through, and I'll have to try and be there for her when she needs me."

Ikuko smiled at that. She would have never believed it, but her daughter sounded like a responsible mother.

Well, she had to admit nothing really surprised her about her daughter anymore, not after knowing what she did when she wasn't home.

* * *

"Terry, wait up."

Terry looked at the girl walking to him and smiled. "Aiko?"

"I need to get out of that base more often," she noticed. "But I really don't know anyone in the city. At least, not anyone who's not aware of what I am."

"That's not so bad," Terry said, "all my friends know what I am."

Aiko smiled. "Guess that's true. Say, do you think this body I built looks good?" She noticed Terry's face going slightly red and frowned. "Dad?"

"That's not the kind of things you should ask your father."

"Ami..." Terry sighed. He was sure he was in trouble now.

Ami smiled. "See, Aiko, I know what Terry here thinks when he sees girls with your looks. And I know he's trying hard to remember who you are and not stare at you."

"That's..." Terry started.

"I can live with that," Ami mused, "but Aiko, if you want an opinion, I think you look good." Terry nodded slightly at that, but said nothing.

Aiko suddenly looked around and frowned. "Incoming."

Lion appeared in front of them, and looked down at Aiko. "Hmmm? And who may you be?"

"That's none of your business," Aiko snapped.

Lion was staring at her. "You're not human... You're a machine."

"Smart one, isn't he?" the computer girl mused.

Lion shrugged. "Leave."

"Sorry, your order doesn't compute."

"Then die," Lion snapped.

"Ice Wyrm!"

Lion turned back to see the large ice construct trying to gnaw through his shield. "Oh, so that's what you were planning."

"You get distracted easily," Aiko mused.

"I beat you once, I can do it again," Mercury snapped.

"I'm not going to fall for the same trick..." He felt something hit his shield, and saw Aiko was trying to slash through it with a strange black blade. "Enough of you, annoying thing!"

Aiko felt something hit her, then realized she couldn't move. "What..."

"Computer or not, you can be destroyed," Lion said. "I know plenty about robotics, and that if I cut the right wires..." He groaned and shook his head. "Wait, this is..."

"You're quite amusing," Aiko said. "I'm not only the program, and this body isn't like your robots. You can't destroy me."

Lion smirked. He knew what she was playing, and turned around just in time to see the two Mercuries rushing in. "Not this time," he snapped and sent two telekinetic attacks at them.

"Damn it..." Dragon Mercury growled as they both were caught by the attacks. He could feel the invisible force clutching his neck, and smirked. "What's with villains and necks, anyway?"

Lion saw Mercury preparing to attack, and frowned. "Oh no, you won't. "

"Mercury Tsuna--" Mercury stopped as she felt something hit her. She tried to finish her attack, but she could only cough blood as she tried to speak.

"Ami!"

Lion turned to gloat at the Dragon, but saw he was shining. "Oh fuck, not this again..."

Dragon Mercury summoned his swords, but as he did, the two also shone. He was swallowed by their light for a few seconds, then as it faded, he could see both swords had fused. The new weapon was longer, with a wider blade, and the hilt had two dragons sculpted in it, their heads curving out and serving as the sword's guard. "Frostbite, huh? Not a bad name." He grabbed the sword and smiled coldly at Lion. "Mercury Cosmic Power!"

His enemy knew better than staying there and waiting. He let go of the Dragon, taking his distance and charging up for an energy blast. "You're not going to hit me."

Dragon Mercury rushed in. Right now, he wasn't planning, just acting. He would make that bastard pay for hurting Ami, even if he had to get hurt himself to do it. "Die!"

Lion smirked. "You first." He shot an energy blast, but someone else got the hit. "What?"

Aiko looked at the large dent in her chest and grunted. "That hurt... "

Aiko's meddling was just what the Dragon needed. He slammed his sword into Lion's shield, then glared at him. "Hail Blade!"

A rain of small ice shards shot from the blade, which was still touching Lion's shield, so the shards actually appeared inside it. The attack left Lion quite beaten up, but pain was far from over.

"Aiko, call Saturn," Dragon Mercury said.

"What are you going to..."

"I may not make it out of this one," the Dragon said.

Aiko looked back at Mercury. Her vital signs were weak, she knew she wouldn't live for much longer. "Okay, just... Get that bastard."

Dragon Mercury smiled as he saw his foe standing up. "Having fun, asshole?"

Lion glared at him. "I'm going to kill you for this."

"You're not. Saturn Cosmic Power!"

"What? Two Senshi powers?" Lion was truly shocked. The Dragon hadn't used his second power in the future, and from the readings he was getting, they were lucky he hadn't. "No way..."

Dragon Saturn tackled Lion, punching his shield with all his might. He had been gathering energy before the punch was shot, and he released it just as he hit. "Requiem Mist!"

Lion's shield was more of a liability against the new attack, as it filled his surroundings with a thick, cold gas. Lion tried to see through the mist, but all he could see were some ghastly figures circling him. "What is..."

Dragon Saturn smiled humorlessly, listening to Lion's screams of pain. "That one's for Ami," he said, then collapsed.

* * *

Venus dodged as her enemy tried to kick her. She tried to counter with her own kick, but the man was able to block her blow. The two leapt away from each other, then rushed back in.

That happened in a split second, actually, and the only other person in the area was barely able to see the two. "I had to fall in love with a Saiya-jin," Dragon Venus muttered. Jaguar had been smart to use his abilities, that way, it was just him and Venus fighting, as the Dragon couldn't risk hurting his girl with one of his attacks.

The two fighters suddenly stopped, and Venus smiled as she recovered her breath. "You know, you're slower than they said."

Jaguar smiled back. "Am I? I am not even using my full speed yet."

"You're gloating," Venus snapped. And both vanished again.

"Yay, I love this kind of battles, really," Dragon Venus complained, mostly to himself.

* * *

"Are they going to be okay?"

Saturn sighed. "Ami is okay, she'll wake up anytime now, but Terry... "

"What's wrong with him?"

Aiko looked at Mercury. "Mom..."

"His body is okay, but he's still out cold, and I don't sense any signs of recovery."

Mercury scanned him. "It looks like... His mind waves are all unstable."

"He's been warned several times about using both his powers like that," Saturn said, "he was lucky until now, but I think he may have tempted fate too much."

Mercury paled. "He wouldn't just give up like that."

"I know," Saturn said, "I can't understand just what's wrong here. "

"We should call Hana," Aiko said.

Mercury nodded. "Yes, if there's something wrong in his mind, she may be able to fix it."

* * *

Venus tried once more to hit Jaguar, but the man dodged her punch. She backflipped to dodge his countering kick, then smiled. "So, what was that about you being faster?"

Jaguar chuckled. "Don't ask if you don't want to find out."

Venus rushed at him once more, this time going for a punch. Jaguar moved to block her, but that was just what she wanted, as she shifted in mid-attack, delivering a strong kick to his midsection.

Jaguar was sent skipping back, and glared at Venus. "Okay, Senshi slut, you asked for it."

Venus blinked in shock. Jaguar had vanished, she couldn't see him anymore. She was hit by her foe, however, and she understood what was happening. Jaguar hadn't been gloating, he was actually faster than her. She could only think of one way to beat him. "Morning Star Smash!"

"Missed me," Jaguar said from behind her, then everything went black for her.

* * *

"Minako!"

Artemis heard the shout and dashed in that direction. _'That was Brad's voice... If anything happened to Minako, I...'_

"Venus Cosmic Power!"

As he got to the fight, however, he realized Brad was going to get the guy who did it. He went to check on Venus while Brad transformed, noticing the guy now had some kind of strange book in his hands. "Mina, wake up."

"But mom, I don't want to go to school today..." Venus whimpered, still unconscious.

Artemis sighed. "Same old Minako, huh?" He smiled deviously and leapt up, landing right on her stomach.

"Ack!" Venus sat up fast, sending Artemis sailing back a few meters. "Artemis, what the heck's wrong with you?"

"Shut up and remember what you were doing before your beauty sleep," Artemis snapped back.

"I, uh..." She looked back and saw Jaguar wasn't running, he was actually waiting for Dragon Venus to power up. "Brad is..."

"Yeah. I guess the more these hunters attack us, the better for us. "

Dragon Venus was done by now. The suit wasn't much different than the one he had before, except for the symbol of Venus drawn in his boots and gloves. Venus idly noticed the book he was holding, but she wasn't about to ask him. She was almost sure she would find out what that book was for.

Jaguar, on the other hand, didn't want to find out. He rushed in, using his super speed, and quite sure that boy wouldn't be able to hit him if he moved that fast.

Dragon Venus smiled. "You fell for it. Light Field!"

Artemis jumped in surprise as Dragon Venus was surrounded by a light dome. Jaguar's screams could be heard inside it, and as the dome vanished, he could be seen kneeling near his target. "He got him."

Jaguar grunted. "That was... Impressive."

Dragon Venus fell to one knee. "And tiring."

"Good," Jaguar said and vanished again, hitting the Dragon several times in a row. "As for you, little bitch..." He said as he turned to the other Venus. "Uh oh..."

Venus was also shining, a strange sword in her right hand. "Stop calling me a bitch, you pussycat," she snapped. "Venus Cosmic Power!"

Her transformation was faster than Jaguar thought, and he couldn't see her anywhere. "What the..."

"Wink Chain Sword!"

Jaguar was hit by something, but he couldn't see it. It was impossible, the girl was faster than even him? "Show yourself, bitch!"

"Wink Chain... Barrage!"

The man could feel the slashes all around his body, and he fell to his knees after the onslaught ended. "This... Can't..."

Venus was holding what looked like a metallic whip, but this whip had small shards of metal through it. "I told you not to call me a bitch."

Jaguar smiled at her. "You won this one, Venus."

Venus turned around as Jaguar left, and started walking to the others. She could only give a couple steps before she fell to her knees. "Damn... I'm faster, but my power also runs out faster now... "

Brad looked at Venus and her new weapon. "Damn, girl... A chain sword... Wanna trade?"

"Eww, a book? I hate books."

"I know, but you saw what I can do with this thing."

"You could also use it as a projectile," Venus joked.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

**A/N:** I've already showed what Moon, Mars, and Venus' special powers are. Did I forget about Jupiter and Mercury? Nope, they also have special powers, and they will be revealed at the right time.


	131. Psyched Out

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 131: Psyched Out.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 24, 2008_

* * *

She had always been against reading others' minds, but in this case, she had decided to make an exception. However, Terry's conscious mind was 'empty' (she could only 'hear' some incoherent sounds,) so she had decided to delve further into his mind. Something she knew had its risks.

_'If I make a mistake, he may never wake up.'_

_'He may never wake up as things are already,'_

_'But Ami...'_

_'I trust you, Hana. Terry is someone important for me, and I'd hope he was for you, too.'_

Hana shove that memory away. True, he was still important to her, not in the same way he had been years ago, before she had her break from life, but she didn't want to lose one of her friends like this.

So, she pushed forwards, looking around the strange void, for a way to take Terry out of his state.

* * *

Outside, everyone was silently waiting. They couldn't see what Hana was seeing, they just observed as Hana knelt besides Terry, her eyes glazed.

Ami was sadly looking at Terry's form. Why did he have to risk his life like that? He knew the risks, so why...

"He loves you, Ami," Usagi said, as if she could read Ami's thoughts. "He would willingly die for you, and that's something I can respect. It still hurts to see him like that, but..."

Ami smiled. "Yes, he risked his life to save mine. But I hate to be so helpless, I' m just sitting here waiting, while..."

"Sometimes, we need to trust others to do the things we can't," Usagi said. "Remember our battle with that ice queen... It wasn't me who killed her, but you."

Ami turned back to look at Terry, her thoughts focusing more in Hana right now. She wondered what she was seeing, what she would have to do to bring him back?

* * *

"This looks like it," Hana said. Here, inside this strange void, the only thing she had found was the black sphere she was looking at right now. "He has to be there." She walked to the sphere and touched it. She then reeled back, rubbing her arm. "What is this... "

Sure, it wasn't her physical body she was using to look into Terry's mind, but a mental projection. Still, she could feel pain, and the black sphere had zapped her with some kind of energy which had left her right arm numb. "Terry, I know you're there."

Silence. She tried again. "Come out of that thing or I'll kick my way in!"

"Go away!"

Terry's voice seemed to come from everywhere around her, not just the sphere. "Terry, but... You need to get out of there. There's something wrong with..."

"Go away!" The voice repeated. Hana gasped as her surroundings turned a blinding white.

* * *

Ami saw Hana blinking, and smiled. "Hana, did you..."

The other girl shook her head. "He... Kicked me out of his mind."

"You can go back in, right?" Ami asked worriedly.

Hana concentrated for a few seconds. "Yes, I just can't approach him. "

"Him?" Usagi asked. "What does that mean?"

"He's in there, his... Conscious mind, is hiding inside some sort of bubble. I tried to get him out of there, but he simply knocked me away."

"You're a psychic," ChibiUsa said. "I doubt he would be able to... "

"You don't know that much about psi skills, then," Hana noted. "It's the other reason why I don't want to invade minds like this. If the person being 'attacked' has a strong will, I could end up being hurt, or killed. Not physically, of course, but the effect's the same."

"Can you get me in there?" Ami asked.

"I... Maybe," Hana said, "but didn't you hear what I just said.

"I did, but he risked his life to save mine. I think I can return that favor."

"Ami, be careful," Usagi said.

"I will. But guys, you don't need to stay here. This may take hours for all we know."

"I'm not leaving until I see Terry wake up," Usagi said. The others nodded at that.

"Suits you," Ami said, "so, how do we go about this?"

"Try to empty your mind of thoughts. I know it must be hard to do right now, but..."

"Maybe you can ask Usagi or Minako to teach you," Rei mused.

"Not funny," Usagi said.

"I know, sorry. Old habits."

Ami smiled. "Let's see if Terry wants to talk with me, then."

* * *

Lion woke up in the ship's medical lab. He tried to sit up but his body wasn't responding. "Damn it..."

"How do you feel?"

He smiled as he heard the familiar voice. "I feel like shit."

"You looked like it when you got here," Hyena said walking up to him.

"I don't really remember teleporting here. The last thing I can remember is pain. Lots of it."

"By your suit's recording, that Dragon Mercury kid used a second planet's power."

"Saturn," Lion said. "It somehow added up, I think he might be stronger than Moon using that."

"He was knocked out by his feat," Hyena noted. "But it's still something to be wary of."

* * *

Ami stared at the sphere in a mixture of shock and amazement. She couldn't use her powers in here, but she could still guess the sphere was meant to keep any intruders out. "Now what?"

"Terry," Hana said, "I'm back, and I brought Ami with me this time. "

"Leave!"

"Terry, please... I want to know why you're like this," Ami said.

There was silence for what seemed like minutes, then a hole opened in the sphere. "Terry?"

Hana shrugged. "Guess he wants us to get in."

* * *

"Wonder what's going on in there," Minako said.

"Their... Souls, they are connected," Hotaru said.

ChibiUsa nodded. "They are 'talking' to him now."

"Can't you go in and see?" Usagi asked.

"He kicked Hana out. If I go in, I'll at least be kicked out as well, and I may mess with whatever Ami's doing."

"Good point," Usagi admitted. "I guess all we can do is wait."

* * *

Ami stared at the corridor they were now walking through in awe. "What is this place?"

"This... Is a replica of his father's mansion in New York," Hana said. A lot of memories were trying to surface as she looked at the scenery, some of them were good, but some, she'd rather leave buried. A door opened a few meters ahead, and she smiled. "Guess that's where Terry 'is' right now.

Ami nodded and followed Hana. As they both walked through the door, the scenery changed. They were apparently back to the base, but the only person in there was Terry. "Terry..."

"Don't talk," Terry said, "you want to know why I'm like this, right?" Ami nodded, but Hana just stared at him. "I'm tired of it. Tired of watching my friends get hurt. Tired of being a failure."

"A failure, but..." Ami started.

"Are you telling me I'm not? I let Hana die not once, but twice. Usagi died twice, right in front of me, and she's my best friend here. And you, well... When it really counts, all I can do is stand there and watch you get hurt."

Ami was about to speak, but Hana beat her to it. "You're not the real Terry, are you?"

"Huh?" Terry looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Come on. The Terry I knew, the Terry I loved, he would have never hid in a corner to whimper like this. He would have never run from his friends. You're a coward."

"I'm not, I just don't want to go... Out there, to fail again."

Ami glared at him. "Stop blaming yourself."

"I..."

"Hana's right, you're being a coward."

"Ami, you don't understand."

"I don't? I watched you die, remember? Galaxia killed you, but I didn't give up because of that. I thought you were brave, but this... " she looked around. "I don't know about you, but I would feel a lot worse if I just sat around while my friends suffer. I feel like slapping you, right now."

Terry sighed. "Ami..."

"I'm going to be selfish for once, Terry. Don't mind what the others may think about you, but... You're hurting me more by being like this than any enemy could hurt me with their weapons or attacks."

Terry's face turned somber, and he looked away. "I understand. I think you may be right, I can be a coward sometimes."

"Being afraid isn't bad," Hana said, "as long as you don't let that fear control you."

Terry looked around. "Like I did right now. Listen, I'm sorry about this, I..."

"Don't say anything, just... Come back to us," Ami said.

Terry nodded. "I will, but I need a few minutes more, to think about all this."

Hana nodded and looked at Ami. "Let's go."

"But I..."

"He will keep his word," Hana said.

Ami blinked, she noticed they weren't in the room anymore. Looking back, she saw the sphere, only now it was white. "I see... Okay then, how do we get out of here?"

"Easy, we just wake up," Hana said and vanished. Ami was about to say something, but then everything went white.

* * *

Ami blinked and looked around. Her friends were still there, all looking at her hopefully. "Wow, that was strange."

"What happened? Is he okay?" Usagi asked.

Ami smiled. "Yes, there was something... Wrong with his mind, but we fixed it."

"So why is he still out cold?"

"He may take a bit more to wake up, but..."

Hotaru nodded at Hana's words. "Whatever was troubling him, it's gone. Or at least dimmed enough for him to be calm."

Terry opened his eyes and groaned. "Keep it down, guys, you could wake up the dead."

"I probably could," Hotaru mused.

Ami hugged Terry and kissed him. As she broke the kiss, she remembered everyone else was there, and blushed a dark shade of red.

"And what was that for?" Terry asked.

"For listening to me," Ami said.

"Just what happened in there?" Rei asked, as confused as most of the group.

"Oh, they didn't tell you," Terry realized.

"I guess we both thought the same way. If you want to tell them, though, go ahead."

Terry told the others all that had happened since he fell unconscious. The others listened, and as he finished the story, they were all silent for a while. "Well, what do you guys think?"

Usagi smiled. "I don't blame you. I've felt like running away many times. Heck, I was out of it for a while when we fought Galaxia... "

Rei nodded. "It's hard to be there and see the others get hurt, but it was thanks to these powers we had that we all met."

Terry grinned. "That's true. It can be hard sometimes, but I get to be surrounded by all these pretty girls, too..."

Ami frowned. "Terry..."

"Sorry, Ami, can't help it."

"It's a wonder Ami hasn't deep-frozen him yet."

"She did once, but she wasn't herself," Terry noted.

Ami chuckled. "True. And don't worry, I don't mind where your eyes go, because your heart belongs to me."

"So the body, the money and the brains are just a bonus, huh?" Rei mused.

Terry sighed and turned to Hana. "I think I need to thank you, too. "

Hana smiled. "I just brought Ami into your mind."

"I know," Terry said. "Okay guys, I'm up for some sparring now. Who's up for a battle?"

Ami grinned. "Me. I want to kick you around for a while."

"Aw, but what did I do now?"

"Nothing, I just want to be a better fighter. Someone needs to protect you, you know."

Terry smiled and produced his sword. "You're on, then."

"Holy shit," Brad said. "What is that thing?"

Hotaru looked at the sword. "It's the Saturn sword."

"No, it's the Mercury sword," Ami said. "Terry?"

Terry laughed. "Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you about this. This little beauty here's the Frostbite, and is actually a fusion of both Dragon Swords."

"That's the weirdest thus far," Brad noted. "Even weirder than Minako's chainsword."

"She's got a chainsword? Wow..."

"What is it with boys and swords?" Usagi pondered.

"A chainsword, huh?" Mamoru mused.

"Not you too!"

"Usagi, I'll explain it to you later," Mamoru said.

"Be careful, though, Chibi here isn't supposed to be born for a thousand years," Hotaru joked.

Usagi blushed beet red. "Eeehh... Shut up."

* * *

**A/N:** _SailorStar9_: It's easy to guess for Jupiter, but not so much for Mercury. I've left clues on what her special power is, but just like with Yukiko's other side, it's a matter of seeing the subtle hints. Yukiko's secret can be guessed by some lines others said to her.

Oh, and no, I didn't forget about Yukiko. She's going to be the focus of the next arc.


	132. Rock And A Hard Place

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 132: Rock And A Hard Place.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: April 28, 2008_

* * *

Ikuko saw Usagi rushing down the stairs and smiled. "Why the hurry? It's sunday."

"I know, but I promised Yuki I would go shopping with her... One hour ago."

"Have fun out there."

"Bye mom."

Luna walked out of the kitchen as Usagi left. "I still don't trust that Yukiko girl."

"Looks like a good girl to me," Ikuko noted.

"Yes, she probably is. But there's something else in her. And I can't shake this feeling that Yukiko knows what it is."

* * *

Yuki stood right outside the mall, waiting. Usagi wasn't usually late, but she knew the blond's old habit of oversleeping was still there.

She looked to the side, as her eyes caught a hint of pink. Just as she thought, Usagi's 'cousin' was there, along with Hotaru. "Hey girls."

ChibiUsa looked at Yukiko and winced inwards. If the others knew... But she already knew they had been surprised by Yukiko's other side, so she couldn't tell them. "Hi, Hokuge."

"Call me Yuki, everyone else does."

ChibiUsa nodded. "Are you waiting for someone here?"

"Yes, your... Cousin should be here already. Do you know if she woke up yet?"

"I dunno, she was still snoring when I left."

"I don't snore."

Hotaru smiled. "Hi, Usagi."

Usagi noticed ChibiUsa and Hotaru were holding hands. "That looks, uhm... Strange."

"Don't you and Mamoru hold hands too?" Hotaru asked.

Usagi giggled. "We do... It's just that I've never seen the others do it."

ChibiUsa noticed a few bystanders were looking at them. "I'm too used to people not caring about it to care about it."

Yukiko shrugged. "I think you two look cute."

"Thanks," ChibiUsa said. She gave her a deep stare, wondering if Yukiko knew what she had inside.

Yukiko again felt as if she was being dissected. "Uhm... Why are you looking at me like that."

ChibiUsa winced. "Sorry. I'll just say I know things about everyone's futures that I can't share with any of you."

"But... If something's wrong with me, I deserve to know."

"Sorry," ChibiUsa said and turned to leave. Yukiko dashed past them and glared at her. "Please, don't insist."

"Tell me," Yukiko said coldly.

"Always straight and to the point. I've always liked that about you, Yuki," ChibiUsa said, then walked away, dragging Hotaru along.

"Why..."

"Yuki, she must have her reasons."

"I don't care. I need to know, I..."

"If what Hana and Ami guessed was right, then it's all a matter of healing you back to normal. You won't be the first friend I see possessed by an evil creature."

"I guess..."

"Come on, let's buy some clothes. That'll keep your mind away from what she said."

Yukiko nodded and trailed after Usagi. Her mind, however, was busy thinking about what the younger girl had said. Ami had _guessed_ that there was something wrong with her, but the way the pink-haired girl acted confirmed her guess.

It was like being a walking time bomb, really. But whatever it was that was inside her, she wouldn't just be taken over without a fight.

* * *

"So there is something inside her."

ChibiUsa sighed. "Hotaru, I can't tell you what it is."

"I know. I wasn't asking you that. Thanks to what you said, now I know our guesses were right."

"You're one of the few in our group that's like me, though, at least when it comes to Yukiko's other self. You never fought against it."

"I did fight a youma or two."

"Not this one."

"Well, that only leaves around fifty other youma for me to guess, huh?"

"Told you I couldn't tell you. Or even clue you in. I still can't shake this feeling that I shouldn't be here at all."

Hotaru gave her a sad look. "Don't _ever_ say that. You are supposed to be here," Hotaru said, "or at least, that's what I hope."

"But how..." ChibiUsa stopped dead in her track. "Neo Moon..."

"What?"

"There was this supposedly lesser Senshi group calling themselves the Neo Senshi, fighting against the Dark Moon during the war. And they had a Neo Moon too, though I never saw any pictures of her. She was as much of a legend as Sailor Pluto was."

Hotaru smiled. "Now I know how I was able to wait for you for a thousand years. I didn't wait at all, you were always there."

"That answers a lot of questions, but it also creates more questions."

"We'll surely find out in due time."

* * *

Not far from there, Karin and Mamoru were talking as they ate their lunch. Actually, Karin was talking, but Mamoru had been silent all morning, which worried her.

"Are you listening to me?"

Mamoru looked at his sister and smiled sheepisly. "Not really, sorry."

"What's wrong?"

"What happened with Terry got me thinking... I'm not a lot of help for Usagi."

"You know you couldn't be there to help her all the time, even if you tried. She's not with you because of your fighting skills, as much as Ami isn't with Terry for that."

"Guess she's stronger than any of us right now."

Karin nodded. "But she knows that she will have our help when it counts."

"Even if it's just to get kicked around by an evil Senshi queen."

Karin chuckled. "We should get paid for that, huh?"

"Well, I get some rewards for my job, so I don't mind," Mamoru said with a grin.

"On the other hand, we can do as much property damage as we want, and don't have to pay for it."

"I thought we were fighting for the world's sake and all that..."

"Being able to blow things up is a nice boon for me," Karin joked.

* * *

Vulture looked at the monitor and smirked. With all the others recovering, it was up to him to do the hunting today. But seriously, he couldn't understand how these Senshi were harder to deal with than their future selves. Maybe coming to the past wasn't such a good idea after all.

The Earth had one thing other planets didn't. A Senshi capable of time travelling. Vulture had scanned the dead Senshi, and noticed that. He then modified the ship's engines to make them capable of time travelling, mimicking Pluto's power.

Maybe those Senshi had grown weak with the centuries of fighting nothing but weak enemies. Yes, that should be the cause. As long as they took out those who hadn't powered up yet, then they would have no reason to fear.

* * *

Mamoru had decided to go to the base, maybe he could train for a while and take his mind off his problems. Karin was right, and he knew it, but he was feeling a bit useless lately. It was something that came from how things started for them. He had been the protector back then, for a while, helping the Senshi at the very last second.

As he left his building, however, he was knocked down by an explosion. While standing up, he noticed Earth had jumped off a certain window, and that smoke was coming from there. "Karin?"

Earth landed besides him. "It's that Platypus guy again."

"It's Vulture!" Vulture snapped as he leisurely floated down to them. "I'm here for the girl, so you may leave."

Mamoru glanced around, and saw a crowd was slowly gathering. "Okay, I'll be going now."

Earth looked at him surprised, then realized what his plan was. "Oh well, not like I need him."

"Are you sure?" Vulture asked. "Mudroid, come forth!"

Earth sighed as she saw a robot appear, covered in mud. "That's lame."

The android took the comment badly, apparently, as it shot a wave of mud at Earth, knocking her down the block. Vulture laughed at that, but was hit by a large, stony fist. "What the..."

Dragon Earth smirked. "Your muddy tactics won't work with me, Robin."

"It's Batman!" Vulture snapped, then groaned. "Uhm, nevermind."

"Stone Jab!"

Vulture shot a barrage of metal feathers off his wings, and they tore the stone construct to pieces. "That's not going to work twice."

"Nature's Fury!"

Vulture fled out of reach and laughed. "Pathetic kids. What can you do against my power?"

"This!"

Vulture didn't know what hit him, but in a blink, he was flying up and away.

The others turned to see who had attacked, and were surprised to find out it was Jupiter. She was still wielding her weapon, and was as surprised as them about it.

"How did you do that?"

Jupiter looked at Earth, then at the large truck she was holding effortlessly. "I don't know, I just grabbed the closest thing I could use as a weapon."

"She's strong, no kidding," Dragon Earth commented.

There was a whistling sound, Followed by something speeding straight for Jupiter. The lightning Senshi tried to jump out of the way, but was still caught in the blast, and was out cold as she hit the ground, meters away.

"Mako!"

Vulture turned to Earth and grinned. It was good to always have an ace under one's sleeve, and that was one of his special moves. He charged his suit up with energy, and shot at high speed to his enemies. It was a risky move to use against prepared foes, but Jupiter wasn't expecting him to be back so soon.

"You freaking parrot..."

"It's Vulture!"

"Whatever. Earth Cosmic Power!"

"Rock Rose Hold!"

"Hey!" Vulture snapped as he was trapped in a rocky flower.

"Just in case you were thinking about running away," Dragon Earth said.

Earth was done with her transformation, and Mamoru could see a crystal in the center of her bow now. A very familiar crystal. "That's Terra's Sigil!"

Earth looked down at the brooch. True, she didn't remember that crystal until now, which was strange, but she also knew what the item was. A somewhat failed attempt by terran magi to replicate the powers of the Ginzuishou. While it had only a fraction of the real crystal's power, it had still more than enough power to be a fearsome artifact. "Let's see what this can do. Jungle Wrath!"

Dragon Earth couldn't help but stare in amazement as Earth punched the ground. Countless vines shot out from where she hit, all wrapping around Vulture and crushing his very bones. The Mudroid tried to free his boss, but some of the vines stabbed through it, destroying it.

Earth fell to her knees and smiled. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

Vulture growled at her. "You bitch, I'm going to..."

Just then, Rex appeared in front of him. "Vulture, return to the ship."

"Hey, I've still got some fight left in me, boss," Vulture said, trying to stand up.

Earth sighed. "What are you planning, going to fight us yourself, Rex?"

"That wouldn't be fair play," Rex said, "you're already weakened."

"How noble," a voice said from right behind Rex. A second later, Rex was hit by something heavy, and staggered forwards. "Wow, the guy's a blockhead."

Rex turned around and saw Jupiter holding a tree. "Oh, so you think you're strong. Let me show you what strength is about." He charged and hit her straight in the face, sending her crashing through a wall. "I never said I couldn't hunt a different target if provoked."

"Enough!" Dragon Earth snapped. "Earth Cosmic Power!"

Rex turned around and sighed in exhasperation. "Awesome, another one."

As Dragon Earth stepped out of his transformation, he was holding a crystalline sword instead of his usual metal one. "Gaia's Edge," he said, and Earth nodded.

"Hmph, this kid wants to kill us with a cheap glass knife," Vulture mused.

Earth smiled as her crystal lit up. "Here's some help."

Rex looked on as Earth's crystal shot a beam of energy into the Dragon's new sword. "No matter how much power you gather, you're still just another Cosmic level Senshi. I can handle it."

Dragon Earth rose his sword, which had become stone-like. "We won't know until we try, now will we?"

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

Vulture saw the massive construct heading for Dragon Earth's sword and paled. "Okay boss, have fun."

Rex growled, seeing that Vulture had vanished. "Oh well, more glory for me."

Dragon Earth smiled wickedly at him as he brought his sword down. "More pain, you mean. Ground Splitter!" The villain watched as a large wave of electric energy shot from the sword's impact point, carrying an equally large number of rocks and dirt in his general direction. "Oh heck, I'm not in the mood," he said before vanishing.

Dragon Earth fell on his knees and looked at the girls. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live," Jupiter said, leaning against a tree.

"Same here," Earth said, then looked at the other two in turn. "You guys..."

"What?"

"Well, you Mako, how did you manage to use a freaking truck as a metal bat?"

"I think since Moon can detect villains in a short range, Mars has that fire shield, and Venus has super speed, I got the super strength."

"And I got the best elemental sword ever created in our system," Dragon Earth said.

"What's the deal with it?" Jupiter asked. "Is it really absorbing our elements?"

"Yes, that's what it does, it can absorb and combine any given elemental attack, but not more than five elements at a time."

"So it's not as strong as a Planet Attack," Earth guessed, "but still pretty powerful."

"Same could be said about that crystal," Dragon Earth said. He stood up and looked around, then up at their appartment. "Uhm, did that bird break anything in there?"

"Just the TV."

"Damn, not the TV. I hadn't finished paying for it yet."

"Think 'alien attack' is covered by the insurance?" Earth joked.

* * *

**A/N:** If you still don't know who Yuki's 'other side' is, don't worry, you only have around twelve more episodes before the truth is revealed. I still think it could be figured out as is, but then again, you'd have to know what all the clues are.

And yep, Mamoru got a better sword than Terry now. But you know what they say, it's the warrior, not the weapon.

_SailorStar9:_ Sorry, no lemons here. I could offer you an apple, an orange, or even a watermelon instead. And yeah, one could already guess something _is_ happening with several of the couples, but I give them all the Truman Show treatment. Seriously, though, if there's ever any lemon for this saga (a big if,) it will definitely be a separate one-shot piece. I want this saga to stay out of R-rated territory. (And I still find it funny how sex is R-rated but writing about someone being torn to pieces by a sword isn't. Silly censorship.)


	133. Lucky Strike

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 133: Lucky Strike.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 2, 2008_

* * *

Terry looked at Mamoru's new sword and grinned. "Hey, can we switch swords?"

"Don't start," Usagi muttered.

Ami was typing in her computer. "No data on the other talismans."

"There's only two left," Kage said, "I wouldn't worry about them, they'll show up eventually."

"Wonder what it will be for me," Chie asked.

"Maybe a coin," Karin joked.

Mercury had transformed while the others talked, and was concentrating. "Let's try something. Tsunami Wave!"

Instead of a wide wave of cold water, Mercury's attack came out as a thin jet, hitting the sword dead on. Mamoru smiled as the sword was turned a bluish color. "I can use energy from any of you," he said.

"And without the drawback of the Planet Attack," Mercury said as she analyzed the sword. "It won't be as strong as that attack, but can be very useful in certain situations."

"Now I really wonder what I'll get," Kage said.

"I could tell you, but why ruin the surprise?" ChibiUsa mused.

"Because I could kick your rear if you don't?" Kage countered.

"Is that a challenge?" ChibiUsa asked with a grin.

"You bet."

"Guys..." Usagi warned.

"Don't worry, Usagi," Kage said, "I'm only doing this because I need to see how strong she really is. I haven't seen her fight for real since she arrived."

"I don't see the use for that," Hotaru asked.

Terry snorted. "I understand what he really wants."

"Hakko taught you the same way, didn't he?"

Terry nodded, "and I've already tested them."

"Still don't follow," Hotaru said.

"I do," ChibiUsa said. "He doesn't want to see me as leader material unless I show him I'm better than him."

"Bingo," Kage said. "So, shall we begin?"

ChibiUsa smiled. "Moon Cosmic Power!"

"Sun Star Power!"

"She's one level above," Chie noted, "it won't be a fair fight."

ChibiMoon nodded. "And I've got a tactical advantage. I know all his attacks, even those he can't use yet. He doesn't know my lattest one. "

Mercury blinked. "You have a new attack?"

"Not really an attack, but..." ChibiMoon smiled. "Maybe I'll get to show it off in a minute."

Dragon Sun took the initiative, going for a downwards slash. ChibiMoon blocked it with her own sword, then tripped him, causing him to fall down to the ground. She slashed down at him, but he blocked the attack, rolling sideways to avoid her follow-up kick.

"Not bad," ChibiMoon admitted. "But you won't beat me without using your powers."

Dragon Sun smirked at that. Much like Lilith, he had gained no new attack with his Star level, but it could still give the girl trouble. "As you wish, Princess. Sun Gravity Hold!"

ChibiMoon was hit by the gravity wave and kneeled down on the ground. "Better, but is that all you've got?"

The Dragon snorted at that and rushed right at ChibiMoon. He knew what her game was, of course, it had happened to him once when he had faced Moon in a training battle. So, instead of running up to her, he suddenly leapt aside, aiming his free hand straight at ChibiMoon. "Solar Bolt!"

ChibiMoon smirked as she summoned her crystal. The gravity field around her vanished, and she slapped her rival's attack away. "Hope you're ready, because it's my turn now."

Dragon Sun waited as ChibiMoon rushed in. What was she going to use, an energy blast, or that silly heart of hers? The answer came fast, but not in the way he was expecting.

The pink Senshi rose her sword, going for an upwards slash, and as Dragon Sun blocked her, she chuckled and reached her free hand forwards, touching his chest. "Gotcha. Heartbeat Wall!"

The others stared in shock as a large, transluscent pink heart appeared around Dragon Sun, rendering him immobile. "What the heck is that?"

"It's a forcefield," Mercury explained, "but it's got as much energy as Moon's strongest attack in Cosmic form."

"So to put it short," Dragon Sun said calmly, "I have no way in hell to get out of this one."

"That pretty much sums it up, yes," Mercury admitted.

Dragon Sun smiled. "Then I yield. Princess, you're stronger than I thought. Way stronger."

ChibiMoon smiled at the compliment. "But I guess you now know the main drawback of that technique."

"It only works if you touch your opponent, right?" The Dragon guessed.

"Yeah, so it's not too likely I could use it in a real battle," ChibiMoon admitted as the heart vanished.

Hotaru phased right besides ChibiMoon and put her arms around her waist. "Seriously, girl, what is it with you and hearts?"

"Her attacks could be shaped as freaking Care Bears if she wanted," Terry joked, "but what matter is, she's at almost the same attack power Moon was before reaching Guardian level."

"Which means..." Mako pressed.

"Which means she's the second-strongest Senshi right now," Mercury explained, "not counting Terry when he decides to act stupid."

"I'm never going to hear the end of that, will I?" Terry groaned.

"Knowing you, you'll keep on using your dual power, even though we all saw what happened last time," Mercury noted.

"That was... Because I was scared," Terry said, "but I know the risks, and I won't use that power recklessly."

Kage had meanwhile changed back to his civilian form, and snickered. "You guys keep on complaining, but I'm the weakest Senshi right now. "

Chie sighed. "No, I am the weakest. I don't even have a strong attack."

"Cheer up, you two," Karin said. "As things are, you're surely going to get your upgrade soon."

* * *

"How is Vulture?"

Hyena sighed. "He's recovering. And royally pissed off."

"He got quite a beating," Rex admitted. "These Senshi are much stronger than we first thought."

"Then I'll kill the two that aren't up to their Cosmic level yet," Hyena said.

"Can you do it on your own?" Lion asked.

Hyena gave him a quick hug and smiled. "Don't worry, big boy, I can take care of myself." She turned to Rex and her expression went serious again. "I'll take two Roid to the battle."

Rex nodded. "That would be wise, in case other Senshi try to stop you."

Hyena nodded back and vanished. Lion sighed. "I hope she'll be okay. "

"She's strong," Rex said, "technically stronger than even me, though she doesn't like to use her other power freely."

Lion snorted. "Still shaking after the time she did use it on you, huh?"

Rex groaned. "It's a good thing she's on our side."

* * *

Chie had left the base seveal minutes earlier, but she knew she had been tailed by someone. Risking a glance back, she noticed who it was, and stopped. "Why are you following me?"

Kage stopped meters away from her. "You looked upset. Is it because you think you're weak?"

Chie snorted. "Hah, not at all." He stared at her for a minute until she finally gave up. "Oh, okay, I do feel a bit worried. But it's not just that."

"There's something else in your mind?"

Chie looked away. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Right. Listen, I can at least tell you you're not weak at all. Luck is as important a factor in battle as skills are. Don't underestimate it."

Chie smiled. "Yeah, I know, but still... I wish I could go around throwing elemental beams and all that."

"Energy attacks are overrated," Kage joked.

"Why... Why were you following me, anyhow? Just because you were worried about me?"

Kage nodded. "I may not talk much when I'm around, but I listen, and I care about my friends."

Chie was about to answer, when she noticed someone else was there. "That must be Hyena."

Kage turned and looked at the evil woman. "Hmmm... You've got quite a killer body, catgirl."

Hyena stared at him. "... 'Catgirl'?"

"Would you rather have me call you bitchgirl?" Kage joked.

Hyena growled. "Just transform already."

"Lilith Star Power!"

"Sun Star Power!"

"Good," Hyena said as the two transformations ended, then summoned two Roids. "See, kids, I don't want to waste my voice fighting weaklings, so I'll have these Roids kill you instead."

The one that charged Lilith looked like a man-sized metal ball, while the other one looked normal enough, not counting the canons it had instead of arms.

Lilith leapt away from the creature, summoning her airboard and sighing. "Guess they weren't counting on this." The robot, however, rolled against a building, and up its wall, falling straight at Lilith. "Eep!" Lilith leapt off her board, and the robot bounced off it, again aiming for her. Lilith fell on her knees and backflipped, barely missing the hit.

"Surrender, Lilith," the creature snapped.

"Why should I, when I got you right where I wanted?"

Just then, Dragon Sun rushed by, dodging a barrage of laser blasts. Two of the blasts hit the ground near the ball robot, while another one hit it's surface, bouncing off. The ground under the robot cracked, and it fell down the hole.

The canon-arm robot, meanwhile, was hit by its own energy blast, and staggered back. "Hah, you're going to need more than that to defeat me."

"Are you sure?" Lilith asked.

The robot noticed a crack on the ground that was coming his way, and growled. "Lucky bitch."

Lilith was about to gloat, when she was hit by a sound wave at nearly point blank range. Hyena chuckled and looked at the Dragon. "See, luck is nothing when your enemy's smarter."

Dragon Sun glared at her, then saw two items appear in front of him. "I wouldn't be so sure, because I think luck's still on our side. Sun Cosmic Power!"

"Crud," Hyena muttered, then noticed something amiss. "Hey, where's the lucky kid?"

Two dagger by, barely missing Hyena's cheeks. Lilith looked down from her airboard and groaned. "Crap, I missed."

"Out of luck, huh?" Hyena mused.

"Who cares, Sun is going to blast you down in a second."

The Dragon's transformation was over, and Lilith could see what his 'talismans' were. Just like with Hotaru, they were two, and were... Guns?

Dragon Sun was wondering exactly the same thing. "Guns, huh? Now I see why Setsuna wanted me to train with ranged weapons."

Hyena looked at the Dragon amused. He was holding two golden handguns, which didn't look too different than normal human weaponry, from what he had seen in the archives. "Am I supposed to be afraid of those toys?"

"Toys? These are the Plasma Stingers," Dragon Sun said, "and I'll show you just what they can do." He shot at her, the bullets were seemingly aflame as they flew towards their target.

Hyena smirked as she leapt out of the way. "Not too useful if you miss."

"He didn't," Lilith snapped. The Dragon had actually aimed for the cannon-armed bot, who was just done climbing out of the hole the two Roid had been sent into. The blast hit the bot just as it was about to shoot at Lilith, and he fell backwards into the hole, the blast being released in a whole different angle.

An angle, Hyena realized a bit too late, that was aiming straight for her head.

Dragon Sun smirked. "See, your luck's a good weapon."

"Yeah, I guess you're..." Lilith was cut off as the spherical Roid shot off the hole, knocking her off her airboard. Lilith fell down with a loud thud, and screeched as she saw the ball was aiming straight at her.

"Plasma Drill!" Dragon Sun shot his twin guns, and this time a beam came out of them, piercing right through the sphere.

The robot exploded a couple meters above Lilith, and she rolled aside to dodge the falling debris. As she stood up, she noticed something. "Kage, behind you!"

The warning was late, and Dragon Sun was hit by a couple laser blasts. The cannon Roid looked at Lilith and aimed its left arm at her. "You are next."

Lilith glared at the robot, then sighed. No, if she used her luck again, it could backfire, but what else... She gasped as she saw a couple dice appear in front of her. They were metallic, but as light as normal dice. "What... Karma?" Lilith blinked, and noticed Hyena was up and ready to fight, though her face was soaked in blood, thanks to a cut in her forehead. "Better leave while you can, catgirl. Lilith Cosmic Power!"

Hyena groaned, then noticed Dragon Sun was down. "Hmm, I'll keep myself busy while she changes for the party." She breathed air in, but just as she was about to release one of her screams, a fly came flying to her nose, and she instead sneezed, the sound blast missing its target completely. "Damn you..."

Lilith was done changing, and smiled at Hyena. "Luck's a bitch, isn't she? Prepare to meet Karma."

"I don't believe in fate."

"Oh, but you will believe in these," Lilith snapped and tossed the two dice at Hyena. The cannon Roid tried to sneak behind Lilith, but Dragon Sun's airboard slammed into it, knocking it, once again, into the same hole. "Thanks," she said to Dragon Sun, who was sitting on the ground and panting. "Hmmm... Double three," she said as she looked at the dice.

"What does it mean?" Hyena said. The dice weren't too far from her, but just what did they do?"

"It means things are about to heat up," Lilith said.

Hyena didn't have time to ponder what Lilith meant, as the dice shot out a wave of fire all around them, knocking her to the ground. She was furious, and stood up fast ready to shout strong enough to tear Lilith's skin off, when she felt something press against her back. "Fuck..."

Dragon Sun was gathering energy despite the pain, and holding both his guns pressed against Hyena's back. "Leave or die, catgirl. Your pick."

"I'll be waiting for a rematch," Hyena said before vanishing.

Dragon Sun smiled, but then staggered forwards. Lilith caught him before he hit the ground, and winced as she realized he had a wound near his right shoulder. "Kage..."

"I'll live," Dragon Sun said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thanks to you," Lilith said.

"We make quite a team, huh?" the Dragon mused.

Lilith smiled. "Yes. Maybe..."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing at all," Lilith said dismissively, though her cheeks heated up a bit. "I'll call Saturn before you bleed yourself to death, okay?"

"That would be... A good idea," the Dragon admitted.

Lilith felt something pressing against the back of her head, and realized one of their enemies wasn't still gone. "Oh shit..."

"Heartbeat Wall!"

"Death Scythe!"

Dragon Sun smiled as the robot exploded. "Guess you won't have to call her after all."

Saturn kneeled besides Lilith. "If you can stop hugging your boyfriend for a second, I'll heal him."

Lilith's eyes widened at that, and she backed off. "I wasn't..."

"Hotaru, don't tease them," ChibiMoon chided.

Saturn put her hand on the Dragon's wound, and it slowly closed. "Okay, it's done."

"Still feeling... Crappy," Dragon Sun noted.

"Maybe she can carry you back home," Saturn mused.

Dragon Sun stood up gingerly and glared at Saturn. "Eeeh... Shut it, deathgirl."

ChibiMoon smiled. If only these two knew...

* * *

**A/N:** _SolarWinds:_ That's a lot of questions. Anyhow, let's see... Earth doesn't have one... It's something meant just for the five main girls. Yes, Hotaru has that teleportation of hers, but that won't be exclusive for long.

Yes, the gloves are Saturn's talisman. Who's left... Well, for the special power, only Mercury (ChibiMoon's got one not-so special power, two if you count her Black Lady sprees,) but that one won't show up for a bit. As for Cosmic level, after this episode, the cycle's complete.

The two talismans that appeared in this episode weren't originally what I have here. But a few episodes ago I noticed everyone was getting melee weapons, swords, or accessories, so I decided to give these two something different.

_DavisJes_: That was just a silly joke, there should be many jokes like that one around the fic by now, and they will keep on showing up in the future.


	134. Payback

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 134: Payback.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 3, 2008_

* * *

Aiko scanned the dice and nodded. "They're made from an unknown material, much like the rest of the artifacts. They can channel relatively small ammounts of elemental magic and cause a fairly strong explosion with it."

"What about those guns?"

Ami was examining one of Kage's guns. "They can turn Kage's energy into either focused bullets or beams."

"Guys, watch out," Terry said.

"Why?" Kage asked.

"Because Ami's got a gun." Everyone but Brad just stared at him confusedly. "Bah, you guys should listen to good music once in a while."

"Music isn't my field of expertise," Ami admitted.

"It was funny," Brad noted as he stopped laughing.

"Your sense of humor's set to dumb," Minako teased.

"In any case," Usagi said, "this means we're all now at Cosmic level. "

"Except for you," Haruka said, "we slacked off, we could be at Guardian level by now."

Kage snorted. "Patience, we had to wait till last to get our power-up."

"With a little luck, we'll defeat those bastards," ChibiUsa said.

* * *

Naru was meanwhile at the Gurio residence, knocking at the door. Umino opened it after a minute, and smiled. "Hi, Naru."

"Umino, what's this?"

Umino stared at the newspaper showing a picture of Game Master standing on top of an armored truck, with several people knocked out around him. "Uhhh... Well, I was in the neighbourhood, and Nova wasn't around, so..."

"I see, but I don't like it. You could get hurt or worse."

"Now, that's being egotistical, Naru."

Naru realized something. "Uhm, we should go in."

Umino nodded and stepped back, allowing Naru to walk in. "Hello, Miss Gurio."

"Hi Naru. Did you see the newspaper today?"

"Uhm, yeah, I did."

Umino chuckled. "Don't worry, Naru. She knows."

"How..."

"He told me, and also told me about what you do," the woman said.

"Oh... And you don't find it weird?"

"Sure do, but at least now I know all those years he spent with his videogames weren't for naught."

Naru blinked. "Uhm, right. So, Umino, you were saying?"

"Naru, do you think I don't worry when you're out there fighting those hunters, or whatever you fight against?"

"I'm really not getting that much battling done," Naru said, "not that I'm complaining, but I wish I could have a way to know when and where those aliens will attack."

"I actually liked beating up those thieves," Umino said. "You know, those enemies you fight are out of my league, so I think I'll just help Nova keep the city clean of common criminals.

"Okay, if it makes you happy..." Naru said.

Umino smiled at her. "Having these powers and no chance to use them was slowly driving me insane. Thanks for understanding."

Naru nodded. "But if you get killed out there, I'll have one of the Saturns revive you, and then kick you until I get tired."

"Sounds fun." Umino muttered. Naru sometimes worried him, really, but he knew she was just worried about him.

* * *

"So, do you like your 'new' school so far?"

ChibiUsa nodded. "Not bad at all. Though Haruna was a bit surprised when she saw what my name was."

"Yeah, bet that was a surprise for her," Hotaru mused.

The two of them were in a new fast food restaurant that had opened few days ago. Just in case, Hotaru had checked, but there were no signs of evil energy anywhere. Then again, the Dark Kingdom was long gone, so it was just silly to worry about that. Or was it?

"Come back from the clouds, Hotaru."

Hotaru giggled. "Sorry." She looked at the food and frowned. "Are we even sure it's dead?"

"Don't worry, that food isn't bad."

"I was wondering... If you somehow had to choose between going back to your era and staying here, what would you..."

"There's no such choice," ChibiUsa said.

"But if there was?"

"I like it better here," ChibiUsa admitted, "I was born in a different era, but I never really got used to the peace. And this whole issue is too complicated, there must be a future me 'back home' already."

"You think we really died there?"

"You did," ChibiUsa said, sadness creeping into her face for a second. "But, you know, I remember something Terry once told me in the future. 'It takes a lot more than killing us to kill us.'"

"That's one weird quote, sounds just like him."

"Besides, little Hotaru, admit it. You would go insane if you had to wait for me for a thousand years."

Hotaru was about to say something, when she winced. "Damn..."

ChibiUsa nodded. "Yes, one of them's here."

Jaguar looked around at all the humans, who had been eating and chatting animously until he appeared there. Right now, they were all looking at him, in either shock or fear. He let his presence sink into their minds for several seconds before smiling wickedly. "Boo. "

As usual, the crowd erupted into a running frenzy. ChibiUsa and Hotaru calmly sat through the whole mess, only standing up after the restaurant was empty. "Jaguar, I suppose," Hotaru said.

"Yes, and I'm here to kill you and your girlfriend. Though I don't think you'll be a challenge, I've already killed you once."

Hotaru was about to transform, when she noticed ChibiUsa's looks had changed. She wore a black, long dress with a red fishnet top over it, and her face had a look of pure hatred in it. "Chibi..."

"Stand back. I'm going to kill this goon."

Jaguar snorted. "Can you really kill what you can't see?"

Hotaru looked around as Jaguar vanished. "Damn, we could use Minako's help right now."

ChibiUsa, or rather Black Lady, was hit several times in a matter of seconds. She didn't seem too affected, however, and it was clear to Hotaru she was fooling around. She decided to help, even if ChibiUsa didn't want it. "Saturn Cosmic Power!"

Black Lady snorted as Saturn transformed. "Waste of time." She reached forwards, clutching her hand around Jaguar's neck. "Hi there, catboy."

"How the fuck did you..."

"You are the one I wanted to face again the most, Jaguar. It's time for payback."

"Chibi, don't."

Black Lady turned to Saturn with a smirk. "Don't interfere."

"It's not worth it," Saturn said, "if you kill him like that, then it won't be you who did it, but your darker side."

Black Lady laughed and tossed Jaguar into the far wall, like a rag doll. "That's funny. It's still me, Hotaru."

"No, I don't believe that. Black Lady was evil, reckless. She wasn't a Senshi at all. I won't let someone like that take control of..."

"It's already too late," Black Lady snapped. "The angrier she gets, the stronger I am. It was lucky these hunters showed up to make her life miserable."

Saturn growled. "You... I will not let you control her."

Black Lady started laughing again, but then stopped as she felt something hit her. Jaguar's superspeed-boosted kick sent the pink-haired girl flying through a wall, and she fell unconscious. "Okay, with that little bitch out of the way, we can have our fun. "

"You..." Saturn glared at Jaguar, then vanished.

Jaguar realized what Saturn was up to, and moved out of the way. He was way too fast for the pale girl, and used his speed to deliver several stunning blows to her head and stomach. "Idiot, there's only one Senshi who gives me trouble, and she's not here."

Black Lady stood up and saw Saturn was getting beaten badly by Jaguar. She started to move, but then clutched her head. "No! I'm the strongest one, go away!"

After a few seconds of struggling, she smiled. "Revenge isn't good if it'll tear me away from the one I love," she said, and her suit returned to normal. "Moon Cosmic Power!"

Jaguar stopped clobbering Saturn and looked at ChibiMoon. "Oh, I see. You changed a slutty black suit for a sluttier pink one."

ChibiMoon snorted. "That's funny coming from someone who looks like a stray cat."

Jaguar lunged forwards at top speed. He thought he would surprise ChibiMoon that way, but it was just what she was expecting. "Die!"

"Heartbeat Wall!"

Jaguar was stopped by the energy heart, and growled. "What? What the fuck is thi--"

ChibiMoon blinked in shock as she saw Jaguar's chest punctured by Saturn's glaive. "Hotaru?"

Saturn walked up to Jaguar and put her hands on his shoulder. "Goodbye."

ChibiMoon paled. True, in her darker form she was more than willing to kill Jaguar, but Hotaru was... "Why...?"

Saturn looked at Jaguar, who was still suspended inside the energy heart, though she knew he was very dead. "He killed me in the future, so I just had to return the favor."

"But..."

"Besides, I know the only way to win this is to kill them. Usagi may still have some delusions of turning them to our sides, but I frankly doubt that's possible."

"Thanks, Hotaru."

"What for?"

"For helping me control my... Dark side."

"You're welcome," Saturn said.

Just then, Rex teleported in, and looked at Jaguar's limp form. "Damn it..." ChibiMoon could swear she saw sadness in his eyes, but it was soon gone, his face a mask of anger. "You will die for this. "

Saturn met his glare without flinching. "You talk big, Rex, but you are as weak as the other hunters." As she said that, she vanished, reappearing right behind him.

Rex guessed Saturn's move, and turned around, shooting an energy blast through her stomach. "Ditto. Now die." He heard a scream and turned around, in time to see ChibiMoon's form shining with light. "What the..."

"Moon Guardian Power!" ChibiMoon started running even as she transformed, and by the time the light had dimmed, she was standing right in front of Rex. She punched him straight in the face, the force of her fist sent him crashing through several tables. "You bastard..."

Rex sighed. "What are you going to do, kill me?"

ChibiMoon snarled at him, tendrils of darkness lashing out of her body. "Why not, you're a murderer after all."

"Chibi... Don't..."

ChibiMoon looked at Saturn, her face going from anger to a relieved smile. "Hotaru, I thought..."

Rex rushed forwards, taking advantage of her distraction. However, ChibiMoon met his punch with her sword, cutting a nice wound into his hand. She kicked him away, and then looked at him in a condescending way. "You know, your life must be much more miserable than mine."

"Shut up."

"Going on an endless quest like yours, bringing only pain and misery to others. Maybe you're right, and Senshi can be fundamentally evil, but... If you don't give them the benefit of doubt, if you just kill them all just because some of them took the path of darkness, then you're nothing but a cold-blooded murderer. Call it hunting, make rules for it, but in the end, those are all just excuses to justify your evil ways."

Rex had enough of the pink brat, so he shot an energy blast at her. ChibiMoon used her sword to deflect it and smiled. "Truth hurts, doesn't it? Everyone's got a dark side, but if you let it control you, then you are weak."

Saturn stood up, her wound was almost closed by now. "Leave and take your fallen friend with you, Rex."

Rex charged up for another blast, and aimed his arm at ChibiMoon. "You really think you can defeat me?"

ChibiMoon prepared to deflect the blast, but Rex vanished. She heard Saturn gasp, and saw Rex was right behind her, his arm aimed at her heart. "No..."

"I missed the spot the first time, but I'm not going to miss now. Surrender, or she dies."

"She will die anyway," ChibiMoon snapped. "But if you really were a hunter, you would know better than underestimating your prey."

Before Rex could ponder what she meant, he was hit by a large, metal mallet, and sent crashing out of the building. As he tried to stand up, Jaguar's body fell on him. "Damn..."

ChibiMoon was holding her Luna-P in one hand, and pointing her sword at him with the other. "Last warning, Rex."

"We'll meet again," Rex snapped before vanishing.

"Oh, I'll be waiting for that," ChibiMoon said, glaring at the spot Rex and Jaguar had been a second earlier.

"Chibi..."

ChibiMoon looked at Saturn. "Are you okay?"

Saturn walked up to her and kissed her. "Thanks to you."

"At least we got one of them."

"Yeah," ChibiMoon said, "though I was really hoping Rex would be stupid enough to stay and fight."

"And why was that?"

"I didn't have a chance to show him my new attack."

"That could be good," Saturn said, "he won't know how it works next time you fight him."

ChibiMoon suddenly clutched her head. "Ugh... Damn it..."

"What's wrong?" Saturn asked.

"It's my..." ChibiMoon screamed and fell to her knees. "No! Stay out of my mind!"

Saturn backed away as she saw ChibiMoon's suit replaced by Black Lady's long, black dress. "Oh, this is just great..."

* * *

**A/N:** _Neptune's Violin_: Yep, like the one she's having in this episode. Will she ever get rid of that evil side? I know the answer, but I'm not telling.


	135. Deadly Pink

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 135: Deadly Pink.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 5, 2008_

* * *

Ikuko could've sworn she felt a breeze as Usagi rushed out the door. "Hey wai--" She had left even before the woman could leave the kitchen. "What's up with that girl?"

"Something must be very wrong," Luna admitted.

Diana came dashing down the stairs, looking like she'd seen a ghost. "I know why she left. Something's happening to the Princess."

Luna winced. "Damn... We should go there. Can you sense where she is?"

Diana nodded. "I can sense her presence, but it's... Fading."

"Then we should hurry."

"Good luck," Ikuko said as the two cats rushed off.

* * *

Saturn leapt out of the way as a massive pink blast shot by. The blast hit a building, causing it to collapse and rise a cloud of smoke. "Why..."

"It's simple," Black Lady said, "her despair, her anger, they give me power. You and the Queen are the two things she cares about the most, but I can't get the Queen yet. If I kill you, though, that'll make her pain... My power... Rise to a point where I can fight that Moon bitch and win."

"So that's all, your only goal is to be the most powerful being around?"

"Yes, dear Saturn, that sums it all up perfectly."

Saturn noticed something and looked back at the building that had just been demolished. When she turned to her foe again, she was glaring at her. "And to do that, you'll sacrifice innocents?"

"Nobody's innocent, there's just various degrees of guilt."

"Hmph... You are not her, so don't think I'll hold back."

"I have more power now than ever, thanks to her upgrading," Black Lady snapped. "And also, I know you're making me talk just so you can get reinforcements. That's not going to happen." She started gathering energy, a sphere larger than her hovering over her open palm. "Die."

Saturn paled. She had her visor down, and she knew how much energy that blast had. She also knew she was standing right in front of another building, so if she phased out... No, it would blast through not only that building, but several more before fading. She just couldn't let that happen, even if...

Black Lady spat some choice curses as her blast was absorbed by a fiery wall. "Damn it."

"ChibiUsa, stop being a brat."

Black Lady smirked at Mars. "ChibiUsa has left the building, dear. "

"You can't fool me," Mars snapped back. "I can see the two auras in you, still struggling for control, even though the darker one's got the upper hand.

"Yadda yadda... I'll kill you first, then I'll deal with Saturn."

Saturn's glare turned to sadness as she realized what the situation was like. If they couldn't stop her, they would have to... No, there had to be a second option.

Black Lady suddenly spun around, catching the blade that had been about to slash her back with her bare hands. "Damn... Roaches just keep on showing up."

Moon's face was unreadable as she stared at the pink-haired woman. "You're not my daughter."

"What will you do, Queen? Healing me will only send me back to waiting, and the only way to kill me would be to kill your dear daughter."

"There's always another way."

"You hope so, because you don't have the guts to kill m--"

Saturn saw Moon hit Black Lady, hard enough to send her flying, and paled. "What is she..."

"Don't worry, she's got a plan."

"You?"

* * *

Lion was standing in front of a plain-looking table inside the hunters' ship. Hyena walked into the room and noticed a holographic projection playing in the center of the table. It was from the battle Jaguar and Rex had fought an hour earlier.

"Now, now, you're not falling for that pinkhead, are you?" Hyena asked with fake worry.

"You know I only have eyes for you, Hyena," Lion said smiling at her. "How's Jaguar?"

"Vulture says he'll be ready to go in a day or two."

"Having those resurrection machines we 'borrowed' from the Senshi in Ar'haul is a good thing."

Hyena smiled. "I know... So, why are you watching that?"

"'in the end, those are all just excuses to justify your evil ways, '" Lion repeated ChibiMoon's quote and looked at Hyena. "Do you think she's right?"

"I..." Hyena fell silent for a moment. "I don't know. I know Rex and the others are still eager to keep on killing Senshi, but I've been wondering that, myself."

"I don't think this is what we all wanted. We've become what we hated the most. No, we're even worse."

"So what are we going to do now?"

"First off, we must leave this ship. Then we'll think about what we can do to fix our... Past errors."

* * *

"Seia, do not try to get close to that battle."

"But sir, if we don't evacuate the area, many more civilians will die."

"I know that, but it's just impossible to go there right now."

"Whatever it is, the Senshi are taking care of it," Seia noted.

Tomoe took over the screen of Seia's comm. "They're fighting one of their own, her power is amazing. If my database's correct, then we should be ready for the worse."

"How can one of them turn evil?"

"It's the one called Black Lady. We thought she was gone forever, but she's back."

Seia remembered that pink-haired brat all too well. "But that's... "

"Moon's daughter," Tomoe said. "And as a father, I can imagine how hard it can be for Moon to fight her. But if my readings are correct, then she's the only one who could stop her."

"And by stopping her you mean..."

Tomoe nodded. "There's no other way I can think of."

"Damn it... So what, I just sit down and watch?"

"Yes," Kino said. "We can't go in right now."

"Sorry, sir, but I can't follow your orders this time," Seia said and cut the link. She turned to the soldiers around her and sighed. "Okay boys, let's see if we can get all the civilians out of there before things escalate."

* * *

Black Lady had taken the first few hits, but soon enough started blocking them. Moon knew she couldn't jump away, because if she did, the villain could destroy another building. "Give up, I don't want to hurt you."

"Luckily, I don't have such handicaps."

Saturn watched the battle, feeling quite useless. She wanted to help, yes, but she couldn't think of any way to help Moon that wouldn't involve hurting her friend. Or even worse. "What are we going to do?"

Uranus sighed. "If Moon can't tire her down, then we'll have to kill her."

"How can you say that?" Saturn snapped.

"I know what that means, and I'm not happy about it either. I would feel the same way if..." Uranus looked at Neptune, who smiled at her. "But you can revive her."

"That doesn't change a thing," Saturn snapped. "Dying is easy, seeing someone you love die is the hard part."

"Besides, Black Lady isn't an intruder, like it was with Umino or Naru. She's a lot more than me, and even if we kill her in that form, she will still be there when we revive her."

"So that's why you're here," Saturn said.

Nova nodded. "I'm waiting for the right time, when her defenses are low enough... Then I'll get in and try to seal her."

"Sealing her would be useless. It's the same thing Moon did."

"So what is your plan?"

"Maybe we don't need to destroy her, or seal her. Just to drive her out of her mind."

"But what are you going..."

"Something I am not happy about. Mercury, are your readings looking good?"

Mercury shook her head. "No. Moon's running out of energy faster than Black Lady is. She won't be able to win this unless..."

"Exactly," Saturn said and vanished.

Nova wondered where Saturn had gone, but only for a second. She heard Moon's scream and turned to see something she thought she'd never see.

* * *

Moon had known she was fighting a losing battle almost from the start. Black Lady was faster and better than her, it was like the battle with Galaxia, but she knew there had to be another way, there..

"Give it up, Queen, you're not going to win th--" Black Lady's gloating was cut by something hitting her back. She felt the pain run through her body, and looked down to see the bloodied tip of a weapon coming out of her chest. "You... Slut..."

"ChibiUsa!"

Hotaru sighed. "Sorry, Usagi, but this is the only way." She turned to where the others were. "Nova, do it now!"

Black Lady coughed up blood. "You... You're worse than me... Killing the one you love just to get rid of me... Pathetic."

Saturn snorted. "I'm not killing her. I'm killing you." She put her hands on Black Lady's arms, her gloves replaced by her talismans. "ChibiUsa, you're still there. Fight this bitch, help's on its way. "

Black Lady laughed despite the pain. "How touching, but it's useless..." She then felt something in her mind, a throbbing pain, it felt almost as if her brain was burning. Last thing Black Lady saw before blacking out, was Nova looking straight at her, her eyes shining.

* * *

ChibiUsa stirred, memories flooding into her mind fast. She stood up fast when she remembered the last few minutes of battling. "No, Hotaru would never..."

"She did, but only to save your life."

The girl almost jumped at the voice, but then frowned. "Nova?"

Nova appeared near her. "Yes. I'm here to help you drive your dark side out of your mind."

"Is that even possible?"

"Trying doesn't hurt," Nova said.

"That doesn't sound too promising."

"It does, for me."

ChibiUsa glared at Black Lady. "You, here, how..."

"Didn't you guess yet, brat? We're in your... In our mind."

"I see..." ChibiUsa nodded, she had 'been there' before, when Helios spoke to her. "So now what, we fight?"

"Now you die," Black Lady snapped and rushed her opponent.

ChibiUsa did the best she could to block all the blows, but Black Lady was stronger. Also, Nova wasn't helping at all. _'I am trying, but I can't fight her here as I would in the physical world. Your mind would fry me on the spot if I did.'_

So what, she had to fight alone?

'You're not alone, can't you feel Hotaru's mind? It's linked to you, not to your enemy.'

* * *

Moon looked at the three who were apparently standing there unmoving and sobbed. "Is she..."

Mercury smiled. "Don't worry, Usagi. Saturn's keeping her barely alive."

Dragon Mercury frowned. "And Nova's trying to boost up your daughter's mental power, but Hotaru isn't just keeping ChibiUsa alive, is she?"

"What do you mean?" Mercury asked. She couldn't see whatever he had seen in them.

Uranus gasped. "Oh shit, so that's her plan?"

"What is?" Moon asked. She hated when she didn't get what her friends were babbling about.

Dragon Mercury smiled. "Hotaru's power was stronger when she was close to death. Maybe that's why she's not healing ChibiUsa completely."

"I'll help too," Moon said and put a hand on her brooch.

"Don't," Mercury said.

"But..."

"Black Lady can use the Ginzuishou's power too. If you use your energy in them now, you could help her win."

"... I understand," Moon said. She knew sometimes she just had to trust the others, and this was one of those times. Still, it didn't make it any easier on her.

* * *

Black Lady laughed. "Little girl, you're nothing compared to me. Nothing."

Nova cringed. Black Lady was giving the Princess quite a beating. "ChibiUsa, please, try to feel her mind. I know you can do it."

"Feel her mind, but how?" ChibiUsa sighed and closed her eyes, concentrating. "I... Yes, I can feel her."

"You'll never defeat me!" Black Lady snapped and once again tried to punch her opponent. She stopped in shock as she saw a glaive appear in her rival's hands. "What? Impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible for us Senshi," ChibiUsa said, "And you're not one of us. Begone!"

Nova could almost feel sorry for Black Lady as she was hit by a massive wave of light and death energy. "It worked."

"How do I get out of here?" ChibiUsa asked.

"You just wake up," Nova said.

* * *

Moon's eyes widened as she saw something her mind refused to believe. Where once had stood Black Lady, was now ChibiMoon, and dark tendrils of energy were pouring out of her mouth and eyes. "What is..."

"She did it," Dragon Mercury said.

The dark energy slowly formed a sphere, and it changed forms rapidly. "What is that?" Nemesis asked.

ChibiMoon coughed and pulled the glaive out of her body. "Fuck, Hotaru, I know you did this to save me, but it still hurts."

Saturn's eyes, which had been white until then, returned to normal. "Sorry, I had to get that worm out of you."

The dark energy finally finished its mutation, and everyone saw someone they were expecting not to see ever again. "You?"

Black Lady staggered up and glared at the Senshi. "Do you really think this changes anything? I'm still strong, and I'm still going to kill you all!"

Mercury blinked as she noticed something missing. Moon had been standing right besides her a second earlier, but now she was... "She'll get her."

"Full Moon Slash!"

Black Lady screamed in a mix of shock and pain as the sword cut her back. "You fucking..."

"Heartbeat Wall!"

Saturn smiled as ChibiMoon trapped her dark self inside a pink heart. "Again with that?"

"Watch and learn, rookie," ChibiMoon teased before rushing to the heart. "Heartbreaker!"

Black Lady snorted as ChibiMoon did an upwards slash, meters away from the heart. "What's wrong, did you miss?"

"Not at all," ChibiMoon said. The heart split in half, and then exploded, sending Black Lady blasting through several buildings. "That didn't go well."

"No civilians in those buildings," Mercury said. "Seia's been busy while we were fighting here."

"Where's Black Lady?" Moon asked.

"She's gone," Mercury said, "but I don't see any teleport signals. "

"So she's dead?" ChibiMoon asked hopefully.

"Let's hope so," Saturn said. "Sorry about..."

"About what?" ChibiMoon asked with a smile. "As long as you don't do that ever again..."

"So, is she going to turn evil pink again?" Venus asked.

Nova shook her head. "I can't see any signs of darkness in her anymore."

"That thing... She wasn't just my dark emotions," ChibiMoon said. "I knew it when I was fighting her in my mind. She was something alien, something different, almost like..."

Dragon Mercury shook his head. "I can bet that was Wiseman's last plan."

"Maybe it was," Moon said, "but it's over now."

Luna and Diana rushed in and looked around. "Uhm..."

"You're late."

"So it seems," Diana said. "Princess, are you okay?"

"Yes, I feel way better now."

"You look way better," Saturn said, then realized she had said it out loud. "Err..."

"Can't say I don't agree," Dragon Mercury said, then noticed Mercury's glare. "You're cuter than her."

"Good answer," Mercury noted with a smile.

* * *

___**A/N:** __DavisJes_: It was only fitting that Saturn killed him. And maybe she'll get to kill him again.

As for Black Lady... I wanted to make it different this time around. Is she dead for good? Not telling.

_____SailorStar9_: Yeah, but now it's someone else who has to 'mind the pink.'


	136. Reloading

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 136: Reloading.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 6, 2008_

* * *

"Lion and Hyena left the ship last night without warning, and they haven't attacked yet, so I think they betrayed us."

"So we're short two hunters," Vulture noted, not turning to look at Rex as he typed up some data in the computer. "Is Jaguar ready yet?"

"He'll be out of action for a few more hours."

"Okay, we may need to speed things up a bit. If those kids start going to their next level on us, we're screwed."

"Nice way to put it," Rex muttered. "Maybe we should use our last resort?"

"Not yet, Rex. You may love your shiny crystal eye, but I want my body to remain mostly fleshy."

* * *

"How do you feel?"

ChibiUsa sighed. "I'm okay, don't worry."

"I'm supposed to worry anyway," Usagi said.

"Usagi... Mom, I'm serious. I can take care of myself."

"Oh, and that's why we had to beat you to near death yesterday."

"Good one."

* * *

"How is our patient?"

"Critical," Onara said. "couldn't we just let her die and clone her, though?"

"I don't trust your clones' track record, doctor."

"Now, A, that's not nice."

"I'm not nice."

"Why do we need her, though? She already failed to kill the Senshi. "

"So did you, dear Rubeus, and everyone else in this room. But the doctor's got an experiment to run, and he needed a live test subject. She will be perfect for it."

"Won't she be angry when she finds out?"

'A' chuckled. "Oh, if this works, she'll be thanking us for her new powers. And if it doesn't, well... She'll never wake up again."

* * *

Rei watched amused as Chie kept on rolling her dice, always getting a double six. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"I can't activate them unless I transform," Chie said.

"I'm never betting against you," Kage noted as she rolled yet another double six.

"But I thought you had learnt not to abuse your luck," Rei commented.

"I did," Chie said, "I just know how to roll these."

"That's bull."

"Actually, that's possible," Aiko said. "Dice are affected by the laws of physics."

Karin walked in right then, looking at Chie and Kage, who were sitting way close to each other. "You two..."

"Us two, what?" Kage asked.

"When's the wedding?" Karin teased.

"Don't make me shoot you," Kage muttered.

Chie laughed. "Don't shoot her, I'll just drop a building on her when she's distracted."

"How did you know, though?" Kage asked. "We made sure not to give any clues."

"Oh, it wasn't me," Karin admitted, "but you two should know one can't fool Usagi when it comes to that sort of things."

"They look cute together," Aiko said.

"What about you, have you found anyone out there?" Karin asked the computer girl.

"I'm a program, I don't need a boyfriend," Aiko said. "Or a girlfriend," she rapidly added.

Kage looked at Aiko. Stared, even. "Heh, I wonder just how real your body is."

"I researched enough to know how a human body works," Aiko said, "and the differences between male and female, and also the... Uses for those differences."

"And you're not interested?"

"Why, Kage, are you flirting with me?" Aiko said in a teasing tone.

"I'm wondering that, too," Chie muttered.

Karin laughed. "Don't blame him, Chie. You should know boys love computers."

Kage blushed. "No, seriously, don't make me shoot you, Karin."

"By the way, where's everyone else?"

Chie shrugged at Karin's question. "Having a life, I suppose. Even our two resident geniuses aren't around."

"One's Ami, who's the other one?" Karin joked, then blinked as a gun turret popped up from the ground. "Oh, I forgot you had these."

Aiko smirked. "Don't make fun of my dad."

Karin sighed. "Okay, I won't..." As the turret disappeared into its hiding place, she added. "He can pretty much ridicule himself pretty well, after all."

"Why you..."

Karin smiled. "You need a sense of humor."

Rei sighed. "You guys are weird."

"Said the one with the flaming, unbreakable dome."

"That's not weird, that's awesome," Kage said.

Chie sighed. "First you barely spoke, now you flirt with everyone. "

"And what are you planning to do about it?"

"This," Chie said and kissed him.

Karin smiled at them. "I gotta agree with Aiko, you two do look cute together."

Kage blinked as Chie broke the kiss. "If you're gonna do that whenever you're jealous.."

"Nah, next time I'll just have you get hit by something heavy."

"Gotcha," Kage muttered.

* * *

Luna was walking out of Crown, when she saw Shingo walking to her. 'He looks worried about something.'

"Hey there, Luna."

"Shingo, what's wrong?"

"I've been thinking a lot lately, about what my sister does."

Luna just listened and followed Shingo as he started walking.

"See, Usagi and Hana, they're both... Well, doing dangerous things. And I care about them, I wish there was something I could do."

Luna winced. "I see..."

"What?"

"Nothing," Luna lied.

"Come on, kitty, you can't fool me."

"Usagi's going to hate me for this," Luna muttered.

"Just say it already."

"There's a Dragon Sword for each planet, and for the Moon and the Sun too," Luna said. "Some are taken, but most aren't."

"I thought those the Dragon Senshi have were the only ones."

Luna nodded. "Moon's got one of those swords too."

Shingo frowned. "But there's no Dragon Moon!"

"Exactly. There were no Dragons in Silver Millenium, so the sword chooses its Senshi."

"Maybe I could..."

Luna groaned. "Yep, Usagi's definitely going to kill me for this."

"Huh?"

"Listen, Shingo. I don't know if the swords will ever acknowledge you, but there's something you've gotta understand about this. There's no turning back, you can't give up your powers and return to being a normal human."

"In short, you're saying I should think about it before I just jump at the chance?"

Luna nodded. "Yes."

"I'll tell Usagi about it, though."

"She's _so_ going to kill me now."

Shingo snickered. "Don't worry, I'll tell her I asked about it. Besides, I wouldn't like to go and get the sword without her knowing. "

"You can't. Both female and male Senshi have a 'link' with those swords. She would notice if it went missing."

"Still, I'm not lying to her about this one."

* * *

And thus, several minutes later...

"I feel like killing a cat right now," Usagi muttered.

"Told you," Luna said.

ChibiUsa chuckled. "Oh, this is good."

Usagi turned to her daughter. "Wait, you knew about this?"

"No. As far as I know, Shingo wasn't a Senshi."

"But I was still..." Shingo said in shock.

"Same as Umino or Yuichiro," ChibiUsa explained. "The Ginzuishou can do that."

"Unlike us, you have a choice," Usagi said. "Sure it may sometimes be fun, but being a Senshi usually involves lot of pain, and not only the physical kind. Luna was right, you really need to think this through before taking this step."

Shingo nodded, then chuckled. "My sister telling me I gotta think stuff through..."

"Now, Shingo, that was mean," ChibiUsa said.

"Sorry, old habits. You're right, I'm going to give this a lot of thought before I make my choice."

* * *

Chief Kawada wasn't one to allow visitors into his office, unless it was a very important matter. And considering who this girl was, it surely was important. "So, how should I call you?"

"Nova, of course," the girl said. "Listen, while I understand why your men would be against my 'meddling,' it's not amusing anymore. I would've thought shooting at me was seen as a moot point by now."

"There's some officers in my district that see you as a vigilante, a bigger menace than those you stop."

"You're amongst them, I suppose."

"Not at all. You're making our jobs easier, and while you do get your share of publicity, you can't be everywhere at the same time. I've seen the numbers, and crime rates have dropped ever since you and the Senshi showed up."

"Senshi don't hunt down criminals."

"There's urban legends that say they do. And most criminals tend to believe in such stories."

"Hmph. Just try to tell your boys to stop shooting at me. It's a bit distracting at times."

"I'll..." the man blinked as Nova vanished. "... Try." What a strange girl, this heroine was. He idly wondered if he could've tried to take her mask off, but it would've been just as useless (and painful) as trying to punch a Senshi.

* * *

Terry looked at Usagi and snorted. "I once wondered if the kid could be one of us too."

Luna sighed. "Yes, but we have no way to know if he's compatible with the power."

"There's a seventy-five percent chances that he will be able to use that sword," Aiko said.

"And a twenty-five that he'll be friend on the spot by mana overload, " Hotaru guessed.

"That's correct."

"Well, thanks for telling me in such a tactful way," Usagi snapped.

ChibiUsa sighed. "This is annoying."

"What is?"

"I don't know if he was a Senshi or not. He and uhm..." She wasn't sure she should tell them who Shingo would end up with.

"Hana?" Usagi asked.

"Good guess. I didn't see them a lot."

Terry grimaced. "Which could mean he wasn't a Senshi, or that he was and didn't want you to find out."

"Yeah. I think I should get used to this, huh?"

"To what?"

"Not knowing what the future will bring."

"It's better this way," Hotaru said. "I won't live my life focused on what's going to happen in a thousand years."

"Same here," ChibiUsa admitted. 'I hope.'

* * *

"Is everything ready, Hyena?"

"Yes. Are you sure about this?"

"We can't just hide here. I thought we already discussed it. Are you having second thoughts about it?"

"No, Lion, it's not that. Do you really think the Senshi will trust us?"

"I doubt it, but it doesn't hurt trying."

"It could hurt, in this case."

"Right, but I don't think they'll attack us without listening. Their leader doesn't seem to be as much of an obstinated fool as our former leader was."

* * *

**A/N:** _SailorStar9:_ It's only because she knows hearts hurt.

The title of this episode's pretty easy to get, I suppose. The only time when a prey's got a moment to recover, is while the hunter's reloading. I said I didn't like filler episodes, not that I wouldn't include some of them here and there.


	137. Last Hunt

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 137: Last Hunt.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 8, 2008_

* * *

Shingo was heading for the Senshi base, to tell Usagi what he had decided about the Dragon Sword, but as he reached the base, he noticed two figures were standing in front of it. "What the... What are those two doing here?" He wondered as he hid around the corner.

* * *

Usagi rolled aside, dodging an axe kick from her foe. She stood up and reched out just in time to block the next kick. She grabbed the foe's leg and tossed her over her head.

ChibiUsa landed on her head and winced. "You're not that bad at this, mom."

"Hakko and I taught her most of what she knows," Terry said. "She just can't be a sucky fighter, even if she tried."

"Did anyone ever tell you your ego is bigger than your bank account?" ChibiUsa noted.

"Yeah, and that's because they never saw my bank account," Terry mused.

Just then, Minako walked in, looking quite happy. "Hey, guys, I got something to show you."

"And what might it be?" Terry asked.

"This," Minako said and reached out her hand. A ball of light appeared hovering over it.

Ami was already scanning her. "That light ball's got about half the power her Crescent Beam had when we first saw her."

"Enemies will laugh that off," Terry said, "but it could also be a surprise for them, and leave them open for an attack."

"Hey, I'm the leader, why can't I do that?" Usagi pouted.

"Minako's been around for longer," Ami explained. "But that means we could get something like that soon."

Terry nodded, then turned to ChibiUsa. "Just how strong were we... Will we be... Uhm..."

ChibiUsa snorted. "Time travelling can make things confusing. But how to put it in words..."

"Were we stronger than Pluto?"

"Yes. Specially if you mean the power Pluto lets you detect."

"Lets us..." Ami frowned. "Oh, I see."

ChibiUsa smiled. "She's beyond Eternal level now, though I didn't get to see any of the strongest attacks you guys had."

"Why not, were we scared of hurting you while training?"

ChibiUsa turned to Hotaru and sighed. "No, because of the raw power some of those attacks had. They weren't meant to be used in areas packed full of civilians.

"I see..." Hotaru winced. "Such a thing goes along with Rex's tale. If we do get bored of just standing around with nothing to fight against..."

"That's not going to happen," Usagi said. "We won't ever fight ourselves like that. We're not like those monsters Rex described."

"How can you be so sure of it?" Hotaru asked.

"How can you _not_ trust your own heart?"

Hotaru fell silent, but ChibiUsa nodded. "You didn't get bored in a thousand years in Crystal Tokyo. That's quite a feat."

"You're saying that like a peaceful city is a bad place to live in," Minako noted.

ChibiUsa sighed. "I've only talked about this with Hotaru, but... I'm not quite like mom. I'm not someone who would just enjoy peace and stay idle for long."

"Born a warrior, always one," Terry said.

ChibiUsa nodded. "But I don't only care about fighting," she said looking at Usagi, then at Hotaru. "And it's not the most important thing for me. Maybe that's what makes me... What makes us different than the ones that destroyed Rex's world."

"We can't ask them," Minako said, "so we may never know."

Aiko appeared near Minako, making her jump. "Guys, this may look strange, but Lion and Hyena are standing in front of the base now. They've got no robots with them."

"Came to surrender?" Terry mused.

"Or to lay a trap," ChibiUsa said. "Let's just go up there and kick their rears."

"ChibiUsa, don't..."

ChibiUsa turned to Usagi and smiled. "Don't worry, mom, without _her_ around anymore, I can control myself."

* * *

Hyena looked around and sighed boredly. "Hey, I know phasing right into their base would've looked bad, but... Are they even aware we're here?"

"Moon Twilight Beam!"

The blast hissed by just milimeters away from Hyena's head. Lion saw the Senshi (most of them, anyhow) were now standing on the dojo's roof. "Finally."

"What are you doing here? I thought you would be smart enough not to attack us here."

Hyena snorted. "Chill, girl, there's a simple explanation for this. We're not hunting you anymore. We've left Rex's group."

"That's bullshit," ChibiMoon snapped and summoned her sword.

"I knew it," Hyena muttered. "Listen, you know my style by now, girl. If I was here to fight you, your ears would be ringing by now."

"Well, she does have a point," Venus said.

"Their heart's three inches below where a human's heart is," Mercury said to ChibiMoon in a low voice.

ChibiMoon nodded. "Thanks."

Moon looked at Mercury in shock. Mercury shrugged. "The info's not just for her, but for everyone. What you guys do with it is not my problem."

ChibiMoon walked up to Lion and glared at him. "You were also there, you killed my friends, just like all the others. You two are... I should kill you."

"If that's what it takes to make you trust us," Lion said.

"Lion, no!"

ChibiMoon looked at Hyena. She seemed really worried about him, and also... ChibiMoon focused in her, and couldn't sense any doubt about what they were saying. "So you're telling me you betrayed your friends? How is that better than the killing?"

"Friends? Allies, that's what they were," Hyena said.

Lion saw the pink-haired girl rise her sword, and smirked. "Maybe we were wrong about you. Maybe what you told Rex was just talk."

ChibiMoon stopped short of slashing him in half. "What?"

Moon leapt down, landing right besides her. "He's right. Are you going to attack them, even when they're not attacking us?"

"But..."

"Enemies can become allies. Remember Dimando."

ChibiMoon glared at Lion furiously for a few seconds before she put her sword away. "Okay, I'll give you two the benefit of doubt."

"Good," Hyena said.

"However," ChibiMoon said, glaring at them in turns, "if either of you does as much as try hurting one of my friends, I'm not going to hold back."

"Sounds fair," Lion said. "We're not here looking for forgiveness, we're telling you we're not going to fight you anymore."

"But we are."

ChibiMoon saw the three other hunters teleporting in and growled. "What the fuck..."

"Hey, I killed you," Saturn snapped at Jaguar.

"I remember that, yes," Jaguar mused. "Can't we say we're even and leave it at that?"

"Sure," Saturn said, "I don't really like killing the same idiot twice."

Lion walked to Rex. "What are you doing here?"

"I intend to finish this, right now," Rex said. "Join me again, and everything will be forgiven."

"I see... Here's my answer."

Hyena almost laughed when she saw Lion punching Rex in the gut. "Damn, he beat me to it."

Rex staggered back, but smiled. "Oh, I get it. You've become best pals with the Senshi now? Pathetic."

Lion shrugged. "You know me, I'm the group's strategist. And I've predicted which side will win this. A little help won't hurt, though."

Rex snorted at that. "You foolish clown..."

"What are you going to do, Rex?" Hyena asked.

"These Senshi can't be beaten with Roids," Rex admitted, "so we're going to do things our way."

Moon's eyes widened. Rex's body was covered by metal plating, and the same happened with the other two. "What is that?"

"Wise move, Rex," Lion muttered. "Those are cybernetic nano-implants, something that was used against us by one of the many Senshi groups we eliminated.

Since Moon just stood there, blinking (as did most of the Senshi,) Hyena decided to give a shorter explanation. "Those suits amplify the resistance and power of whoever uses it exponentially."

"Rex wasn't that easy to fight to begin with," Mercury said, "but right now, his power is higher than even Galaxia's."

"So, this is going to be one fun battle," Mars mused.

Moon paled. "No... Rex, I'll fight you, alone!"

Rex snorted. "How noble, but I have no reason to agree to that. We're going to kill you and your friends."

Mars walked up to Moon and glared at her. "What are you trying to do?"

"I... I don't want to see you guys die again."

Dragon Mercury smiled. "Don't worry, that won't happen. These losers are nothing like Galaxia."

ChibiMoon nodded. "Those armors they're using must have flaws. It's just a matter of finding them."

Moon closed her eyes for a second, then nodded. "Okay, let's get them, but... Be careful, everyone."

"About time," Rex muttered. "Let's end this."

Moon summoned her sword as Rex rushed at her. "If that's the only way..."

* * *

"A, the Senshi are facing their enemies..."

"What's so special about that?" Rubeus asked.

Onara ignored the redhead. "All the hunters are there. This must mean they want to end this war."

"About time," A said. "Send the Omega."

"How many?"

"All of them."

"You're going for the sure kill, right boss?"

A snorted at Rubeus' words. "The Omega alone can't do it, but... They're a good distraction. The Senshi will have to fight them, and that will let our 'friends' take care of them."

"Using those aliens to kill the Senshi..." Kaorinite said. "A very good plan."

"Of course, we'll show them our 'gratitude' after they're done doing our dirty job."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Rubeus admitted.

* * *

"Again?"

Seia shrugged. "Looks like it, sir."

Kino stood up from his desk and headed for the door.

"Sir?"

"I'm going to talk to Tomoe and see if his little toy is ready."

"You mean one of his little toys or..."

"The one that needs a satellite to work."

"Damn, now we're going to join the 'let's blast private property' club, aren't we?"

Kino turned to look at Seia as they both walked out of the office and smirked. "You just tell our men to get everyone out of there, and I'll do the rest."

* * *

"Luna?"

"Not yet," Luna said. "But Artemis... Do you think they can win this?"

"Against those three? Sure," Artemis said. Right after he spoke, a large group of cyborgs teleported into the battlefield. "... I hate the Universe sometimes."

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, this is the start of another final battle. About time, huh?


	138. Reinforcements

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 138: Reinforcements.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 10, 2008_

* * *

There were too many of them. She looked at Neptune and knew she was thinking amongst the same lines. They backed into each other, standing close and looking around at the cyborgs surrounding them. "Whoever sent them, is going for the kill. There's three of those Omega creeps for each of us."

Neptune nodded. "And half our team is fighting the Hunters."

True, she could see the battle took place in a four blocks area around them. And things looked equally bad wherever she looked at.

"That's too bad," Uranus said, "but all we can do now is destroy these copycats."

* * *

"Sir, the cannon's ready to fire. And we've been working on it's power output lately, the blast will surely hurt those aliens."

Kino nodded. "Good. Tomoe, don't fire it unless you see the Senshi are losing the battle. Let's give Seia time to get everyone out of there. And also..."

"What?"

"The weapon won't harm the Senshi, will it?"

"Unfortunately, it's blast range is pretty large. If one of them got caught in the beam, there's a high chance they will end up hurt, or worse."

"And you didn't tell me that because..."

"You didn't ask."

"I'm serious."

"Me too," Tomoe noted. "I tend to forget not everyone's brain power is as high as mine."

Kino sighed. "Okay, if... If things look really bad, use that thing. I'll try to warn the Senshi about it."

* * *

"Our daughter's on the news," Kenji said.

Ikuko walked to the couch and gasped. "Oh dear, that looks bad."

Kenji nodded. "The army's evacuating the area. That base isn't close enough to our house, so we should be safe."

"I'm still worried."

"Me too," Kenji admitted. "But they always win, don't they?"

Ikuko nodded, but she wasn't really as optimistic as her husband.

* * *

_"Stay out of the fight."_

_"I can't do that, Usagi, I..."_

_"You can't keep fighting for too long, and those cyborgs won't give you that much energy," Moon said. "Someone needs to be around to revive us if..."_

_Saturn nodded. "I know. Someone's got to be the group's healer."_

_"And unfortunately, the two others that could do that will be busy," ChibiMoon said._

Saturn sighed. Looking at the battle from atop the dojo's roof was just too boring. Only two of those Omega creatures had tried to leap up to the roof and attack her, but one had fell to Dragon Earth's sword, while the other one had been totalled by a barrage of energy bullets.

But still, she could count at least thirty of those things remaining. Now she knew why the enemy hadn't used those clones for quite some time... They were gathering numbers in hopes of defeating them. And the Hunter's final gambit had seemingly been the perfect chance for them to put their plans in motion.

She looked at the battle she was worried about the most. Two of the three fighters, actually. Rex was, by far, the strongest of the Hunters, moreso after he'd put that armor on. Lion was doing his best to fight. Apparently, his shield was strong, but not enough to stop Rex's energy blasts. Or, he was simply dodging instead of using his shield because he wanted to save up energy.

ChibiMoon was, perhaps, the one that was fighting with the most resolve of the three. She could see the girl still had some thirst for revenge left, and frankly, she couldn't say she would act any different if she had been the one to go through what she went.

Moon, however, worried her much more... True, she wasn't nearly as close as ChibiMoon was to Saturn, but she was still one of her closest friends. And she knew if she was killed, it wouldn't be up to her to revive her, so that would mean bringing Dragon Saturn forth. Something she knew more than one Senshi was strongly against.

One of the cyborgs leapt up to the roof, and Saturn readied her glaive. "Seems like I'll get some action after all."

"Submarine Reflection!"

"Wind Sword Blast!"

"Or not," Saturn muttered. She nodded at the two 'rogues.' "Thanks for the help."

"That's what friends do," Uranus said.

Saturn blinked. Yes, of course, she would also cover them, if she didn't have to wait for...

"Hyena!"

The shout took her out of her musings, and she winced as she noticed the cause of Lion's outburst. "Now this isn't what I was expecting," she noted before leaping off the roof.

* * *

It had started minutes earlier, and to the normal human eye, there was nothing going on there, other than Hyena staring forwards at something that couldn't be seeen.

Truth to be told, Venus was impressed. Jaguar had, once again, managed to run faster than her. Hyena was there to help, too, but she couldn't really tell if she was trustworthy.

Jaguar was conscious of the one other enemy in the area, but also knew that, other by sheer luck, she wouldn't be able to get him. So, he instead focused in his current target. She was hard to follow for the others as she run, but to him, she was moving quite slow.

Hyena saw Venus getting hit, several times, and flinched. "I really don't want to use this, but... Venus, cover your ears!"

Venus didn't know what the 'catgirl' was up to, but there was nothing to lose, really, humoring her. "Got it!"

Hyena smirked. "There goes my voice."

Venus saw Hyena open her mouth, but no sound came from her. Whatever it was she was doing, however, caused Jaguar to stop and clutch his head, visibly in pain. "What..."

"Ultrasound waves," Hyena said. "Get him while he's out of it."

"Who said I am?" Jaguar snapped with a smirk. Venus saw him vanish and got ready for the hit, but instead she heard a choked gasp from her side. She could see where Jaguar was now... Right behind Hyena, and his claw was coming out of her stomach. "Bastard!"

Hyena tried to speak, but all she could do was cough up blood. Jaguar pulled his hand back and snorted as she fell. "So long, bitch. Traitors always pay for their betrayal."

* * *

Rex took a glance around. Jaguar was facing two of their foes, and so was Vulture, but the rest were busy with those cyborgs that had showed up as soon as the battle started. Whoever sent them was either an ally, or someone that simply wanted the Senshi dead as much as him. Either worked for him, so he would worry about who their benefactor was after he was done killing these brats.

He blocked a sword slash from Moon and snorted. "Stupid girls, you're not going to hit me."

Both girls leapt away from him and panted. "He's strong, I'll give him that," Moon noted.

"Hyena!"

ChibiMoon heard Lion's shout and turned around, and saw just what he was looking at. She could feel the anger and pain in him as he looked at his fallen friend (or way more than friend, she realized.) "Lion, go get Jaguar."

Lion turned to her. "I won't take orders from you."

"Drop the act. It's what you want... What you need to do. Once you get him, come back to help us."

As Lion left, Dragon Earth rushed to them. "I'm going to help, too."

"What about the Omega?" Moon asked.

"We'll need you two to get rid of all those critters," Dragon Earth said. "Besides, I can't let you two handle this guy alone."

* * *

Lion reached the scene right after Saturn did, and looked at Hyena. It was quite clear she was gone. "Jaguar, I'm going to..."

"I can bring her back."

"What?"

"Don't tell me you didn't know," Saturn said.

Lion stared at her as she kneeled besides Hyena and put a hand on her forehead. "But why, we were enemies..."

"You caused us much pain, yes, you came close to killing some of us, even in this era," Saturn admitted, "and trust me, a part of me still wants to leave her dead."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Because you've seen your errors, and want to redeem yourselves. And also... Because I've always dreaded having to be kneeling besides the one I love, having to bring her back. I hate seeing others go through that, and I've seen it many times already."

Hyena woke up, first staring at Saturn, then at Lion. "What happened?"

"You died, I brought you back," Saturn explained.

"Thanks," Hyena said.

Lion saw Venus land right besides them, her suit quite ragged, and her face and limbs very beaten. He sensed something and snorted as Jaguar bounced off his forcefield. "Idiot, even with that speed..."

"He's mine," Hyena snapped.

"But..."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. Don't let Moon die, okay?"

Lion nodded. "Good luck."

Hyena looked at Saturn. "Are you going to fight?"

"Maybe, but I doubt I'll be able to hit him. Still, I already killed him once, but I wish he stayed dead."

Venus stood up. "That bastard's not a soft hitter..."

Jaguar stopped for a second and laughed. "Good, more lambs to slaughter."

"That's it," Saturn said, "he called me a lamb, so I'm going to stab him through."

* * *

Rex punched ChibiMoon hard enough to knock her back, then sensed movement behind him. He swung his fist, but Moon dodged and went for a stab to his chest. Rex used his other hand to block the sword and smirked. "Go to sleep, moongirl."

Dragon Earth caught Moon, but noticed she was out cold. "Damn, I'm going to..."

"Going to what, dirtboy?" Rex snapped.

"Stone Jab!"

Rex let the massive hand hit, dragging him several meters back, but laughed. "Seriously, you kids are so pathetic..."

"Hey Barney, fetch!"

Rex turned and instinctively reached out, to stop the object coming straight at him. He then grunted as he noticed it was Moon's sword, and it had struck through his hand. "Who the fuck..."

Shingo was standing right behind Dragon Earth, glaring at Rex. "You hurt my sis, now I'm going to kick your ass."

Rex laughed. "Dumb human boy, you can't hurt me." He saw the sword pulling itself off his hand and floating to the kid. "Oh hell no."

Shingo clutched the sword and smirked. "Time to play. Moon Dragon Power!"

"Guess he did think about it," ChibiMoon muttered.

* * *

Uranus was fighting two Omega at once, and it wasn't really a lot of fun. She had no idea how long the battle had lasted so far, but things were getting worse. Several Senshi were already too tired to fight, and the Omega were still many.

The two creatures she was fighting suddenly exploded, and she saw Pluto was standing there, her staff still moving after the slash. "About time you got here, pun intended."

Pluto didn't seem to notice her, instead leaping up to the dojo's rooftop. "Senshi, get out of this area as soon as you can."

"Why?" Neptune asked just as she punched one of the cyborgs away.

Pluto pointed up. "That's why."

ChibiMoon looked up and paled. A shining light could be seen, even in daylight, but it wasn't the Moon, it was... "Shit, she's right."

Pluto groaned. "There's no time to run, so..." she muttered something under her breath, and the Senshi and their allies all vanished.

The Omega and the hunters looked around, trying to predict where the Senshi would show up again. However, the area suddenly lit up all around them.

Vulture looked up and almost forgot how to fly from the shock. "Oh boy, that's going to hurt," he commented.

A second later, a beam hit the ground from above, wrecking many buildings in a two blocks area, sending the hunters sailing back, and destroying all the Omega.

The Senshi appeared a split second after the shockwave passed, and Dragon Mercury was the first one to find his voice. "What the fuck happened here?"

* * *

**A/N:** _Neptune's Violin:_ Guilty as charged. Each arc's got a focus character or characters, and they have been pretty much out of the action for this one. Next one, however, will give them a bit more spotlight.

_SailorStar9:_ (Points at last scene.) That big.


	139. Hunter's Last Shot

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 139: Hunter's Last Shot**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 12, 2008_

* * *

"Just what was... That?"

Onara couldn't help but smile. "Tomoe."

"He did that?"

Onara looked at 'A.' "It seems the army wasn't just around for cleanup and helping the Senshi... They actually developed a weapon that can destroy our soldiers."

"Screw destroying our soldiers," Rubeus noted, "that thing's blast must be as strong as a second, or maybe third level Senshi."

Onara nodded. "The Omega may become stronger as far as offensive power goes, but their bodies reached their upgrade limit years ago. "

"Oh well, I guess it's time to go back to building more of them. And also, Onara, try to get our guest to recover."

"Of course, A" Onara said, "but I fear she might not like waiting. "

"I know that, and I also know her power is quite impressive. But it's a risk I'm willing to take."

* * *

"Tomoe, what the hell was that?"

"Seia, dear, don't worry," Tomoe said to Seia, who looked like she was ready to rocket him down. It was good that she was actually miles away and speaking through her tank's comm.

"Not worrying?" Seia snapped. "Are you insane? You just blasted an area of two blocks skyhigh, and you're telling me not to worry?"

Kino was right behind Tomoe, and as upset as Seia. "Were there any civilians around?"

Tomoe chuckled. "Please... I wouldn't shoot that without knowing things in advance. And thanks to a certain lady in green who visited me before this mess started, I knew she was going to move everyone out of the way when I shot."

There was a string of insults coming from the communicator. "Damn, you could've told us."

"And miss the looks on your faces?" Tomoe asked with a wide grin. "I don't get much fun, being at the base most of the time, you know... "

"Nice," Seia growled. "When I get back there, I'm going to test one of my anti-scientist rockets."

Kino frowned. "Does she even have something like that?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," Tomoe commented.

* * *

Jaguar stood up and immediately noticed the changes the battlefield had suffered. "Holy shit, just what did they throw at us?"

Rex was looking up to the sky, "whatever it was, it can't kill us. "

Vulture shook his head. "Still, it did destroy those cyborgs."

Rex smirked. "I guess we'll have to use our own soldiers, then."

"And hope whoever shot that can only shoot once," Jaguar added.

* * *

Pluto smirked at the Dragon's question. "That, is what the army's scientist have been working on for a few years."

"From the residual energy, that blast was wide, but not that powerful," Saturn said.

Moon's eyes widened at that. "You mean we could survive something like this?"

Pluto nodded. "But it would still hurt you."

"What about civilians?" Mars asked.

"Don't worry, I moved everyone out myself before that hit," Pluto reassured them.

Mercury's attention turned to the battlefield again. "Oh, now that's great..."

Moon looked to where the Hunters were and groaned. "More of those things?"

Lion, who had remained silent until then, nodded. "Vulture loves to build those robots. There's many more of them in the ship."

"So the only way to end this..." ChibiMoon noted.

Hyena nodded. "We have to kill them, or they will just keep on bringing those bugs in."

Moon leapt down from the roof they were standing on (one of the few buildings around that hadn't been blasted down,) and looked up. "Okay guys, split up to destroy those robots, and some of us should focus on the Hunters."

Pluto snorted. "That's a good plan, but I've got a better one."

"And that is..." Mars said as the rest of the team leapt down.

The four Mooncats rushed in. "Pluto told us to come here. She and us will keep those robots busy, you guys take care of the Hunters."

Moon looked around and sighed. "No. Not all of us."

"But Moon..." Mars started.

"Guys, you are all beaten up from that fight."

"Not all of us," Saturn noted, "I haven't fought much. And also, I've got a catboy to kill... Again."

ChibiMoon nodded. "Mom, we need them all to win this one."

Moon turned to look at the hunters, who were standing there, apparently also recovering their energy. "So what are we..."

The 'sidekicks' all appeared in the battlefield. "Damn it, guys, are you ever going to stop wrecking the city?"

Saturn smirked at Warwitch. "Actually, this was my dad's doing."

"He's got a BFG?" Game Master asked amused.

"Sort of," Pluto said. "Let's just say it involves a big beam, a cannon and a satellite."

"I want to see the blueprints," Dragon Mercury mused.

"Guys, they're bored of waiting," Lilith noted.

Moon saw the robots and the three evil hunters coming their way and nodded. "Let's defeat them."

* * *

"Luckily, that blast didn't drill its way here." Aiko used her 'cammeras' (those that had survived the blast) to check on the battlefield right above her, and nodded. "Looks like this is the final battle. I'm not missing this."

* * *

Earth kicked one of the 'Roids' away and looked around. Pluto's plan was nice, but the hunters weren't playing along. So, most of them had to stay behind and fight the seemingly endless wave of androids. "This is quite a mess."

"Thought you loved brawls," Jupiter noted.

Earth smirked. "Sure do, but this is too much."

Jupiter was about to answer, but stopped to kick one of the robots that came too close to her. "Just keep on killing tin cans."

"Sounds like a plan," Earth noted and leapt at another of the robots, knocking it down.

* * *

Saturn looked at Jaguar and smirked. "Time for a rematch, huh?"

Jaguar snorted. "I'm going to kill the three of you."

Saturn turned to Venus. "You know what to do." They had made a quick plan for this battle, using Jaguar's own ego against himself. If it worked, then their victory would be certain.

Venus nodded. "Don't worry, he'll never see it coming."

Jaguar laughed. "See it coming? With your speed, dear, you move so slow I can dance around you."

"Wanna try?" Venus teased.

"Sure," Jaguar said and vanished. Venus smiled and vanished too.

Saturn was using her eye visor to follow the battle. "Let's see if Mina can outsmart that guy." A part of her mind was telling her trusting Minako's wits to defeat an enemy was a suicidal strategy, but she rapidly told that part of her mind to shut up.

Jaguar wasn't worried. In the few seconds that had passed since the fight resumed, he had hit Venus several times. True, the girl was fast enough to be able to hit him now and then, but with his armor, her damage was nothing he couldn't handle. He noted Venus was slowing down, and kicked her hard. As he leapt away, expecting a counter, he saw Venus kneeling on the ground, seemingly out of air. "Gotcha," he announced as he rushed at her, going for the kill.

He didn't see Venus summoning her chain sword, nor did he hear her words as she stood up. However, the scream of "Wink Chain Encircle," and the fact she suddenly had her strange sword circling around her did register in his mind. Unfortunately, at the speed he was going, he had literally no time to stop, and run head-on into the spinning chain.

That had been the first part of the attack, however. He recovered fast, but his slowing and his confusion left him open for an attack. Hyena, who was waiting for that chance, phased right behind him, and used her supersonic scream, focused in his back, to send him sailing forwards.

And then came the third and final part of Saturn's plan. Hyena's attack sent Jaguar slamming into what remained of a grocery, but he didn't have any time to recover. He felt something hit, and then the last thing he'd ever hear. "Hope you stay dead this time around."

Venus appeared near Saturn just as she pulled her glaive out, and Jaguar fell to the ground, already dead. "Wow, it worked."

"Have any energy left to help the others?

Venus nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Uranus and Neptune had tagged along with the two Mercuries, to try and defeat Vulture. But the man had taken the battle up to the sky, which made their fight a lot harder.

Not for Dragon Mercury, however, who was apparently enjoying the challenge. Vulture's armor was strong enough to resist his sword, though, so he was trying his best to shoot the birdman down. But still, even with the four of them shooting attacks at him, Vulture wasn't having any trouble dodging.

But Dragon Mercury still had a card to play, to get rid of the birdhead. "Hey, Vulture, I've got a question," the Dragon shouted as the two floated away from each other.

"It's Vul..." Vulture started, then groaned. "Nevermind. What's the matter, boy?"

"I was wondering... You know, all the other hunters have something special, but... What about you? Is your 'special' power just flying? That's lame."

Mercury looked up at him. What was he planning?

Vulture snorted. "Trust me, kid, you don't want to see my skill."

"Oh, but I do."

Mercury got close enough to speak to the Dragon in a low voice. "What are you doing?"

"He's just waiting for us to waste our energy," he said, "or until the Roids come to help. I want to see what his skill is now, and see if I can find a way to cancel it. Even if I fail, you girls can figure out a way to get him afterwards."

Mercury grimaced. "But you'll get hurt..."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Or at least, he would be alive after he was done. Or so he hoped.

"Done talking to your girlfriend?" Vulture snapped. "Because I'm ready to shred you apart."

"Go ahead, Roc."

Dragon Mercury waited to see what his trick would be. Vulture started spinning rapidly as sharp metallic feathers shot from his wings, and soon his form had been blurred by the feather-packed whilrwind that his spinning formed. He started advancing towards the Dragon, the whilrwind moving along, and laughed evily. The whirlwind was strong enough to pull dust, leaves and pebbles in, and was picking up strenght by the second.

"Terry, be careful!" Mercury shouted as the others descended to ground level.

"For once, I won't," Dragon Mercury said. "Saturn Cosmic Power!"

Without another word, the Dragon charged right into the deadly whirlwind. For a second nothing happened, then there was a shout of "Requiem Mist." Mercury gasped as the whirlwind literally exploded in a shower of metal shards. The few Senshi fighting Vulture could see him flying away into the distance, blasting through several tall buildings before falling right into the sea, several miles away.

"No way he would survive that," Uranus commented.

Dragon Saturn stood floating on his board for a second, then fell to his knees as the board floated down to ground level. Mercury rushed to his side. "Are you okay?"

"Been beaten worse," Dragon Saturn said. His suit was sliced all around and blood was running down a wound in his left arm.

"I... Doubt it," Mercury said with a sigh.

"Hey, my plan worked."

"That was a plan?" Mercury muttered.

"Yes, actually."

"A long-range attack would've disrupted that whirlwind."

"Yes but... The attack I used was the only thing I could think off to get rid of Vulture for sure."

"Point taken."

The Dragon reverted to his Mercury outfit and sighed. "I'm tired."

"You're not gonna go and lock yourself up in your mind again, are you?" Mercury asked.

"Maybe I will, I need some rest..."

"If you do that, I'll punish you."

"How?"

"Well for starters..." Mercury said and kissed him deeply. "No more of these," she added as she broke the kiss.

"Okay, you win," Dragon Mercury said with a smile.

* * *

ChibiMoon could see things were getting out of hand. Lion was out cold, and so was her father. Dragon Moon was leaning on a wall, recovering his breath... True, he had helped them, but he was way out of his league here, being only at first level. And he hadn't used any attack yet, which she found quite strange.

Rex and Moon were now fighting, but it was clear Moon was losing the fight. ChibiMoon leapt in, slashing down at him, but Rex backhanded her, knocking her down almost too easily. "Little brat, you're no challenge to me now."

ChibiMoon growled. Sure, she wanted to slap the smile off his face, but she was out of energy. She looked down the block, and saw the others were still busy with those robots. So, she knew it was all up to her mother now. But she wasn't worried, she knew Moon wouldn't give up.

Rex felt something hit his back and turned around. "Hmmm... You must be the computer brat Lion told me about."

Aiko smirked. "Yes, that's me. Wanna fight?"

Rex shot a blast that punched right through Aiko's chest. "No, I've got no time to waste in useless machines."

Aiko looked down at the hole in her chest and winced. "Guess he saw right through my strategy..." She then winced. "Damn, I'm starting to make jokes as bad as dad's now."

Rex turned to Moon, but saw she wasn't where he had last seen her. "Where..." He looked up and then leapt back, dodging Moon's falling kick. "Damn you, little brat, I'm bored of this. Die!"

"Lunar Barrier!"

Both Rex and Moon gasped. Dragon Moon had run in just in time, summoning a barrier that stopped most of the villain's energy blast. However, he was still hit, and knocked back right over Moon's head. "Stupid brat..."

Moon glared at Rex. "That's enough! I'm not going to let you hurt my friends anymore. Moon... Crystal..." Moon crossed her hands in front of her face, and her crystal lit up. She then swiftly reached her hands out, still crossed, and a beam came from the crystal, gathering in her hands for a second before shooting forwards. "... Retribution!"

Dragon Moon kneeled on the ground, and smiled despite the pain he was in. "She got him..."

Moon was thinking the same, but when the smoke cleared, Rex was still standing there. His armor was singed, yes, but he didn't look hurt. "No way, I failed?"

Rex laughed. "Yes, you did, little Moon girl. And now, it's time for you to d--" He stopped, eyes wide, and looked down as he felt a sharp pain. He could see the shining sword tip coming out of his skin, and he felt his mouth filling with blood. "This can't... Happen... I can't..."

"Moon Heartbreaker!"

Moon stood up as Rex's body literally exploded, and walked to her daughter. "ChibiUsa..."

ChibiMoon smiled as she looked at where the hunter had been, but then her face turned grim, and she dropped her sword. "I... I need to be alone."

Moon watched her daughter walk away and sighed. Looking back, she saw the androids were all immobile now. She observed as Hyena walked to where the others were, and then the androids vanished. "It's finally over."

Saturn walked to her. "What's wrong with Chibi?"

"She... Killed Rex."

"I see..."

"She said she needed to be alone," Moon said, "but I think you should be with her."

Saturn simply nodded, picked ChibiMoon's sword, and walked after her.

"Wow, this was quite a battle, huh?" Jupiter said as the others reached Moon. "But you got the villain."

"Wasn't me," Moon said. "Chibi did it."

Lion was up, and helped Dragon Earth stand up as well. "Now that this is over, we'll leave your planet as soon as we can."

Moon sighed. "You helped us, so you don't have to..."

Hyena snorted. "We don't have anything to do here. I think we're going to search for other worlds, until we find one we can call home. "

Lion nodded. "But we may be back, someday. Farewell."

Luna looked around. "Damn it, we can't end these wars without wrecking the city anymore, can we?"

Aiko was just done regenerating the part of her body that had been blow off. "Compared to how the city looked after your last battle... "

Dragon Mercury groaned. "Okay, let's go home. I feel like I need to rest for a week."

"I'll heal you back to perfect health," Mercury mused.

"If you stay around him, I bet he'll take a month to recover," Mars noted.

"I'm too tired to even make a joke," Dragon Venus commented.

"And that's bad because...?" Venus asked.

Moon wasn't really listening to her friends right now. She was happy the war was over, but she knew it wouldn't be the last one. She just hoped they would have time to recover before the next one.

* * *

**A/N:** If you're surprised about the double update, well... I had episode 140 written for a while. And I've also got half of episode 141 down, so it'll be up soon.

After next episode, things are going to get messy, and you may get a bit of deja-vu feeling about next arc. I bet most _will_ figure out who Yuki's second soul is soon enough.

As for who 'A' is, that should be no mystery already. But as I've said before, it's always a matter of looking at the little clues I leave around.


	140. Thoughts And Preparations

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 12: Senshi Hunters.**

**Episode 140: Thoughts And Preparations.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 10, 2008_

* * *

Yuki smiled as she looked at the notes in her computer. She put data on the Senshi in there, but she kept the knowledge of their identites to herself, as it was safer in her mind. She had been around them for a while now, and they were really a strange group. But she really liked the group, even with its many quirks.

For starters, the so-called rogues, Haruka and Michiru. She saw them at school everyday, but they were rarely around when she went to the secret base, or in battles. Still, the two of them possibly had the best team work of the group. They didn't need to talk to know what the other was going to do next.

Then was Hotaru. If what Usagi had told her about her was right, then she had done a lot of improvement. Although her humor was often a bit too dark, and she seemed to love sarcasm, she was also kind and friendly. And a fierce warrior, despite her low endurance.

Pluto, or Setsuna, was... A real mystery. She apparently was that way even to those that knew her the most. She was both the strongest Senshi, as far as raw magic went, and the one that fought the less. When she did fight, however, enemies were in for a lot of pain.

Dragon Earth. Mamoru Chiba. She knew what he was going to be in the future, but his past was what interested her most. Car accident, his parents dying and him losing his memory... A quite eventful childhood, but Yukiko could see he had left all that behind, now that he found his Princess.

Dragon Venus. Brad Diamond. Hiding behind a wall of jokes and apparent silliness, he was a good fighter, with many more spells than even Yuki herself knew. He rarely used those spells in battle, but watching him pull a wall of flames or a beam of darkness out of thin air was still quite a sight to behold.

Terry Zephyr, aka Dragon Mercury, Dragon Saturn and Zero. Yuki grinned as she thought about him. Honestly, it's the kind of guy one would want to meet while they're single. Rich, willing to protect the ones he cares about, honest (sometimes _too damn_ honest,) and usually friendly. And he wasn't bad to the eye, either. Still, he was far from perfect, as his ego could often get out of control, and his sense of humor was almost as bad as Brad's.

Hana Thompson, or Nova, was one of the so-called 'sidekicks,' and the one with the most fame. From Terry's own words, Nova had much more power than she let others see, so much power it would be a hard task to bring her down (or even to make her stop using it,) if she unleashed it. Something happened to make him say that, but he wasn't answering any questions about it. Nowadays, the girl was often seen helping the police (more than the police wanted to be helped, in some cases,) and ocassionaly helping the Senshi.

ChibiUsa Tsukino, the girl from the future... Yuki frowned as she thought about her. She knew what was going to happen to her, someday, but no matter how much she tried, there was no way to make her talk. But she couldn't hate the girl, because she had noticed the way she looked at her, whenever she tried to bring the topic up. She was forcing herself not to say whatever it was, but she didn't like it, at all. While she would never like the fact she was keeping something from her, she still knew she couldn't blame her.

Then there was what she could call the 'main' group. Usagi, Rei, Ami, Makoto and Minako. And Naru, too, she knew Usagi and her had been friends since they were in kinder. Those six were what one would call the leading force of the Senshi. Not that the others weren't important, but those six girls were often up and fighting when it all seemed impossible.

Usagi... The one that had first approached her. And she was also Sailor Moon. The strongest Senshi, the strongest person she knew. Her real strength wasn't physical, or brain power, or even how powerful her energy beams could be (and they could be _really_ powerful, most of the time.) She could take a bit of nudging from the others to fight sometimes, but once she started fighting, she didn't give up. No matter what kind of dangers she was facing, she was willing to fight, even though she didn't like resorting to violence to solve her problems.

"I hope I can have the same kind of power she has, whenever I..."

_'Soon... Real soon.'_

Yuki froze. That voice, it sounded so real... Was it just her mind playing tricks on her, or whatever she had inside was stirring?

* * *

He smiled as he looked at the image in his magic crystal ball. Stupid humans, so cozy and peaceful in their planet, while his kin had to struggle to survive in this dark, sunless world. But soon, his kin would have the Earth once more. It was theirs by birthright, their former Queen had taken over all of it, before she was stopped...

Once, by the mother, and then once more... Moon, Sailor Moon, that name had been in his mind during the past few years. A beacon of light, a beacon of mankind's power. A beacon he intended to destroy soon.

But to do that, he had to plan carefully. Despite themselves, his race was still needy of mana. They could survive here, yes, but there was a difference between being alive and just surviving. And he, for one, wanted to feel alive, to feel mana flowing freely through him, as his mother had once told him the old Earth was. "Mother..."

"Are you brooding again, brother?"

"Don't be a brat, sister. You know what they did."

"Of course. The Senshi killed our sisters and our mother. Don't worry, brother, I am more than willing to stab Sailor Moon's heart through with my own hands."

* * *

One week had gone by. One week had been more than enough time for her to think things trough. She had even gone to the time tunnel (a place, ChibiUsa noted, that needed a better name, as it wasn't really a single tunnel, but a quite complicated maze,) and had checked on the barrier. It was still there, and she could guess why. Despite herself, after killing Rex, she had felt an urge to go check things up in the future, her mind kept on saying she would be back, but her heart knew she still wanted to recover her old, boring, peaceful life.

It was lucky Pluto had brought Saturn into the 'tunnel' when she did, because she had been about to start shooting energy blasts at the damn thing in hopes to opening it up again.

"Are you okay?"

ChibiUsa sighed. "Yes, it's just that..."

Hotaru was about to say something, but Terry beat her to it. "Revenge sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does." ChibiUsa said grimly. "All my anger, all my rage, they're still there, even now that I know the enemy's gone."

Terry looked at Ami. "Revenge is not as cool as they make it seem, but you have to look around and see all the things you still have, not what you lost. Use the rage you will still feel for quite some time to protect what you care about the most."

Ami smiled back at Terry. "Why can't you sound so wise all the time?"

"Eehhh... Because I'd be a boring old man like Hakko."

ChibiUsa looked at Hotaru and chuckled. "Guess he's right. I'm looking forwards to spending the rest of my life with someone special."

"And who might that be?" Hotaru asked.

"Oh, I think you can guess who..." ChibiUsa said and leaned in to kiss her.

Aiko appeared in the room right then. "Uh, sorry to interrupt but... "

"What's wrong?"

"A dozen 'Gales' have shown up in Shibuya."

"More of those?" ChibiUsa muttered.

"Can't we let the army take care of them?" Hotaru said.

"No way I'm leaving all the fun to Seia's pets," Terry said.

* * *

Shingo looked at the setting sun and sighed. "I guess now I've done it."

Nova giggled. "It's not that bad. Now you can help me, and your sister."

"Bah, I'm still at my lowest level."

Nova phased in front of him, actually floating right out of the roof he was standing on. "I fell for you when you were just a normal boy. I don't care if you help or not, but... I don't think what you did was wrong. You did it to protect your sister."

"And almost got killed."

"Isn't that how it goes for Senshi all the time?" Nova mused.

A series of screams cut what Shingo was going to say next. "They can't let us rest, huh?"

"They sure can't. Coming?"

Shingo nodded. "Let me just change for the party. Moon Dragon Power!"

* * *

"Two minutes and twenty seconds," Dragon Mercury said. "That's a new record."

"I killed one of those in about five seconds," Nova noted.

"You got lucky," Saturn said.

"But seriously, why are they even trying?" Mars said. She had been dining at a nearby restaurant, but the place got wrecked by one of those Gales.

"Why did I have to come here, anyway?"

"Usagi, you sound like your lazy old self," Mars noted.

"And you sound like your old bitchy self," Moon countered with a wink.

"Stop it, you two," Mercury snapped.

ChibiMoon smiled. Yes, she saw it now. She knew her old life was definitely over, but she would still enjoy the new one she had.

* * *

He woke up and groaned. He felt like he had been tackled by a spaceship, and was sure he looked even worse. But what had happened to his allies?

"Oh, you woke up," a voice noted. "Don't worry about standing up yet, your body isn't still healthy enough for that."

"Where am I?"

"I brought you here after your last battle. You were barely alive, but we were able to heal your many wounds. This is my base, and you may call me 'A.' We're a group that wants the Senshi dead, and are planning to do so in a not too distant future. And since they killed your allies, I suppose you want the same, Vulture."

Vulture winced. "Yes, of course. I want to kill those brats."

"Good. Hear my offer, then, and you can decide what you'll do next. "

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, quite a short episode, I know. Don't worry, though, as things are about to get very interesting for the Senshi.

Oh, and we'll finally get to see what is inside Yukiko, too. Here's hoping at least one reader out there guessed it. (And this episode contains the biggest hint so far. That's all I'm saying.)


	141. Under New Management

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 13: Princess Of Darkness.**

**Episode 141: Under New Management.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 13, 2008_

* * *

He stood with the rebuilt castle behind him, and looked out at the crowd of creatures gathered to listen to his speech. They hadn't been idle all these years, not at all. His race was strong, and not even the death of their leaders and their Goddess was enough to make them abandon their goal.

And now, that goal was once again in front of them. It was once again theirs to take. But the threat of the Senshi remained. A threat against which he, Morganite, had planned to take a different approach.

His twin sister smirked as she noticed the crowd getting restless. "Morganite, I think they want you to talk to them already."

"Of course," Morganite said. He addressed the crowd, which fell silent as soon as they noticed him speaking. "My subjects, in the past, our rightful place as the rulers of the Earth was denied to us. Not once, but twice. First, by the unworthy ruler of the Moon, Serenity, and then, in this era, it was her daughter who stopped us again. And unlike her mother, the daughter wasn't just content with casting us back into this dark planet, but she also killed our leaders."

"My turn," his sister said with a smirk. "As the two last descendants of Queen Beryl, we took it as our duty to defeat the Senshi, and rest assured we will not rest until each and every one of those human magicians are dead."

"Hail Morganite! Hail Goshenite!"

"Lead us to victory!"

Morganite smiled. Youma were loyal to them. Some of them, he knew, were loyal simply because they were scared of the power the twins posessed, but he didn't care. Loyalty and fear went hand in hand, and he knew those youma would follow his... Their plans, no matter what. "Now, for our first mission, I need a volunteer."

And the crowd erupted into many shouts as every youma gathered tried to get the honor of being the first one to go to Earth. Morganite looked back at the castle, where the portal was. It would take a while for them to gather enough mana, but youma had waited for eons to reclaim what was theirs. He knew they could still wait a few more weeks.

* * *

Usagi sat on top of the dojo and looked around. The buildings that were destroyed in their last battle had been rebuilt. She had really enjoyed the peace that had followed their final battle against those hunters, but there was something in her mind, lately, that told her it wouldn't last.

At least, she thought, they had a break from studying, though she knew she would have to study hard in college, which was only a month away now.

"Why aren't you inside?"

She smiled as she saw Naru standing right besides her. "There's nobody inside, well, Aiko 'is' there but I know she's been spending more time outside lately than she ever did."

"Things changed a bit, huh?"

She nodded at that. Minako had left Japan weeks ago, as Brad wanted to visit his relatives. Last she knew, they weren't coming back until college started, or an evil race decided to invade Tokyo. As for Terry, he had left for the U.S., as his father had called him for something rather important. Usagi wished she knew more of the technical language they often used, but she had caught something about a device that would let anyone teleport to wherever they wanted in the world.

"Are you still here?"

Usagi chuckled. "Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about what the future would bring."

Naru smiled. "A few more wars, then hopefully we'll be able to live in that dull, boring city ChibiUsa tells us about now and then."

Dull and boring, Usagi thought, but despite herself, she hoped it would come soon, as she was growing weary of fighting.

* * *

Ami was, once again, picking up some books from the mall's book store. Most of the customers looked at her as she walked out with the two large bags. First off, because most teenagers only bothered with magazines, not books. And second, because she was carrying more weight than a girl her age could possibly carry.

She noticed something as she was about to walk out of the mall. A new shop, a fashion shop, that hadn't been there last week. She'd have to tell the girls about this, they would probably be interested.

"You noticed, too?"

Ami saw Hana standing there, looking straight at the shop. "Notice what?"

"The energy's almost impossible to spot, but it's there," Hana explained.

"Energy? What do you mean?"

"Go change for the party, I'm quite sure that shop's run by evil creatures."

Ami nodded and dashed off. She looked for a safe place, and put all her bags in her 'pocket space' as she had always called the place where she kept all her Senshi things. Making sure nobody was looking, she nodded and transformed.

Mercury checked the shop from a distance. Hana's guess had been right, and there was some kind of evil energy inside the shop. It was almost impossible to detect, too. She scanned the three women who were in charge of the shop, and grimaced. "Youma? But that's... "

It couldn't be the group that sent the Omega, Nova and Game Master against them, that just wasn't their style. Also, draining such a small quantity of energy off each human wasn't like the Dark Kingdom at all... Unless they had finally realized what always blew their cover in the past. But she had been there, she had seen all of the Generals, Beryl and Metallia defeated, how could these be youma?

"No choice but to ask them, I suppose," Mercury noted. She produced her communicator and set it to broadcast to all the others. "Anyone near the south mall?"

"I'm at the dojo," Usagi answered. "What's the problem?"

"The youma. They're back."

"Youma?" Rei asked surprised.

"I was feeling like something was out of place," Usagi said, "now I know what it was. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"But seriously, youma? We destroyed them relatively easily four years ago," Rei said.

"Underestimating an enemy can be dangerous, Rei," Mercury said.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Mercury walked up to the store, and noticed Hana had already changed for the party. "They haven't seen us yet, so..." The last of the customers inside the shop walked out, and she smiled. "Time for an old trick. Shabon Spray!"

The mist had been always meant for surprise attacks, and Mercury was surprised at how much thicker and cold it was now. She guessed it was because of how stronger she was now compared to the last time she'd used it. "Nova?"

"Don't worry, I can't see them, but I can sense them."

"Then let's get them."

The three women were looking around, confused. The mist had formed in a second, and it wasn't letting them see anything around them. "Who is there? Show yourself!" the one that seemed older snapped.

"Tsunami Wave!"

The attack knocked the three women out of the store, and one of them didn't stand up. "Lady Goshenite, the Senshi saw through our plan!"

"I noticed that," the other woman said, seeing one of her soldiers was disintegrating. "But how did they know?"

"That'd be my fault," Nova snapped appearing right in front of the woman, and knocking her down with a psi blast. "Hmmm... You're pretty strong, girl."

The other woman transformed into a brown-skinned, large creature with scythe-like arms, and rushed at Nova. The one that had been knocked down didn't transform, but her dress changed into a quite revealing, pink battle armor.

Mercury looked at the woman and could see her power was quite high. Higher than hers, even, which meant trouble. "So, who are you, youma?"

"I'm Princess Goshenite of the New Dark Kingdom," Goshenite announced, "and I'm not going to let you ruin our plans."

"Tsunami Wave!"

Goshenite snorted at that. "It only works if you surprise me." She reached her hand out, and the icy water from Mercury's attack all gathered in a ball, which she swiftly threw at the still surprised Ice Senshi. "I don't know why mother was defeated by your kin."

Mother? Mercury understood what that meant. She was one of Beryl's children, and just like the five they fought in the entrance to the Dark Kingdom, she was no pushover. She stood up, soaked and a bit shabby from getting hit by her own attack, but still glared at her. "You youma, don't you get it? This world isn't yours."

"Oh, but it is. Mother won the right to rule over it."

"Are you really up to following Beryl's path?" Mercury asked. "If that's the case, then I'm going to fight with all I have." She looked to the side and noticed Nova wasn't faring well against the youma. Apparently, these creatures had raised in power as much as they had.

Goshenite laughed. "Following her path? No, not just that. We're going to do what Queen Beryl couldn't. We're going to kill your kin, and then take over the Earth."

"You talk big, but pink looks ugly on you."

Mercury noticed Moon, ChibiMoon and Nemesis were there. Things were looking better for them now. "Surrender, Goshenite, you can't win this."

Goshenite looked up at Moon and laughed. "Why, because the pretty Moon Princess is here? I'm not afraid of that brat."

Nova was just done beating the youma to a pulp with her psi powers, and took a glance around. As expected, the building was now empty, not counting them. She saw the Senshi facing the 'boss' and smield. All she had to do was attacking when that pink-suited freak was distracted.

Moon frowned. If not for the woman's hair being the same color as her suit, she would've confused her with her first major enemy. And it was a face that she hoped she would never see again. "You call me a brat, but you're here bullying innocent people. I won't let you get away with this. Moon Crystal Retribution!"

Goshenite looked at the incoming beam dismissively, then once more reached her hand out. Moon's attack condensed into an energy ball, which she then threw back at her.

Moon and the others leapt out of the way, and the blast tore through the mall, and did a good lot of damage as it fled through the mall's parking area. It then continued to fly, piercing a couple buildings before vanishing. "How did she..."

Nova concentrated and shot a psi blast at the woman. Goshenite, however, used the same trick she had used with the others, and Nova was knocked into a jewelry. "Damn bitch, as soon as my head stops spinning, I'm going to beat her down."

Goshenite laughed. "Pathetic little Senshi, your powers are nothing against me."

"That's because they only tried long range," a voice said from behind her.

Goshenite turned around, and was greeted by a glaive to the chest. "You... Stupid..."

"She loves stabbing people, doesn't she?" Nemesis noted.

Saturn looked at Goshenite coldly. "You know, Beryl lasted longer than you."

Goshenite laughed through the pain. "Who said I'm dead yet..." She vanished, leaving Saturn to curse under her breath.

"Damn, she escaped," Nemesis said.

"At least now we know how to deal with her," ChibiMoon noted.

Mercury walked to the others. "But I'm surprised. Not only was Goshenite strong, the youma that were with her were almost up to her level, too."

"And their method of energy gathering was... Different," Nova said.

Mercury nodded. "It's hard to notice them this way. And I bet now that we discovered their plans, they'll be even harder to spot."

* * *

Morganite saw his sister teleport in and paled. "Sister, what..."

"Sailor Saturn, the bitch surprised me."

"It's too bad we lost that draining point, but we've still got many others."

"And Senshi can't sense them easily, thanks to our strategy," Goshenite said as she started casting a healing spell.

"Yes, it's only a matter of time before we gather enough energy to destroy them. Then the Earth will know the power of youma."

* * *

**A/N:** Morganite and Goshenite are two variations of... Yep, you guessed right, Beryl.

_DavisJes:_ Shingo never did that, he simply grabbed the sword and took the chance. He could have either turning into a Dragon, or turned into a pile of ashes. He's just a lucky brat.

As for your guess... That's half right. It is someone from canon, yes, but it's someone that _did_ show up, and was defeated by the Senshi. Same applies to 'A,' too.

_SailorStar9:_ Nope, that's not it. Not like I'm going to say what it is until it happens, but feel free to keep on guessing.


	142. Youma R Us

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 13: Princess Of Darkness.**

**Episode 142: Youma-R-Us.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 14, 2008_

* * *

"I can't believe it, youma are still around."

Usagi looked at Luna and nodded. "But it's a good thing, somehow."

"What do you mean?"

"I've always thought we had destroyed their homeworld during our final battle, but now I know I only destroyed Metallia and Beryl."

"They're all evil," Luna said.

"Can we be really sure of it? Dimando and the other Black Moon members were only being mislead, maybe that's what's happening with..."

ChibiUsa walked in just then. "Hi mom. Hi Luna."

Luna looked at ChibiUsa and blinked. "You knew about this one, about the youma returning, didn't you?"

"Other than the fact I'd be around, yeah. I can't give you any specifics, though."

"So, you know of any other battles we'll have to fight in the near future?" Luna asked.

"Yes. And I can't tell you a thing about them."

"You almost sound like you're enjoying this."

ChibiUsa gave the mooncat a short glare. "Of course I'm not. Trust me, if I knew it wouldn't break the Universe, I would tell you all I know about all the battles to come, and spoil the 'fun' for you."

"I understand," Luna said, "but won't knowing what everything is about make things easier for you?"

ChibiUsa snorted. "It makes things harder. I know of things I'll have to live through that sent shivers down my spine just from _hearing_ about them. I can tell you I understand what Pluto went through perfectly now."

"Where is she, by the way?" Usagi asked.

"Back in her post, since you're all going to college from now on."

"I'll miss her class, she spoke of history like she had been there. "

ChibiUsa chuckled. "Bet she did. Have you seen Hotaru today?"

"No, but I think some of our friends were going to scout the city, looking for youma. I think it's like finding a needle in a haystack. "

"More like finding a few dozen needles," ChibiUsa whispered.

"What?"

"Uhm, nothing. I think I'll go help them."

* * *

Earth looked at the place where the youma had been seconds earlier, and smiled. "One down. A fast food restaurant, though..."

Jupiter looked around. The damage to the building had been minimal, and customers had run out as soon as the fight started. However, she noticed something else. "This place, it isn't new."

"What do you mean?"

Jupiter walked out and saw a man who was looking at the building nervously. "Sir, may I ask you a question?"

"Y-yes, go ahead."

"I'm not going to zap you," Jupiter muttered.

"Sorry, it's just that I never thought this place would be run by evil beings."

"Is this restaurant old?"

"It's been around for several months," the man noted, "and the food was good, so I didn't know..."

Jupiter nodded. "Just as I thought. Thank you, sir."

"What did you find out?" Earth asked.

Jupiter summoned her communicator and sighed. "Mercury, we've just eliminated a youma here... But the place they were at has apparently been up for months."

Mercury's face appeared in the comm. "That's bad... Mars and I just got rid of a jeweler youma here... And the customers said the same thing."

Nemesis' face popped up next. "Same here, Game Master and I got rid of two youma running a pawn shop. They're everywhere."

"And they've been gathering energy for months," Mercury noted. "Which means that, even though the energy they gather in each place is so little people affected by it won't notice, they still got more energy any of the old Generals could've ever gathered."

"Which means..." Jupiter asked.

"Which means they're good strategists," Mercury noted, "and that they could possibly have enough energy now to fight us dead-on."

"Those things just can't stay dead, can they?"

Mercury sighed. "We need to keep on searching."

"For how long, though?" Jupiter asked.

"Either until we kill all the youma that were sent here, or until the 'bosses' decide to come out and play."

"Oh, that sounds nice. There goes our weekend."

"It's Monday," Earth noted.

"Exactly what I meant."

* * *

Aiko was using several satellites to try and get a clue on where the rest of the youma shops were. It wasn't easy, though, as the youma were draining an extremely small amount of energy from each human affected, and were blocking her sensors.

And she had already checked the place where the old portal to the Dark Kingdom was, but found nothing there. It either had moved somehow, or it was also cloaked. All things considered, she hated not being able to help her friends more.

* * *

"Prince Morganite, the Senshi have eliminated several of our draining points in the last few hours."

"That's bad, they could find them all if we let them. Tell the Princess about this, I'm sure she will love the chance to go back there and kill them."

The crab-like youma that had delivered the message was happy. These two weren't like the old Generals, someone delivering a message such as this one to them would end up with their head pierced through, or worse. He just hoped the princess was in a good mood too. That woman seemed to scare even Morganite himself sometimes.

* * *

ChibiMoon had looked around for several minutes before she finally found her target. Dropping off her board, she stood right besides the other girl, who was apparently scanning a toy shop. "Is there a youma inside that building?"

"At least five of them," Saturn said, her face showing shock and anger. "I can't believe those monsters, draining children as well... "

"And they've been doing it right under our noses, too," ChibiMoon noted.

"I thought you knew about the youma returning."

"Yes, but not when they would return. All I know about this era's battles comes from either overblown versions of them in history books, or from stories told by the Senshi. I trust the second source more, but most of the time the event had passed so long ago they didn't remember the year, leave alone things like this one."

Saturn smiled. "In any case, think we should call for backup?"

"Nah, I've got a better idea."

"Now you've made me curious."

"Okay, here's the plan..."

* * *

"Hey dad, I'm sorry but I've gotta leave for Japan."

"Another enemy showed up, right?"

Terry nodded. "Yes. Tell me when your eggheads are done testing that device, I want to be the first one to test it outside the labs."

"You'll have to settle with being the second," Jack said. "Once I'm sure they're safe, I'll take them to Tokyo personally."

"Oh, I can live with that. Bet Hana'll be happy to see you too."

"Is she okay?"

Terry nodded. "I was worried for a while that she wouldn't be able to move on, but she's been dating Usagi's brother for months."

"Tell Ami I said hi, too," Jack said as his son left the office.

* * *

There was a crash, and the next thing they knew, one of them had been hit by a ghastly figure. Looking at the source of the noise, the six remaining youma could see a pale Senshi holding a glaive. Sailor Saturn, and she was apparently alone.

"How nice, a Senshi for us to kill," one of them said as they all turned into their true forms.

Saturn stared at the creatures. They were a really ugly bunch, she was glad they'd be gone in a minute. "Kill me? You'll have to catch me first," she said and run out of the store.

The six creatures run right after her, and it was then that they saw the pink-haired Senshi walking out from around the corner. "Oh, nice, there's two of them now."

"Still easy."

ChibiMoon laughed. "Funny, but you idiots fell right into our trap. "

"Trap? I see no trap."

"Pink Sugar Heart Crusher."

Saturn flinched at the image. Five of the creatures had been crushed under the heart's weight, while the sixth one had managed to get half her body out of the way. So, she was literally half dead. Saturn walked up to the youma, who was trying to crawl away from the giant heart, and sighed. "This is what you get for harming innocents. "

ChibiMoon walked to Saturn, who had kicked the youma's head away. "Nice legs, you could be a soccer player."

"You just love looking at them," Saturn teased.

"Saturn, please, not in front of the kids," ChibiMoon said. And it was quite a literal thing, as the children who had been inside the toy store (and their parents,) were now gathering around the two Senshi. Some of them had even crawled on top of the pink heart, and ChibiMoon sighed. "Well, now I know what else that thing can do besides crushing stuff."

Saturn laughed. "Should we leave?"

ChibiMoon shook her head. "Let me enjoy the fame, I've missed it."

* * *

Venus stood on top of the Tokyo Tower, looking around. "I was having fun, you know..."

"I suppose... So, what now?"

"Now, Brad, we go and beat those stupid youm dead for messing up our holidays."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Dragon Venus said.

Artemis looked around. "What the others said is true. I can sense youma, everywhere."

"So whatever they're planning this time, it'll be big."

* * *

Usagi heard Mercury's report and sighed. "They're everywhere. That explains why I can't really tell in what direction they are when I try to sense their presence."

Luna nodded. "Do you see it now? They're evil."

"Some of them may be, but how can you be so sure?"

"Are you forgetting what they did to the Moon Kingdom?" Luna snapped. "Their actions killed millions of humans."

"Of course not, but... These aren't the same youma. Beryl and her Generals are gone, I'm sure we could get to a peaceful solution for this mess, if only they were willing to listen."

Luna groaned. "I thought you had matured, Usagi, I really did. But now I can see you're still quite naive."

Usagi shook her head as Luna walked out of the room. "And I never thought you'd let the past haunt you so much, Luna."

* * *

**A/N:** _MidnightRayne13:_ Yuki's secret will be known soon, but 'A' is a different matter, as there are still a few more arcs to go before she gets tired of sitting around and decides to get out of the shadows.

_SailorStar9:_ You know the saying, 'if someone hates you, you're doing something right.'

And I still stand to the point that Yukiko's name is the best clue I gave on who her evil side is... But one's gotta be creative with anagrams to solve that one riddle. (Thus far, of the dozen friends I showed the clues to, only one solved the mystery.)


	143. Endless Wars

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 13: Princess Of Darkness.**

**Episode 143: Endless Wars.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 15, 2008_

* * *

"I'm quite tired of this war."

"It's only been three days, Haruka."

"And we've hunted youma for three days."

Michiru knew Haruka was right. This war had started out easy, but in the last three days, they had taken down at least a dozen youma each. And that's just counting the two of them, she knew others in the group were quite close to their 'score' or even higher. "I don't think they will last much longer," she said, "but I must say I agree with Ami, these youma are a lot better strategists than the ones we fought years ago."

Haruka nodded. "They've been draining humans for months, and nobody noticed until now. But I'd rather kick their faces in than praise them."

Michiru smiled. Yeah, that was just how Haruka liked her fighting.

* * *

Moon leaned on a wall and flinched. She'd been hit hard, and her leg was stained red. "I should've known fighting those youma alone was a bad idea."

"Maybe I can help."

"Brad?" Moon said in shock. "Wait, where's Minako?"

"Right here," Minako said appearing next to Moon. "Gee, Usagi, that wound looks bad."

Dragon Venus aimed his hand at Moon's leg and whispered something. His hand lit up, and Moon could feel the wound slowly closing itself. "Thanks."

"So, how are things around here?"

"Pretty bad," Moon said. "We've eliminated, uhm, I think last time I checked with Mercury she said we had killed around a hundred youma. "

"We should call Galaxia," Dragon Venus said.

"Huh? Why?" Venus asked.

"She can blast the city skyhigh again, then revive only the humans. That'd save us a lot of trouble."

"Scary, you're making a lot of sense there, even though the idea itself is crazy," Venus said.

"I don't know, I can't believe all those youma are really evil," Moon commented.

"Weren't they all?" Venus asked.

Moon shook her head. "Nephrite was just following orders, if Zoicite hadn't killed him, he might have even helped us... Also, there's Ail and Ann. And the Black Moon."

"She's right," Dragon Venus admitted. "And even those hunters... Two of them saw their error and ended up helping us."

Venus groaned. "Okay, you're right, some of our past enemies weren't evil. But these youma, I'm sure they're all rotten."

Moon frowned. "I still can't believe that. If Nephrite, one of the strongest youma, switched sides in the end, then maybe..."

"Maybe, what?" Venus asked. "We go to the Dark Kingdom, stand in the middle of the youma crowd and tell them 'hey, we came in peace, could you guys stop attacking our world,' and then they'll all turn good? Sorry but I don't see that happening."

"That plan sounds even crazier than mine," Dragon Venus commented. "We should try it first."

Venus shook her head and walked off, muttering something about braindead boyfriends.

"I feel like I'm the only one that thinks that," Moon noted.

Artemis had been listening to them silently, but finally decided to speak up. "And you may be right, but until we can prove that, we have no other way to solve this but fighting."

"I don't have to like it, though," Moon muttered.

"You think Venus likes fighting?" the Dragon mused. "She hates it as much as you, and I can bet she's trying hard to believe in what you told us right now."

* * *

"Those Senshi, are they insane?"

"They must be after one of their evil enemies once again."

"How can we be sure that's the truth? Their enemies tend to either vanish when killed, or they're outright blown to pieces. I'm starting to think there might be more to them than we've been told. "

"But the army's been..."

The man snorted. "The army's believing anything the Senshi tell them. And I still don't see why they don't want us to know what their real names are."

"If they did, the media wouldn't leave them alone."

"Is that so, Kawada? I'd think these teenagers are doing this just for the fame."

"If that was the case, they wouldn't be hiding their faces, however they manage to do that."

"So you're okay with the tale that they're saving our world from evil."

"They've died to protect our world."

"So they say. Still, I see their numbers increasing, not decreasing. "

"I see," Kawada said with a sigh. "So, what is your plan, mayor Hino?"

"I want one of them brought in for interrogation."

"That's a dangerous plan. I'm not going to put my men against them. "

"I know, I'll have my own men do the job," Hino said. "I just wanted to let you know, so you can tell your troopers to stand out of the way."

"I'll see to that, sir," Kawada said as he walked out. The man was nuts if he thought the Senshi were evil, but he was sure one of them would show him the truth, and pretty soon.

* * *

"Aiko, have you found anything yet?"

"I've found seven new youma draining points, mom. I'm transferring them to your computer now."

Mercury nodded. "I see... I'm quite close to one of them. I'll take care of it."

"Be careful, mom."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Mercury said.

"She will, I'll see to that."

Mercury turned to the voice and blinked. "Terry, but you..."

"I told you I'd come back as soon as I could."

"What about that teleporter device?"

"Oh, it's still a prototype, but dad thinks it'll be ready soon. Nevermind that, what's the situation here?"

"Annoying," Mercury admitted, "we've been tracking down and eliminating youma for three days."

"You look like you haven't slept in three days," Dragon Mercury noted.

"Yeah, Senshi endurance is a nice thing to..."

"Go get some rest, I'll take care of this."

"But..."

"Ami, I'm serious. Has any of the others been up for three days too?"

"No, but someone has to keep track of the situation, what if..."

Dragon Mercury chuckled. "You're as stubborn as Rei, sometimes. Now go home and take a break."

"Is that an order?"

"You need to rest, Ami. Don't be a brat about it."

"Hmph. I'll take a break when this is over."

"I'll knock you out if I have to."

"Fine," Mercury snapped. "I'm going home."

Dragon Mercury put a hand on her shoulder as she started walking away, and she turned to glare at him. "Ami..."

Mercury saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. Was he right, had she been acting irrationally by pushing her limits like that? "Terry, I..."

"A tired mind and a tired body can only get you hurt, or worse," Dragon Mercury said. "So just go home, okay? Be mad at me if you like, but go."

Mercury turned around again, and started walking away. She stopped after a few steps and turned her head back. "I could never be mad at you, you know? I guess I'll see you in a few hours."

* * *

Mars was really amused by this one group of youma. True, the goons were using the excuse of being a rock band to drain everyone at the stadium she was now in, but hey, at least their music was good. "If not for their evil goals, I'd really pay a bit of life energy to listen to them," she mused.

The 'band' finished a song and got ready for the next, and Mars saw her cue. She leapt right in the middle of the three, and saw she had the full attention of both the yoma and the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, these talented musicians you've been listening to are youma. They've been draining your energy slowly as you listened to them today. And as much as I enjoyed the song they just sung, I will have to eliminate them."

The three musicians were really angry right now. They knew their cover was blown, and Mars was the one who was going to pay for that. "Get her!"

* * *

Several minutes later, Mars was standing on top of a building, near the stadium where the youma rock band had last played. The battle had been quite easy, they all were, to the point they were getting repetitive. A part of her wished something would happen, something that would take the monotone battles off her mind.

"Sailor Mars, I assume?"

And as the saying goes, careful what you wish for, Mars thought. A man in a black business suit was standing near her in the rooftop. Had he been following her? "Who are you?"

"My identity is unimportant," the man said, "but I was sent here by the mayor. He wants to speak to one of you, and you were the first one we located."

The mayor, Mars thought with a frown. Of all the Senshi, they had to tell _her_ to go speak with him? She wasn't sure she could keep her cool. But she also knew that she had been dreading this for years. She had been running and hiding from him, not literally, but she had purposefully avoided anything that would let him approach her.

And after all these years being a Senshi, she knew quite well that running away wasn't going to solve her problems. Besides, he didn't have to know who she really was, and she could talk to him as Sailor Mars better than she ever could as Rei Hino.

"Okay," she finally said, "I'll go speak with him. Just let me tell my allies about this. You know, just so they know where I am in case you guys try anything."

The man laughed. "Trust me, miss, they don't pay us enough to risk being cooked alive."

Mars summoned her comm, noticing the man was watching her in amazement, and then sighed. "Guys, we've finally caught the attention of the mayor."

"Hino?" Dragon Mercury asked. "What does he want?"

Mars was a bit surprised, she didn't know Terry was back. "His lackeys here say he wants to speak to one of us. I suppose I'm the best choice for that."

"I'd say you're the worst choice, Mars," Dragon Mercury said. "Don't you go and fry him, okay?"

"Don't be mean," Moon's voice said. "Mars, just be careful. This might be a trap."

"No, I would notice it if they were evil beings," Mars said. "I'll be going now, I'll tell you how this little meeting went later on. "

As she turned, the man was still staring at her. "What is your problem?"

The man took a step back. "I apologize, I'm just surprised that the protectors of Tokyo are really teenagers."

Mars nodded. "Lead the way." She knew exactly where her father was, but she knew it was better to humor these men. She summoned her board and floated up.

The man smiled as a helicopter approached the rooftop. As he boarded it, he thought luck was on their side. The Senshi weren't something everyone agreed on, and there were some citizens that thought they were actually posing as world defenders. He wasn't with that group, but was also a bit skeptical on the image of heroes these kids had.

* * *

Ami walked in and immediately saw something was 'wrong.' "Mom?"

Ami's mother looked at her daughter with a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "Ami, where have you been?"

"Uh, what are you doing here?"

"I decided to take a few days free from the hospital, but you haven't been around for two days. Maybe even more. And don't tell me you've been studying."

"Mom, I..." Ami sighed. Yes, Terry was right, she felt exhausted, her brain was too out of it for this. "Can't we talk this out in the morning?"

"No," her mother said. "What were you doing for the last two days?"

"I... Can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?" the woman asked.

"I guess it's a good thing I decided to follow you."

Both women turned to see Terry standing in the doorway. "Terry, what are you doing here?" Ami asked.

"Is he involved in all this?" Ami's mother asked.

Ami was about to answer, but Terry beat her to it. "Saeko, listen, I know you want the truth, but I'm not sure you'll believe it at all. "

"Why wouldn't I believe my daughter?"

"Some things are just too hard to believe."

Saeko looked at Ami. "Whatever it is, I want to hear it from you, not him."

"I'm a Senshi."

"What?"

"You wanted the truth, so there it is," Ami said, "I'm too tired to bother making up some silly story."

"It does sound like..." Saeko started.

"Mercury Cosmic Power!"

Terry couldn't really tell what Ami's mother was thinking right now. Her face was a mix of confusion, relief, and anger. "Miss Mizuno, she..."

"I said I wanted her to tell me, not you."

Mercury sat besides her mother in the couch. "I hoped I didn't have to tell you about this."

"How long have you been..."

"Since I was fourteen," Ami said. "Terry's one of us, too."

"Did he have anything to do with you being up for days?"

"If I hadn't sent her home, she would still..."

"Don't talk," Saeko snapped.

"Mom, please, stop that."

Saeko sighed. "I'm just... You can't be one of them. You're smart, you're a good student, how can you be one of those Senshi?"

"And it's her brain power that's helped us out of many battles," Terry said.

"Mom, it was foolish of me to stay up for this long, and I know that. But right now, I'm really exhaused, so all I want to do is sleep."

Saeko sighed. "Okay, we'll talk later." As Ami entered her bedroom, she turned to Terry. "She was up for two days?"

"Three days. Her Senshi powers let her do that, but she almost pushed herself beyond her limits. I guess it was good I decided to come back from my trip now, or she could..."

The woman saw sadness in the boy's eyes, and smiled. "You must really like her, huh?"

"I... I love her," Terry admitted, "and I don't want her to do things like that, risking her life so irrationally."

"What exactly made her stay up?" Saeko asked, curiosity replacing the initial anger and confusion.

"We've got evil beings running stores and buildings all around Tokyo. We're used to fighting creatures, yes, but they're hiding from us. Mercury... Ami was taking care of coordinating the attacks, and telling the others when more of those creatures were detected. "

"So she's not fighting them directly?"

Terry knew what Saeko was thinking. "I wish that was the case, but she has fought many foes in the past, just like the rest of us. Actually, she was the one who defeated the Ice Queen that froze half the planet years ago."

"I see."

"I know, I've seen this before. You're not happy about her fighting, but need to know if she'll be safe and unharmed."

"You... Are a smart guy, after all."

"I like to think that, yes," Terry mused. "However, I can't tell you she'll be okay. I can't lie like that, it wouldn't be right. We've all died at least once, and it could happen again.

"You died, but..."

Terry smiled. "Don't worry, I'll do all I can to make sure that doesn't happen to her ever again."

Saeko looked out the window and yawned. "I've been up for more than twenty-four hours, waiting for her to come home."

"So you need to rest, too," Terry said. "I'll be going now," he added and then leapt out the window.

Saeko rushed to the window, quite shocked, but then saw the boy was walking away, seemingly unharmed. As she walked into her own bedroom, she realized something that had escaped her mind.

Ami was still years away from becoming a doctor, but she, in her own way, was already saving countless lives. And being her mother, she couldn't feel anything but pride knowing that.

* * *

**A/N:** Bet you thought I had forgotten Ami had parents.

Rei's father is Tokyo's mayor, yes. When did that happen? Don't ask me, I never cared about politics, even in my own fanfics. ;)

_SolarWinds:_ As I've said before, you're free to guess, but I'm not going to say if you were right or not in here. It will be proven either right or wrong in some thirty episodes.


	144. Dark Resurrection

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 13: Princess Of Darkness.**

**Episode 144: Dark Resurrection.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 16, 2008_

* * *

"It's here, miss."

Mars looked at the three men that had escorted her to the office. "You're not going in?"

"Hino said he wanted to speak to you in private," one of the men said.

Mars walked in, and looked around. Not many luxuries, no paintings or statues around, only the desk was outstanding. "You must be Hino. "

The man sitting behind the desk nodded. "Takashi Hino. Nice to finally meet one of the legendary Senshi."

"Likewise," Mars said.

"Why are you so edgy?"

"Because I don't know what your intentions are," Mars said. It was only half truth, but she couldn't tell him the other half.

"Rest assured that if my intention was to harm you in any way, I would've ordered my men to do it."

"Rest assured that, if that had been the case, you'd be looking for new staff members now," Mars noted.

"I imagined as much," Takashi admitted. "I just want to know what you heroes are doing in my city. I'm tired of listening to all the myths and legends running around about your kin."

"My kin," Mars snorted, "you make it sound like we're not human."

"Are you?"

Mars nodded. "Humans with powers that make us look like we're not the same race as you."

"Fair enough. How do these powers work?"

"I can't answer that."

"Why not, is it some kind of secret?"

"No, it's simply because not even those of my group that take care of researching know how our powers really work. They just work, and I'm happy they do."

"So, what are your real goals?"

"Goals? All we do is try to keep the aliens attacking our world at bay. It's not easy, it's not fun, but someone's gotta take care of the important threats out there."

Hino could notice the hidden sarcasm in this girl's voice, but decided against telling her so. "So what you're doing now is..."

"A race of aliens set up many shops and buildings that have been draining energy from humans that frequent them. We don't know what they intend to do with all that energy, but given our past experiences, and that the youma attack us on sight, we can..."

"Youma?" the man said. "I've heard that name before."

Mars nodded. "We fought those aliens once, almost five years ago. We thought we had eliminated their menace, but apparently we were wrong. "

Hino thought about the next question carefully. "So... What would you do if I told you I wouldn't let you have your 'wars' in my city?"

"With all due respect, we would simply ignore you. Conventional weapons can't stop us."

"So I've noticed. And it's not like I could nuke you along with the city."

Mars snorted at that. "That's a test some of my allies would love to see. We're supposedly strong enough to resist that."

The man took a few seconds to stare at Mars. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling he had seen her elsewhere. "I can bet your identities are also a secret."

"Yes, and one we want to keep," Mars said. "Even from our own families."

The man stood up, walking around the desk, his eyes fixated on Mars' face. "I've got means to discover such secrets."

Mars smiled, but it was a cold, humorless smile. "And then what, are you going to blackmail us into leaving your city?"

"Not at all. I had thought about that before, yes, but you don't seem to be lying to me. However, knowing who you are could help us locating you in the eventuality of your enemies attacking somewhere you can't see them."

"Somewhere we can't see them?" Mars mused. "We've got eyes all over the city."

"So do I," Hino noted, "you were seen around the Hikawa temple many times, Sailor Mars. It was one of the reasons why I told my men to bring you here, and not any of the others."

"I've been fighting creatures everywhere in the city, too," Mars noted, trying to steer the subject off what she guessed could be a bad one for her.

"Yes, but... Of all the Senshi, you're the one that's always seen there," something seemed to fall into place with that statement. "So, I'm pretty sure I know who you are."

"So you do," Mars said. This was really going in the wrong direction for her, as much as she loathed her father, she also knew he wasn't stupid. Had he really figured out who she might be?

"I noticed something familiar about you, from the pictures taken by my men, and that feeling was what let me do this connection. I may not have seen you for quite some time, but you look just like your mother did when we were young, Rei."

Mars glared at him. "Don't talk about her."

"I'm your father, Rei. Show some respect."

"My father died the day he became obsessed with power and money," Mars snapped. "So you know who I am," she walked up to him, pressing a finger against his chest. "And I don't care, that doesn't change anything. But if you ever do anything that brings harm to any of my friends, I'm going to..."

"Go on, Rei, say it."

Mars shook her head. "Damn it, he's right. Revenge's not worth it. "

"Rei, wait," Hino said as Mars turned to leave.

"That's Sailor Mars for you. That's what enemies call me."

As she left, the man sat behind the desk. He was pretty sure Rei... No, Sailor Mars' threat had been quite clear. It was also a good thing he wasn't interested in having them as enemies. But with Mars, that apparently wasn't the case.

* * *

"We're never going to end this war like this," Hotaru noted.

"It's what I've been telling the others," Usagi said, "we should go right to the source. It worked with the youma last time, didn't it?"

"Think they've got another Berylzilla waiting?" Brad joked.

"Berylzilla?" Hotaru asked.

"That is an accurate description of her transformation," Mako admitted.

Terry walked in. "Hmm... You are either done with the youma, or waiting to hear one of Ami's plans."

"It's number two," Brad said.

Haruka nodded. "Why isn't Ami with you?"

"I sent her to get some rest," Terry said, "she's been up since this little war started."

Usagi flinched. "Terry, we... She didn't tell us anything."

Aiko appeared besides her. "She told me, but... She also made me promise I wouldn't tell you."

"Wonder if Rei's done frying her father."

"He's not my father. And I didn't fry him, yet."

Usagi saw Rei was walking out of the elevator. "Rei..."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Rei said, though she was visibly upset.

"You're not, we can tell," Terry said.

"The bastard knows who I am, he figured it out. Also, several of the questions he asked me pointed to him not liking our presence in the city."

"Too bad, but we're not working for him," Haruka said.

"I agree," Rei said, "and as far as I'm concerned, my father died years ago. If he does anything to hurt any of you, guys..."

Usagi's eyes widened. "Rei, you can't seriously mean that."

Rei stared at Usagi. "I know someone like you wouldn't understand what I feel."

"But Rei..."

"Usagi, don't bother," Terry said.

Hotaru nodded. "I agree. Some parents are... Biological accidents, so to speak."

ChibiUsa groaned. "Nice way to put it."

"But she's right," Rei said, "he hasn't cared about me for over one decade, why should I care about his agenda or his approval?" Aiko looked up. "Sorry to interrupt this lively chat, but I can sense youma attacking."

"Where?"

"It's that woman... Goshenite," Aiko said, "and she's attacking near Shibuya. She's not bothering with stealth, either."

"Smells like a trap," Michiru said. "Let's tell the others."

Terry flinched. "Should I go get Ami?"

"No, she needs to recover, we'll take care of this without her," Usagi said.

* * *

Warwitch had been lucky enough to be near the area where Goshenite appeared. She was now looking down at the woman, who was draining humans one by one. She knew these creatures could drain a crowd in seconds, so why bother doing that?

_'Sweet life energy, sweet mana. I've missed the very scent of it. '_

There was that voice again. Warwitch held her head and groaned. Whatever was inside her, it was apparently trying to take over. "No, I won't let you do it!"

_'Try as you might, but I'm no ordinary youma. Your power's nothing compared to mine.'_

Warwitch saw the Senshi rushing in to fight the youma woman, and then fell to her knees. The pain in her mind, she felt as if she was going to die. And that was, perhaps, just what she had to do to stop the creature within her from being unleashed.

_'If you die, I die too. I can't let that happen, little human girl.'_

* * *

Moon glared at Goshenite. "What are you planning, youma. Draining innocents like this, you..."

"Innocents? Your race kicked us out of our homeworld."

"Your ancestors were evil," Moon said, "but you don't need to follow the same path."

"Evil? Why, because they used war as a mean to gain control? So did many of your human empires and nations through history. Even you, Senshi, the very first of your kin destroyed a whole race in the name of freedom."

"Serenity!"

Moon froze. The voice, it was Yuki's, but she sounded hateful. She saw Yuki floating down from a nerby rooftop. "No..."

Warwitch's eyes were different, pitch black and lifeless. "Stupid, little Senshi princess. I'm going to enjoy destroying you and your friends."

"Who... What are you?"

Warwitch laughed. "Someone you thought dead, dear Serenity. I was fooled by the one I called my God, and my spirit roamed aimlessly for months. But then, I found this young girl, and saw her potential. I used her body as a host since then, not giving her any clues of my presence. And as she grew stronger, so did I."

Many of the Senshi understood what Warwitch meant. "No, she can't be alive," Mars said.

Moon stared at Yukiko and saw it was not a bluff. The same hateful eyes, the same aura of evil one didn't need any special powers to feel. "Queen Beryl," she finally said, glaring at her.

"Mother?" Goshenite asked.

Warwitch ignore the youma princess. "I made the mistake of letting you live in the past, but this time, I'm not going to be as forgiving."

Moon flinched. She probably had the power to destroy Beryl, as she had destroyed Metallia before, but... What about Yuki? No, she couldn't hurt her friend, she'd have to find a way to take the evil queen out of her body first.

"You're mistaken if you think we're at the same level we were when we defeated your army," Dragon Mercury snapped.

"Oh, I am well aware of that. You're the ones that assume I'm the same you fought before."

Goshenite stepped in front of Warwitch. "And you'll have to deal with me as well."

Warwitch smirked. Yes, this girl, her youngest spawn, and her brother... These two could help her greatly. "Goshenite, do not fail me."

"I'm not like your Generals, mother."

"I know, but these humans shouldn't be underestimated."

Moon turned to her friends, her face unreadable. "I..."

ChibiMoon lowered her head. "Maybe I should've told her... Warned her about that, but..."

"What's done is done," Moon said. "Now, does anyone has any idea on how to get Beryl out of there?"

"Maybe do what Hana did with Chibi?" Saturn asked.

"That won't work," ChibiMoon said. "Beryl is much stronger than you think. Much stronger than she's currently letting us know."

"Your planning is amusing," Warwitch said, "you still think you're fighting a youma queen, but I'm far more than that. Let me show you. "

The Senshi backed away as tendrils of dark energy shot from Warwitch's body. The energy flowed into the ground, and seconds later, several creatures crawled out from the concrete, snarling at the Senshi.

* * *

**A/N:** And here's where things start looking dire for the Senshi. Hope the creature was who you thought it was, though I'll admit it wasn't an easy guess. The 'anagram' bit will be explained in the next episode.

_SailorStar9:_ Oh, you meant them? Yeah, they're Beryl's younger spawns. And you've mentioned the stuff nightmares are made of... Metallia, with children? Just thinking about it could break my mind.


	145. New Youma City

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 13: Princess Of Darkness.**

**Episode 145: New Youma City.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 19, 2008_

* * *

Ami opened her eyes and looked at the wall clock. Around three hours had passed since she fell asleep, but she knew if they were calling her, it had to be something serious. She produced her communicator and sighed. "What is it, Aiko?"

"Sorry to wake you up, and I know dad'll be mad at me for it, but... You were right, about Yukiko."

Ami's mind hit sixth gear. She was right? That could only mean one thing. "Is she attacking the others?"

"Yes, and you won't believe who her evil side is."

"I'm not in the mood for riddles," Ami said.

"Oh, but this is an easy one, at least for you, mom."

Ami sighed. Actually, she was feeling quite fresh, even after only sleeping for such a short time. "Okay, I'll humor you, but it better be good."

"It's one unlikely coincidence," Aiko said, "but Yuki's full name is an anagram of the youma in her."

"An anagram? How so?" Ami asked, then gasped. "Wait." She thought about it for a minute, her mind switching around the letters in Yukiko's name. "_Kouhekigyoku_," she finally said, "yellow jasper, also known as Beryl."

Aiko smiled. "Yeah, strange coincidence, isn't it?"

"A likely one, considering past examples," Ami said. "Okay, tell me just where the battle is. If Beryl's back, I can guess they'll need my help."

* * *

Uranus backflipped away of an energy blast, but as she did, she was tackled by another youma. It was just annoying, these creatures were worlds apart from the youma they had been fighting lately.

Meters away from them, Jupiter was thinking along those lines. She was using a bus as a metal bat, sending the creatures flying off, but it was almost as if two of them appeared for each one she knocked away. "This is annoying."

Mars could only agree. Not only were they being overpowered by the sheer numbers of these creatures, but she could also see the youma weren't all staying around. "Damn it, these creatures are going to flood the city."

Several explosions rocked the area, and the Senshi saw many fighter jets zooming by, and a literal swarm of tanks and trucks circling the area. "That's better," Uranus noted.

The four Mooncats landed near her, all in their Senshi forms. "This looks hectic," Artemis commented.

Venus stopped next to him. "And it's useless, too. Beryl is summoning more and more of them, if we don't stop her, we won't be able to stop these monsters."

Luna looked around. "These aren't youma... At least not like those we fought before."

Mars nodded. "I noticed. These creatures have no soul, they're just dark mana constructs."

A yellow energy beam shot by, along with several psi blasts and two large energy balls. As several youma got blasted to dust by them, the Senshi looked up. "About time you guys got here," Mars said.

"Senshi, go help Moon," Luna said. "We'll try to keep the youma from leaving this area."

"Tsunami Wave!"

The water blast knocked many youma back, and Dragon Mercury looked up at Mercury. "You should be resting."

"Sleep while you're all here fighting that monster? That's not going to happen."

"Nevermind that, let's go kick Beryl's ass," Mars said.

* * *

"Shingo, were are you going?"

Shingo looked at his mother and frowned. "There's a battle going on right now. I need to be there."

Ikuko nodded. "Just be careful, you're not as strong as the others. "

"Oh, they told you."

"No, I guessed it," Ikuko said, "Usagi told me about how they keep getting stronger with each new enemy that appears, so I knew you had to start at a weaker level."

Shingo nodded. "Still, I'm not going to sit around and let the others fight."

Ikuko saw her son walk out of the house and frowned. "He's right, but I still worry."

* * *

Warwitch laughed as Moon landed near her. The moongirl didn't look like she had much fight left in her, and that prince of hers was busy with Goshenite, so she knew she had this battle won.

Something hit her back, and she yelled in pain. She turned around, the wound in her back healing fast, and saw ChibiMoon glaring at her. "Leave now, I've got no time to fight with little girls."

ChibiMoon smirked. "You're about to suffer a crushing defeat. Pink Sugar Heart Crusher!"

Warwitch looked up at the incoming giant heart and laughed. "And I'm supposed to be impressed?"

ChibiMoon flinched as Warwitch stopped the heart with one hand. "Hey, you can't do that!"

"Fetch," Warwitch snapped and dropped the heart at her foe. She turned back to Moon, but noticed she wasn't there anymore. "Hmph... The little princess escaped, huh?"

"Moon Crystal Retribution."

Warwitch was sent sailing forwards, and slammed into the ground hard. She knew the body she was using was quite weak, but she couldn't abandon it yet. She wasn't strong enough to recover her full form, and that's why she had summoned all those youma. They were useful to keep the Senshi busy, yes, but they were also meant to drain any human they crossed, and give the energy to her.

As she stood up, however, she saw the Senshi were all there now. "This is about to get interesting."

Morganite appeared besides her, along with a large crowd of youma. "Yes, it is, mother."

Goshenite run to them. "There's quite a few of them."

Warwitch smiled. "Don't worry, soon I'll get rid of this body and destroy them all."

Moon heard that as she stood up. "You... You monster, you can't... "

"So there might be no choice," Saturn noted. "If we don't stop Beryl soon, Yukiko will be dead anyway."

Warwitch snorted. "Dead? She already is, she's cornered in her own mind, and soon enough she will disappear. And this disgusting human body of hers... When I complete my plans, I'll get rid of it."

A sword came flying in, stabbing the ground right next to Moon. "Use that, sis."

Moon looked at her brother. "Shingo, you shouldn't..."

"I can still beat those youma down, sis," Dragon Moon said, "but you should keep that sword until I learn how to use it."

Moon smiled and pulled the sword out of the ground. She felt her power raising and smiled. "Guys, get the youma, Beryl's mine."

Warwitch created a black energy blade and parried Moon's first slash. "I'm going to enjoy killing you, Sailor Moon."

* * *

"There's too many of them," Shade said.

"We noticed," Artemis muttered. "Think we can stay in this form long enough?"

"You shouldn't risk your lives."

Luna turned and saw a certain green-haired woman was there. "About time you got here, pun intended."

"Go help Moon," Pluto said, "I'm going to let no youma through."

Diana nodded. "Good luck."

"You'll need that more than I will," Pluto noted.

* * *

"General, there's been a power spike in the area where the youma appeared," Tomoe said.

"That's a bad omen, isn't it?"

"Whatever it is, the Senshi are fighting it," Tomoe said, then cursed. "Uh oh, another one."

"Great."

"Wait, this is..." Tomoe laughed. "Pluto came to help. And look at her power."

Kino looked at the number displayed in the screen along with the image of Pluto blasting youma relentlessly. Other than the number having a lot of zeros, he couldn't really get what was so incredible. "Yeah, I see that. Your point?"

Tomoe pointed at another monitor, where Moon was shown fighting someone Kino knew he had seen elsewhere. He looked at the numbers displayed besides Moon and gasped. "That's impossible. Pluto's _that_ strong?"

"I'm more surprised about Moon, myself," Tomoe said, "she could probably take a shot of our satellite blast, or even reflect it."

"Now that's something I didn't know. Wonder if Mako's that strong. "

"Not even close, but one of her stronger attacks should be able to keep this base running for a good half hour."

"I'm a bit uneasy thinking about how strong these kids could be."

Tomoe smiled. "Hotaru told me one of the Saturns of the past created the asteroid belt."

"How did she do that?"

"She blew up a whole planet to stop a dangerous virus from spreading. "

Kino stared at Tomoe for a few seconds. "You're joking."

"Am not, I asked Pluto about it and she confirmed that."

"Good thing they're the heroes, then."

* * *

Meanwhile, several dozen light years away from the Earth, an impossibly large spaceship was leisurely travelling across the void of space. The millions of creatures inside were busy going about their daily routine, but in one of the rooms, several of these aliens were having a meeting.

"Khrall, our reserves are rather low. The last planet we conquered wasn't really worth our time."

"An overlookable error," Khrall, the tallest of the aliens in the room, said. They were all lizard-like, though their posture and features were almost human.

A third alien decided to speak. "There's a planet relatively close to us right now, which is full of resources, and slaves. There's also several other planets in its proximity, which could also be drained. But..."

"But?" Khrall pressed on.

"But that's the planet where one of our motherships was lost. Or at least, the thirteenth Khrall's diary speaks of one mothership's last few reports being sent from that system, and the last report ever heard spoke of 'magicians.'"

Khrall laughed. "Magicians? The Khrall of said mothership was unlucky, then. It must most likely be another world with weak mana-using creatures."

"I wouldn't overestimate them, Khrall."

Khrall nodded. "You're right. Maybe that's just what doomed our broodlings. Still, we need the resources, so it's a risk we'll have to take. Set route to that planet."

"At once, Khrall."

* * *

**A/N:** The 'anagram' wasn't all that easy, and I only thought it out while looking for the "Japanese" names of the Generals, and the alternate forms of their mineral names. Also, Yuki's name's a funny coincidence, Yukiko means "snow child" and "Hokuge" is "northern limit." Loosely meaning "Snow girl from the north."

Also, if the name Khrall sounds familiar, check Genesis. It's not really a name, but a title (like Serenity, at least in my fic.)

_SailorStar9:_ Still scary, though all youma could be considered her 'children' after all. And backtracking a bit, youma are just the mutated, ugly children of the Kh'Sun (who will be back in an upcoming arc, too.)

_JaysonFour:_ Good to see you're enjoying this story, and you make a few good points in your reviews, too. As for your question about Usagi's father, well, he must be around his fourties. But since there's reruns of that show even nowadays where I live, I suppose there's been reruns of it in Japan too.


	146. Inner Wars

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 13: Princess Of Darkness.**

**Episode 146: Inner Wars.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 20, 2008_

* * *

"How are things looking there?"

"Very bad, sir. We're doing our best, but even with Pluto here, and our own troops, many youma managed to get through us. I've sent some jets after them, but they're not easy to hit in crowded areas. Also, at least ten percent of our soldiers were drained by these creatures. "

"Try to hold the barricade," Kino said, "I've pulled troops from other cities, they'll be there in half an hour or less."

"Hope it's less," Seia said, "I don't think we can keep them in check for that long."

"Seia, if things are looking hopeless, retreat."

"If we do that, they'll have their way with our city."

"I'm not asking you to retreat, I'm ordering you to."

"Do what you have to do, sir. I'll do the same," Seia said and cut the link.

Kino stared at the screen for a few seconds before sighing. "That woman thinks with her heart more than with her brain. Wonder if she could be a Senshi." That conjured some unsetting mental images of Seia running around in a Senshi suit, shooting rockets at her enemies and cackling insanely. "Then again, it's better this way."

* * *

Dragon Mercury had realized, almost from the first moment, that fighting these two youma wouldn't be easy. They were Beryl's spawns, and it showed.

First of, Goshenite. Any long-range attack used near her was dragged in and returned to the attacker. Melee wasn't her thing, but that's where Morganite covered her.

Morganite, the other youma, didn't use any weapons. His body was a weapon, though, as demonstrated by the blade-like spikes that came out of his arms, turning him into a sort of twisted youma pin cushion. He could even grow spikes out of his back and front, as he had shown some of the other Dragons.

So, if they used long range attacks, Goshenite would get them. And if they went for melee or thrown weapons, Morganite could deflect them easily. "This fight isn't looking good." But for some reason, he felt he was overlooking something.

Dragon Earth rushed in, going for Goshenite's head. Morganite blocked him with one of his arm spikes, and grinned. "It's not going to work, human. We're invincible."

Dragon Mercury flinched. Of course, melee didn't work, magic didn't work, but a combination of both just might do the trick. "I've got a plan."

"About time," Dragon Sun snapped. Looking around, he could see the girls were all trying to beat the youma that kept on appearing constantly thanks to Beryl's power. "This is starting to feel like a losing battle."

"I know how to get rid of those two," Dragon Mercury said. "Listen, when I tell you, shoot at his sword."

"Gotcha," Dragon Sun said.

Dragon Venus nodded. "I think I know what you're planning."

"It's going to hurt, isn't it?" Dragon Earth muttered.

"Possibly," Dragon Mercury said, "but it'll hurt them a lot more."

"Good, let's do it," Dragon Earth nodded. "But what's the plan?"

"You just run straight for Morganite and try to slash him down."

"That's not going to work," Dragon Sun said.

"It'll work."

Dragon Earth shrugged. "Here goes nothing."

Morganite chuckled as he saw Dragon Earth rushing in. "Poor idiot, haven't you tried that already?"

Dragon Earth said nothing, raising his sword up as he run. _'I think I know what Terry's thinking.'_

"Now!" Dragon Mercury said. "Hail Blade!" "Sun Plasma Drill!"

"Venus Light Spike!" Dragon Venus had summoned his book, and pointed it at Morganite, shooting a small yet powerful bolt of light.

Dragon Earth felt the three blasts hit his sword and smiled. "Ground Splitter!"

Goshenite didn't know what hit them. One moment her brother was protecting her, the next they were both hit by a wave of energy that knocked them both down. She realized her brother was out, and had a very nasty scar in his chest. "This can't..."

Dragon Earth slashed down at the woman, but she vanished, along with her fallen sibling. "Hmph. Hopefully they'll be out for a while."

"Hell yeah," Dragon Venus said. "We Dragons can kick ass too."

"I kick ass all the time," Dragon Mercury said dismissively, "but yeah, we make a good team."

Dragon Earth turned to them. "Stop chatting and let's help the girls. "

"Who died and made him leader?" Dragon Venus muttered.

Dragon Mercury chuckled. "I'm too suicidal to be the leader, you're too crazy to be it, Shingo's too inexperienced to be it, and Kage, well, he's Kage."

"Why, thanks," Dragon Sun muttered. "Not that I mind. I don't want to be leading anything."

"Speaking of the youngest Dragon, where the heck is he?"

* * *

Dragon Moon was sitting on top of a tall building, watching the battle. "Damn, I suck."

"You don't, but these youma are out of your league."

He turned to see Saturn standing right behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"My endurance's still lacking. I need to recover before I go down there to slash things dead."

"Question, though, if I died here..."

"I can't revive you again. Only Terry would be able to do that, but his Saturn form really drains him out of power."

"Oh, yay."

"Don't worry, your sister can defeat Beryl."

"Can she do that without killing Hokuge?"

"I don't know... I can't sense her, only Beryl. My powers aren't that good for that, anyhow. Where's your girl?"

Dragon Moon looked around. "I don't know, she was fighting some youma near here last I checked."

* * *

Nova was staying out of sight for a reason. She knew the only way to defeat the endless waves of youma would be to defeat Beryl, and to defeat Beryl... No, just like with her daughter, Moon wouldn't dare killing Hokuge. So Nova was waiting for the right time to strike.

ChibiMoon was out, so Moon was facing Warwitch alone. Nova knew Moon wasn't fighting all out, which was mostly why she couldn't defeat her foe. As she watched, Moon tried to stab Warwitch, but the evil woman knocked her sword away, then clutched her throat and rose her up from the ground. There was just something about necks that seemed to make all villains try to break them, apparently.

But, Nova realized, it was also the chance she was waiting for. A chance to rush in unnoticed. And a chance she wasn't going to pass.

Warwitch smirked while Moon tried to get out of her grip. "Come on, moongirl, it won't take long. I'm--" She stopped and dropped her prey as something hit her. No, not something physical, but... Something had drilled into her mind. It was almost as if...

Moon looked up confused as Warwitch screamed in pain. As the woman fell to her knees, Moon saw Nova walking to them. "Nova, are you... "

"I'm going to get that witch out of her mind, no matter what," Nova said. "Then you can destroy her."

Moon saw Nova's eyes shine white, and realized the girl had stopped moving. "Good luck, Hana."

* * *

Luna looked around as the youma all vanished. "Did they kill her?"

Pluto appeared next to the three mooncats. "No, not yet, but her mind's too busy to keep these constructs active."

Artemis smiled. "Good, they got her just in time." His form returned to normal, along with the others. "Aren't you going to help them?"

"No, my job here's done, the rest is all up to Sailor Moon," Pluto said, then vanished.

"Let's go, I want to check on the Princess," Diana said.

* * *

Without Beryl's youma around, the few normal youma that had been left in the battlefield were cleared quite fast. Now the group was surrounding Nova and Warwitch, and waiting. "What's taking them so long?" Venus muttered.

"It's a battle of minds," Mars noted, "but it must still be a lot like fighting in our plane."

ChibiMoon nodded. "Yes, but in there, the host's got the advantage. "

"So Beryl has the upper hand?"

"No, not Beryl. The body isn't hers. If Yukiko is still willing to fight, then Beryl's as good as gone."

"And if she isn't?" Moon asked, dreading the answer.

"Then I hope Hana fries her mind, or we'll be forced to kill her."

* * *

Yukiko stirred. No, she didn't want to look around, she didn't want to fight. It was useless. Beryl's power, it was... She was nothing, Warwitch's power had always been Beryl's own, and without it, she was just an ordinary girl. She just hoped Usagi could heal her before it was too late... Or kill her.

Something flared around her. There was something... Someone else there. Someone she knew. Nova? She was there, yes, but Beryl was winning the battle. The witch was just too powerful for them, couldn't they see that?

_'She's too much for me, but what about you? This is your mind, you're the strongest in here. Are you just going to let go like this?'_ Nova's mental message hit her and she realized she was right. This was her mind, not Beryl's. All she had wanted ever since she knew about the Senshi was to be like their leader, like Sailor Moon. Like Usagi, the girl that didn't give up. She could be strong, just like her.

'No, you can't little human. Your body is mine now.'

Yukiko heard Beryl's voice, but she knew the witch was wrong. 'It's not yours, evil creature. Begone!'

* * *

Things had been quite calm for the last few minutes, but it was the calm before the storm, and everyone knew it. They realized something was going to happen when Nova staggered back, her eyes returning to normal. Then, a black mist came out of Yukiko's mouth, slowly forming a humanoid figure.

"Deja-vu, right there," Dragon Sun commented.

Warwitch staggered up as the last of the mist left her. "You evil monster, I'm going to destroy you."

Laughter came from the mist, a chilling, evil laughter. "You? You're nothing without me, you've got no powers."

"I don't? Didn't you say you saw potential in me?" Warwitch snapped.

"Yes, you have the potential to use magic, but you've got no training in it. All these years, I've been serving as a gateway for you to use magic. A gateway you just closed, stupid human girl."

Moon walked up to Warwitch. "Yuki, it's okay. We can handle Beryl."

"No, it's not okay," Warwitch said, her eyes not leaving the mist. "She's wrong, she's completely wrong!"

The Senshi and their allies all took a step back as a ray of fire came out of Warwitch's hand, wrapping around the cloud. "Oh boy, I think Beryl pissed her off," Dragon Venus noted as the cloud screamed in pain.

"How... You useless little..."

Warwitch smirked. "I hate to admit it, but it's thanks to you that I can use this power."

"I see... Your power awakened." The cloud suddenly vanished, and Beryl stood where it had been. "I find this amusing, though, a mere human thinking about defeating the Queen of Demons."

"Give yourself whatever title you want," Warwitch snapped, "but you're nothing more than a scornful little girl, always wishing for things she can't get, and always throwing tantrums when she doesn't get it. First was the solar system, then this planet, now my body... Do you really think you could sink any lower than this?"

Beryl's eyes flared with rage. "You're going to regret saying that, bitch."

Moon summoned her sword, but Warwitch put her arm in front of her to stop her. "No."

"But I..."

"Please, Usagi, I need to do this."

Moon groaned. "You can't defeat her alone."

Warwitch smiled and whispered something. A column of ice shot out from underneath Beryl, trapping her. "I may not be a Senshi, but I can still kick that wannabe's rear."

Dragon Mercury walked up to them. "Moon, let her do it."

"But she could..."

"She's a lot like you, she won't give up."

Moon nodded. "Right. But Yuki, if I see you're losing..."

"I know," Warwitch said and turned to Beryl. "Let's see who the best mage is, Beryl."

"We already know that, weakling," Beryl snapped as she gathered energy in her hands.

* * *

**A/N:** _JaysonFour:_ I'm not saying either of your guesses will happen, but I'm also not saying they won't.

_DavisJes:_ Unfortunately, there's little chance of the characters not remembering/talking about something that'll spoil things yet not written for Chronicles. The last two arcs are packed full of stuff that can be spoiled all too easily, after all.

But cheer up, you only have another, uhm, eighty or so episodes more to go before this part of the saga is done.

In case anyone's wondering about Dragon Venus' 'new' attack, it's just his book. Just like Venus' chain sword, it can be used in more than one way (remember Minako's used a Wink Chain Sword, Barrage and Encircle attack so far.)


	147. A Friendship's Worth

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 13: Princess Of Darkness.**

**Episode 147: A Friendship's Worth.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 20, 2008_

* * *

"Another final battle, huh?"

"Yeah, and we're all out of energy before it really starts, as usual. "

"Think she can beat Beryl?"

"I hope she can."

Moon was only partially listening to her friends, as most of her attention was in the battle that had just started.

There was a clear difference between both fighters. Beryl herself used attacks that were either solid crystals, or energy blasts. Warwitch, however, used almost all elements.

"Her power levels are close to our own," Moon heard Mercury say. Beryl had been weakened, then, when she was forced out of Yuki's body. But still, her friends were out of energy after the long battle, and she wasn't really much better off. She maybe had energy for one more shot, but she had to be sure not to waste it in vain.

Warwitch stopped for a moment and smirked. "Hey, bitch queen, you're really good with magic."

"I know that, human."

Warwitch summoned her staff. "What about close combat?"

Beryl created a crystal sword and smiled coldly. "Are you sure you want to find out?"

"Of course," Warwitch said and run to the evil queen.

Dragon Mercury rose an eyebrow as he saw the two women fight. "Wow, she's actually good with that staff."

"Not as good as I'm with my glaive," Saturn said, "but yes, she's good."

Moon watched the battle. It was almost like a dance, actually, with each side trying to overpower the other. Whenever Beryl went for the kill, Warwitch dodged or blocked her blows, and the same went for her own attacks. They kept that up for what seemed like hours, and Moon was starting to wonder just how Yuki could keep up with Beryl's relentless attacks.

Dragon Mercury seemed to know what she was thinking. "I bet Warwitch's skills are all thanks to Beryl's meddling. They both fight alike, so they know what the other is going to do, no matter what they try."

"So what, are they going to fight until they're both out of energy?" Venus asked.

Moon smiled. "If that's her plan, it's good. I can still get a few more shots in, but I don't want to waste them."

Beryl was thinking along those lines. She knew the moon bitch still had power to fight, so this human pest was just trying to tire her down. Fighting head-on was a waste of time, no matter what she did, Warwitch was able to counter her. She was almost too willing to sacrifice herself for her friend.

And then, Beryl knew just what to do to get rid of her. She would use her feelings against her. Yes, that plan just couldn't fail, humans were too predictable.

Warwitch saw Beryl muttering something, and snorted. "Hey, I thought we were fighting without magic."

"It's not for you," Beryl said, and shot a lightning-fast energy blast, straight at Moon.

Sailor Moon didn't really have time to react, or to move out of the way, however, something stopped the shot before she had to. As she realized what had happened, her face lost color. "No... Yuki, why... "

"I couldn't let... My best friend die," Warwitch said, then fell face-first on the ground, blood creeping out from under her.

Beryl laughed. "Stupid little girl, so easy to kill after all..."

"Beryl!"

Mars heard Moon's shout along with the rest, and backed up. There was something... Wrong with the tone her friend was using. "Usagi, what..." Mercury put a hand on Mars' shoulder and shook her head as she turned.

Beryl was actually impressed. The energy flowing through Moon's body right now was out of the scale, it was even more than the bitch Serenity had used in the past when she banished all youma into the Dark Kingdom. "That is... The Ginzuishou. No!"

Moon saw the blast coming at her, but then a wall of fire appeared in front of her. "Thanks, Rei," she said without turning. "Everyone, I need your power."

Beryl shot again, but this time something else stopped the blast. "And who might you be?"

"Don't remember me, Beryl?" Pluto said. "I'm Sailor Pluto."

"Oh, yeah, the coward."

Pluto walked to where the others were, ignoring the evil queen. "Senshi, you have to heed Moon's words. Give her what energy you have left, and she may win this."

"'May' win?" Mars asked.

"It all depends on whether she lets anger control her, or controls it," Pluto admitted, "but I trust her. What about you?"

The Senshi all looked at Moon, then nodded. "Let's do it," Jupiter said.

"Yes, it's due time for Beryl to stop nagging us," Venus added.

Beryl saw energy flowing from the Senshi and to Moon, and scowled. "Stupid Senshi, you could never defeat me, you won't do it this time, either. You're going to die once again!"

Moon opened her eyes and saw Beryl gathering energy. "Mother wasn't willing to lower herself to your level. Even after you destroyed everything she loved. She chose to send you away instead of killing you, and I... I can't really blame her for doing that."

"So, what are you going to do, seal me away like she did?" Beryl asked.

"I'm like my mother in many ways, but I'm not one for forgiving those that hurt my friends," Moon said.

Beryl blinked in shock. Moon had somehow moved the meters that separated them in a second, and... She looked down. Yes, the pain wasn't just her imagination, Moon had actually punched into her chest. "You annoying brat... I won't be defeated so easily..."

Moon looked at Beryl, and the rage in her face was gone. "You defeated yourself the moment you killed one of my friends. Moon Crystal Retribution!"

It was only then that Beryl realized why Moon had punched her way into her chest. The crystal, she could feel its energy in her, burning her flesh and soul! Before she could think or do anything else, it was already over.

Moon looked at the crystal in her hand as Beryl's body vanished. "Finally..." She turned around and saw that Saturn had revived Yukiko while she took care of the evil queen. "Yuki, I..."

Warwitch staggered up. "Usagi... I knew you could do it."

"Quite a nasty way to use her attack, that was," Dragon Sun noted.

"Hey, it worked," Lilith said.

Mercury smiled. "And I caught something else during the battle. The two siblings escaped, and that gave me the location of their gateway. "

"So we could go there and kick their asses, huh?" Jupiter mused.

"You guys are in no condition to fight," Moon said.

"So what, we rest for a few days?" Earth noted. "That's boring."

"And they could launch another attack if given time," Mercury said.

"Tell me where that portal is," Moon said, "and I'll take care of it. "

"We won't let you go alone," Mars snapped.

"I'm not asking for your opinion this time, Rei. I made a mistake last time, and I want to fix it."

"What are you going to do, destroy their world for good?" Luna asked.

"No, Luna, remember what I think about the youma."

"You're insane, Usagi," Luna said.

Mercury was scanning Moon. "But normal youma won't dare attacking her."

"Huh, why?" Mars asked.

Saturn whistled. "I see... You absorbed Beryl's energy, didn't you?"

Moon smirked. "I'm just giving something evil a good use."

Mercury looked at Pluto. "I bet you know where that portal is."

Pluto nodded. "Yes." She pointed her staff at Moon and smiled as the blonde vanished. "And she's there now."

"Hey, no way I'm staying here while..." Mars started.

"Rei, we're all barely standing," Mercury said, "and if we went there, youma would surely attack us. We would be a liability for her. "

"Damn that idiot Usagi, she better not die there," Mars said and walked away.

* * *

"It's over, sir," Seia said.

"Good. Are the Senshi all in one piece?"

"Yes, but... Uhm... Apparenlty, Moon is missing."

"Missing, how?"

"I don't know, I'll ask one of them, sir."

Kino shook his head. He was quite sure it was the first time one of the Senshi went missing. "Always a first time for everything."

* * *

The place Moon was walking through now was quite familiar to her. However, unlike the old castle, this one had windows, and they were large enough to jump through.

As she leapt out of the castle, summoning her airboard, she thought back to her arrival here. The youma working in the portal generator (Moon could only guess that was what the machine did, anyhow,) had made no move whatsoever to stop her, or even block her path.

And now... She floated down and looked all around her. Youma had a city, a very large one. Even under the sunless sky, the city seemed be illuminated well enough. Youma were gathering around her, looking at her, but none dared walk close to her. They just stood there, and stared at her in awe and confusion.

"Oh, this is beautiful. Came to give up, wench?"

Moon turned to see Goshenite, along with a bandaged Morganite, glaring at her. "No, I came to offer you peace."

"Peace?" Goshenite asked in shock. "You want _Peace_, you bitch? After you killed our mother?"

"Yes. I don't want any more deaths on either side. It's time we put an end to this useless war."

Goshenite couldn't believe the nerve of this moon bitch. Coming all the way here, to their world, to offer them peace? She was either stupid, or delusional, but either way, she was more than willing to put the little human girl out of her misery.

* * *

**A/N:** No, Moon isn't insane, trust me. Next episode is the final one for this arc, and then it's time to have some fun with teleporters. If you don't get it, you didn't read the old version. But worry not, you'll know what it means in two episodes.

And yay, another double update. It helps a lot that I had envisioned the way Moon was going to kill Beryl beforehand, really (and don't tell me it's not a 'neat' way to get rid of an enemy.)


	148. Planet Of The Youma

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 13: Princess Of Darkness.**

**Episode 148: Planet Of The Youma.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 22, 2008_

* * *

Goshenite rushed at Moon first, forgetting melee wasn't her best option. Moon just dodged, though, so she snarled at the blonde woman. "Come on, fight already!"

"I told you, I don't want any more blood spilled because of this stupid war."

"Stupid? We want what is ours by birthright."

"It was never yours. Metallia created you to fight her war, because she knew she would lose in a direct confrontation. Your mother was used and twisted by Metallia's power, but you weren't. Don't let the past rule your future."

"Nice rant," Morganite said. "So what should we do, surrender and let you kill us all?"

Moon let her power flare for an instant, and saw all the youma, even the two princes, backing away. "If I wanted to end this war that way, you wouldn't be standing there."

"So what are your terms?"

Moon was surprised to hear another youma speak. This one was human-like, just like the two princes and the old Generals. In fact, her face reminded her of a certain blonde-haired General, she even had the same hair color. "My terms? I know all too well that your species needs life energy to survive, and that's why you drain us humans."

"Yes, there's no way around that," Goshenite snapped. Was this moongirl really implying what she thought she was?

Moon continued. "But also, what you've been doing lately... We supposed it was because you were all up to an evil goal, and acted on that thought."

"Acting in self-defense, huh?" Goshenite snorted. "How nice, but we're still going to kill you."

"There's no need to fight," Moon said, "because if you drain humans the same way you've done it lately, then no real harm comes to our side."

There was a collective gasp from the crowd, followed by murmurs. Morganite, however, wasn't too impressed. "So you're trading life energy to us in exchange for us not invading your world?"

"No deal," Goshenite snapped. "Destroy her," she ordered the assembled crowd.

The blonde, female youma rose her hand in a sign Moon didn't understand, and a copper-haired, male youma besides her mimicked her. The youma, rather than attacking Sailor Moon, took a few steps back.

"What is this?" Morganite snapped. "Betrayal!"

"We don't want any more deaths in our side, either," the male, brunette youma said.

"Apatite, Cuprite, you dare betraying the will of our Goddess and our Queen?"

"A will that led us into this planet, and caused many of us to die fighting a force we should've known was superior."

Moon could, thanks to her power, sense the energy of these two youma who opposed their leader. No, it had to be wrong.

"You bitch, we're your leaders now. You will obey us, or die."

Apatite snorted. "Many of us, just like me, are growing tired of being sent out to die."

The male besides her nodded. "And look around you, leaders. See how willing our people are to fight."

Goshenite and Morganite scanned the crowd. It was true, while most youma were actually _fearful_ of fighting Sailor Moon, there were many that showed no fear, yet didn't make a move to attack her. "Our own soldiers..." Morganite whispered.

"If mother was here, she would destroy them all for their betrayal."

Apatite smiled. "Yes, that is true. And it's another reason to not fight Sailor Moon. She's standing there, she's not attacking us, nor is she threatening us at all."

"I've already said I didn't have any intention to fight," Moon noted.

"So be it," Morganite snapped and rushed forwards, several spikes growing out of his skin as he run. He tried to tackle Moon, but she sidestepped him.

Moon flinched as one of the spikes grazed her arm. "If that's the way you want it..."

"Are you going to fight already?" Goshenite snapped.

"No. I'll just leave and close the portal from the other side," Moon explained.

Morganite tried to tackle her again, but this time, Moon was faster. She leapt aside, clutching one of his spikes as he passed by, then sent him flying up into the castle's wall.

"Thought you didn't want to fight."

Moon smiled at Goshenite. "You two won't listen to reason, so I'll defend myself if I have to."

Morganite stood up, furious, but something blocked his path. "Out of my way, Cuprite!"

The male youma snorted. "Intimidation would only work if I was weaker than you."

"Not only weaker, but delusional," Morganite snapped as he tackled the other youma.

Cuprite winced in pain as some of his foe's spikes pierced his flesh. "This was always your defect," Morganite. Ever since you were a young youma."

"What do you mean?"

"You always seem to help your sister in battle, but actually, she's the brains behind your brawling. For instance, if she wasn't frozen in place waiting for Moon to destroy her, she would've told you to mind my power."

"You're all talk," Morganite snapped. "I'm the one that filled you with holes."

"Yeah, that was your last mistake."

Moon gasped as electricity shot out of Cuprite's body, most of it running through Morganite's spikes and into him. She could sense the power this youma was throwing out, and while it wasn't anything close to hers, it was still enough to know a fight against him would be hard.

Goshenite saw her brother fall, and knew things had just gone very wrong. "Traitors, all of you! I'm going to kill you all for this!"

Apatite saw the pink-clad youma run straight at her and snorted. "Going to meet your brother, aren't you?" She got ready to fight, but several other youma around them were faster.

Moon saw the many energy beams shooting at Goshenite, and for a second thought it was over. Then, she noticed the evil woman now was holding an energy ball many times her own size. Some of the energy was leaking out, hitting her, but she still smiled as she turned to face her foe.

"None of us can defeat the mighty Sailor Moon, but maybe all of us together..." Goshenite said, "... can get rid of that pest."

Cuprite was limping back to where Apatite was, but saw Goshenite shoot her energy ball at Moon. There was nothing he could do to stop it, and from the look in Sailor Moon's face, there wasn't anything she could do about it, either. Even dodging something that large was an impossible feat for her.

Goshenite smiled thriumphantly, feeling the pain of her own gambit about to shut down her mind. It didn't matter, she would be the one that destroyed the strongest Senshi, and that was all that she cared about right now.

Moon concentrated, but she didn't have enough time to form a shield using her crystal. However, a wall of energy formed in front of her before the massive energy ball could hit. It was actually, Moon realized, a wall of flames, which could only mean one thing. "Rei... "

Goshenite cursed loudly as she saw the ball hit the sudden obstacle and bounce back at her. Even if she had the energy to dodge, she knew it was useless. The Senshi were truly invincible, at least for her.

Moon was hit by the shockwave released when the ball hit its new target, and staggered back. She didn't need to look to know Goshenite was gone.

"See, 'boss,' you needed help after all."

"I thought I said I didn't want any of you to follow me," Moon said turning to Mars, who was leaning on a wall, visibly exhausted.

"I'm as stubborn as you, I guess," Mars said. "Uhm, we should get the hell out of here," she added as Moon reached her.

Moon saw the two strongest youma around, Apatite and Cuprite, walking to them. "Don't worry, Rei, they're not evil."

"Yes, I heard what you're planning," Mars said. "You think humans will really be okay with it?"

"Civilians don't need to know about it, just as they don't know about Ail and Ann."

Cuprite looked at Moon. "Your power, its more than we imagined."

Moon decided to skip the bit about her power being double what it usually was thanks to Beryl's energy. "I will repeat my offer. If you don't attack humans, nor drain them enough to be harmful, I see no reason to fight."

Apatite nodded. "Agreed. We'll find a way to use our draining without having to go to Earth ourselves."

"We're not forbidding you from going there," Mars said, "though that would make things easier for us, actually."

Cuprite smiled. "We realize that. And the least contact our two worlds have, the safer we will all be."

"We will contact you in a few days," Apatite said. "Now, your friend is right, it's better that you two leave, as our citizens look eager to run and hide anytime now."

"Now that's ironic, isn't it?" Mars mused.

"I don't think that's irony, Rei," Moon noted as the two fled up to the castle.

* * *

One week later, the Senshi were already enjoying yet another break from fighting. Yukiko was really glad her 'problem' had been solved, but she wondered what else they would have to fight. True, she wasn't a Senshi, but she was sure she could still help them fighting whatever they had to face next.

As Usagi walked in (actually, she dropped in from one of the 'side' entrances to the base,) those who were there immediately noticed something different in her.

Ami looked at the ring her friend was showing off and sighed. "I don't think that could be a surprise for anyone here."

Usagi nodded. "Mamoru said we'll wait until I'm done with college to get married, though."

"Yes, that's a good idea," Ami said, "you'll need to find something to do while you don't get your permanent job."

"Maybe she can get a job as an alien-fighting heroine," Rei joked.

ChibiUsa smiled. "And we don't know just how long it will be until she becomes Queen Serenity."

"Wait, you mean you don't know when Crystal Tokyo will be founded?" Yukiko asked.

"It's one of the things your future selves 'forgot' to tell me," ChibiUsa said, "not that I'm complaining. I already know more about the future than I wish I knew."

* * *

Samuel opened the door and saw Terry was, as usual, working on something he didn't quite understand. And he wasn't really getting paid enough to bother understanding half the gadgets his employers created. "Master Terry, look what just appeared in our living room. "

Terry looked away from the computer he was working on and smiled. "Hi dad, done with that teleporter?"

"And it works quite well," Jack said. "I just visited the India headquarters."

"Nice. What range does it have?"

"Ten thousand kilometers, though that could be tweaked and improved. "

"Wait until I show Ami that little gadget, then, I'm sure she'll make it go to the Moon," Terry said. "But where is it anyhow?"

Jack pointed at his wrist watch. "I heard some loons out there use their watches to hide their high technology artifacts."

Terry snorted. "That's old, the loons now use dimensional pockets instead."

"Oh, yes, that's our next research project," Jack said.

"Good luck with that, then."

* * *

**A/N:** _JaysonFour:_ An interesting couple points you make. I'm not sure I will include the side of the drama you mentioned, since I actually like all those useless side characters I have lurking around. And I'm still partial to the whole 'death sucks, even if you can be revived' view of shows like Dragon Ball.

As for Pluto... Crystal will have at least one episode focused in her, and of course, what she did to keep the Earth going. But bloodlines? I don't think I ever suggested resurrection was linked to genetics that way. In short, Ikuko isn't a direct nor indirect descendant of Queen Serenity of the Moon.

About peace between youma and humans, I always thought it was a bit 'racist' to just have all youma be evil. To me, it made Nephrite stand out like an elephant inside an ants' nest. Yes, there's likely to be groups that won't be okay with peace on either sides, but that's only fuel to make some future arcs interesting.

_SolarWinds:_ Some things are better left unknown... Though Kunzite's most likely the one, since the DD Girls were his spawns too.


	149. Dark Visions

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 149: Dark Visions.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 23, 2008_

* * *

Early morning, in a mansion located somewhere in Tokyo, a young mad scientist was giving the final adjustments to his new toy.

"It's alive, Igor! It's alive! Bwhahahahahahahahaha!"

Ami sighed. "Terry... Be serious."

"Sorry," Terry said with a smile. "Anyhow, as I was telling you, these devices are prototypes for personal teleporters."

Ami looked at the small artifacts resting on a table near them. They looked like normal watches, but if what Terry said was true, she knew they'd be far more useful to them than a normal clock would ever be.

"So, what do you think?" Terry asked after a minute of silence.

"I'll have to see to believe..."

"I knew you would say that, that's why there's two of them here."

"Are they safe?"

"Sure, dad tested them himself and nothing happened." Just then, thunder roared outside. "Hmm, a thunderstorm."

"It was sunny a minute ago," Ami noted.

"Strange things happen around us all the time," Terry said dismissively. "Now, are you up for a trip around the city?"

"What are you planning?"

"Oh, I don't know, we could teleport to the base, then back here, nothing too extreme. And once we're done, we can spend the rest of the day, uhm, _researching_."

Ami blushed at Terry's smug smile. "Sounds fun. Specially the research part."

Terry chuckled and gave her one of the watches. "Let's go, then."

"Is it safe, with that thunderstorm outside?" Ami asked.

"I'm sure it'll be okay. I've modified the program a bit, the coordinates I enter here will be sent to your teleporter as well, so we'll both land in the same place."

"Not in _the same place_ I hope."

"Of course not, that would be quite unhealthy," Terry noted. And, for once, he wasn't joking.

"Right. I'm ready to go."

"Good. Fasten your seatbelts, we're about to take off." Terry pressed a few buttons in his teleporter, and then both him and Ami vanished. But, just as they were leaving, a lightning bolt hit the mansion, and lights went out for a few seconds.

* * *

_"What the fuck is going on here?"_

Ami, or rather Mercury, was scanning the area. She was just as shocked as Terry was, if not more, but she had transformed first, to try and find out what was going on. As soon as they reached the base, they noticed something was wrong. Very wrong. It looked as if something had attacked their base. Something very powerful. And Aiko was nowhere to be seen, either. "This is... I can't detect any human being in five miles around us!"

"What?" Terry frowned. "Let's go out there. Mercury Cosmic Power!"

The elevator wasn't working, so they had to use one of the side exits. One that took them to an alley just behind the dojo. As they walked out, they could both feel the air was heavier, carrying a quite disgusting smell. And as they both walked in front of the dojo, Mercury flinched and looked away. "What... How did this happen?"

Dragon Mercury didn't answer, just stared at the city. Or what was left of it. Most of the buildings around them had been demolished, and the few that stood had at least one of their walls ripped off. But that wasn't what forced Ami to look away. And Terry himself found it a bit hard to look at the city now. There were countless skeletons and corpses, everywhere he looked at, some hanging off the windows of the partially wrecked buildings, others still sitting in their now totalled cars. He noticed one corpse was pinned into a wall, as if a shockwave had crushed it into it. "I don't know, I really don't know what is going on."

Mercury looked at him, and he saw she was pale, and shaking. "Terry, this... It's a nightmare. It has to be."

"Ami, you have to snap out of it," Dragon Mercury said. "I know it's hard, I'm worried sick about many things right now, but... We have to get through this."

Mercury closed her eyes for several seconds, inhaling deeply a few times. It wasn't a pleasant thing, as she was getting a handful of the smell in the air. A smell she hadn't identified at first, but now knew it was, to put it in a soft way, the smell of death. When she opened her eyes again, her face had changed, she wasn't pale anymore. Fear and shock had given way to something Mercury had used as a sort of shield many times in the past. She would solve this mystery, it wasn't a matter of how, but when.

Dragon Mercury looked around as Mercury summoned her arm computer. "This can't be our world. We weren't out that long."

Mercury had been typing as fast as she could, which was, actually, faster than any normal computer could handle. Fortunately, her talisman was far from a normal computer. "Fuck. I knew that would screw things up."

"What's wrong?" Dragon Mercury asked, aware of the fact that if Ami was cursing, and using _that_ word, it had to be something very wrong.

"Other than the demolished city and the corpses?" Mercury snapped.

"Ami, chill."

Mercury glared at him. "I can't. We're in this mess because of you. "

Dragon Mercury shook his head. "Great, you're angry at me and we're stuck in something that looks right out of Akira. Can you at least tell me why you're looking at me like you want to kill me?"

Mercury blinked, her glare gone instantly. "Terry, sorry, I..."

"I don't blame you, I'm not too happy about this situation either. But we can't let it tear us apart."

Mercury nodded. "I know, if we want to go back home, then we..."

"Back home," the Dragon mused. "Just as I guessed, this isn't our world."

"It is the Earth, yes, but not our Earth. The teleporters have somehow... Sent us to another dimension."

The Dragon looked at the watch he still had and started typing on it. _"Oh, this is just wonderful."_

"Terry?"

"Know what, you're right. This is my fault. I should've known destiny loves to fool around with us. A freaking electric charge just as we teleported..."

"Terry, stop."

"Heh. Go ahead, slap me, you look about ready to do so, and I deserve it."

Mercury let out a long sigh. "Yes, I'd love to, but not because of what you think."

"Then why?"

"Because you don't see blaming yourself isn't going to help at all. "

"... Right. But you're not going to like what happened to the teleporters."

"What do you mean?"

"See, the shock didn't only send us here, it also screwed up the system. Look at your own watch, Ami."

Mercury did as told and had to stop herself from shouting a few very strong curses. "I see, the coordinates are constantly changing."

"And it has no record of where our first jump was from."

Mercury remembered how the coordinates looked, yes, but not the exact number. "These coordinates seem to be also longer."

"That must mean we need to know those extra numbers, which most likely are going to tell the system what universe we want to jump to. "

Mercury fell silent and started typing again in her computer.

"Ami, listen, I..."

"It wasn't your fault, I was just too out of it to make sense," Mercury said, still typing. "You had no way to know something like this would happen."

"Bet a certain lady in green knew."

Mercury nodded. "Protecting the timelines or not, I plan to give her an earful on not telling us about this kind of things." She stopped typing and looked around, her initial shock and nausea gone and replaced by curiosity. "What do you think happened here?"

"A nuclear war, an alien invasion, Usagi's crystal gone berserk," Dragon Mercury said. "Though maybe they didn't even have Senshi to begin with."

"I'm not staying around to ask whoever did it," Mercury said. "But the alternative isn't better."

"What were you try to do?"

"I was trying to get the data of our jump here, but it was wiped off, apparently. Also, the random coordinates are always unknown. And the worst part is, the teleporters need time to recharge."

"How much time?" Terry asked. Yes, his father had told him about that, but he hadn't considered it as an important detail, as he hadn't planned any long-range jump.

"It depends on how 'far' the Universe we're jumping to is," Mercury said. "Fortunately for us, our own Universe seems to be close to this one, so we can leave right away."

"Oh, I don't know, I'm starting to love the landscape," Dragon Mercury noted.

Mercury flinched. "And I'm detecting some life forms heading this way, so... Let's go."

Before Dragon Mercury could ask anything, the two vanished, leaving the city as empty as it was before they arrived.

* * *

Though the city was, actually, not completely empty. Two figures walked through the wrecked landscape, constanty looking around for any signs of danger. "Are you sure of your readings?"

"They're never wrong."

"Then we should be running the other way around."

"When did you become a coward?"

The first figure stopped. "Am not. I just don't want us to die for naught."

"If the readings I'm getting are right, these two aren't strong enough to defeat us. Maybe we can get some info from them."

"If they're just grunts, I doubt it."

"Have any better idea to defeat our enemies?"

"No, you're right. You're the one who does the thinking, after all. And I'm tired of eating what the rats leave behind."

"Yes, I never realized how much I hated ramen." And that was far from the worst they had eaten the last few months.

"Why are they here, though? I thought they considered this city deserted and unimportant."

"That's what I saw last time I checked their net. Anyhow, lower your voice, we're quite close to them."

A minute more of walking, and the two reached the place where the two intruders were. They were, fortunately, giving their backs to them, but the uniforms they were wearing...

"They're Senshi!" the first figure said, just as the two strangers vanished.

"But that's... Impossible. We saw them all die."

"Can you get a reading on where they teleported to?"

The second figure nodded, its arm changing to a metal plating. It looked at the strange glove for a few seconds, then cursed. "Impossible."

"What?"

"They left this Universe."

"What, you mean they are from another dimension?"

"That explains the suit the female had," the figure noted. "Maybe I can replicate their technology, it will be quite hard without a sample, though."

"Do it, Ami. If their world has Senshi, we can ask them to help us. "

"Sure, and it's not like we have anything else to do right now."

As her friend started materializing the assorted bits of technology she had stolen from their enemies (or scavenged from the few places where they found working electronic devices in their city,) the first figure looked at the landscape. "And I bet some pure air can't hurt."

"Sure won't, Rei. I hate the stench of this city."

* * *

Terry looked around. When had he transformed back to normal? Only explanation he found was that the dimensional jump was responsible, and it wasn't a nice thing to consider. "At least this city's in one piece."

"Where are we?" Ami asked. "The landscape looks a lot like Tokyo, but... Everything's in English."

Just then, a couple walked by. They were obviously asian, but spoke fluent English. Listening to the other humans around them, they realized everyone was speaking in English. Also, Terry realized, the two of them had been speaking English as well, without noticing. "Strange."

Ami looked across the street, to a school that looked strangely familiar. She read the sign in the front wall and groaned. "Tokyo Grove High?"

Terry frowned. "Strange name, but it looks just like our school."

Ami's eyes widened as she noticed the crowd walking out of the school. Amidst the sea of teenagers, there were two who she just couldn't stop noticing. "Terry, that's you and... Me?"

Terry looked at the two lookalikes and nodded. "Let's follow them and try to find out where we are."

"Can't we just jump again?"

Terry took a glance at his watch and shook his head. "Only ten percent charged. We'll be stuck here for a few hours, at least."

"Wonderful," Ami said, then noticed something amiss. "Darn, they left."

"We should follow that other group, then. I'm sure they'll lead us wherever our 'clones' are."

Ami saw a group that looked exactly like the five other Senshi that had been around during the first Dark Kingdom war, and nodded. "Now I'm really curious about this place."

* * *

**A/N:** This arc's title comes from one of the most unknown (yet most entertaining) novels by Isaac Asimov. What other worlds will the two Mercuries visit? It wouldn't be much fun if I told you now.

What's wrong with the world they first visited? And why do those two strange figures share names with two of the Senshi? That's something they will find out later on... And wish they hadn't.


	150. Big Bad Robots

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 150: Big Bad Robots.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 26, 2008_

* * *

As soon as they started following the five girls, Ami and Terry knew something was wrong. Very wrong.

"So, Lita, is that new guy Malcom nice?"

"Yeah, he sure is. But his sister Zoe is being a bitch for some reason, Molly."

Yes, something was defintely wrong.

"What's with the names?" Terry muttered as they observed the girls, standing at a safe distance.

"I don't know, but I don't see how Mako could end up being 'Lita.'"

They followed the five girls into Crown Arcade, which was actually the only building of Juuban (or Tokyo Grove in this universe,) that hadn't suffered a name change. They saw the girls walk to the Sailor V arcade, which for some reason was in the darkest corner of the building, and Lita whispered something to the machine. The machine slid sideways and the girls walked through a concealed door behind it.

"I don't remember building that one entrance."

Ami noticed the V arcade sliding back to its place and frowned. "I could probably hack into that machine."

"That wouldn't be a good idea, whoever you clones are."

Ami turned and saw the second Terry, and her lookalike, standing there, their confusion quite obvious. "I didn't expect I would meet this universe's Ami yet."

"Ami? It's Amy, you fake," the second Terry snapped.

"Hokuto, wait," the second Ami, or rather Amy, said. She summoned a small device out of thin air and pointed it at the other two. "Their DNA matches, and also... They've got quite a lot of lunar power."

Ami frowned. She didn't quite get all of what her double said, but it was enough to know she was basically the same person. "I suppose our DNA should match, yes. We come from another dimension."

"Hokuto?" Terry muttered. "What kind of name is that."

"Terry..." Ami warned.

"Sure, you can be calm, your name wasn't destroyed that badly."

"Terry?" Hokuto mused looking at his double. "That's a girly name. "

Terry looked at his watch, ignoring Hokuto's verbal jab. "Twenty percent... This is going to be a long wait."

"Another dimension, huh?" Amy mused. "That's not entirely impossible, and being this close to our base, Lunatron would have noticed any traces of youma energy in you."

"Luna...Tron?" Terry said then started laughing. "Seriously, I've gotta check that base of yours."

"I don't know, they might be youma in disguise."

"Hokuto, cut it off," Amy snapped. "It's Serena who should decide, anyway. She's the leader."

Terry and Ami looked at each other, but decided against voicing out their opinion on that name.

* * *

Minutes later, the four walked through a large metal door, and two of them were quite impressed at how the base looked. There were computer consoles and monitors everywhere, and the Ginzuishou was resting on some sort of strange machine in the middle of the room. All the girls inside the base looked at the two newcomers in awe. "Amy, who are those?"

"From what they say, and what I could get from my scanning, they're visitors from another dimension."

"They look older," Mina said.

"We are older," Ami admitted. "We're about to enter college in our world."

Terry was ignoring the chatter, he had noticed two things he was quite interested in. One was a certain computer girl sitting near the place where the other girls were, and the other one... The seven cat-like robots lined up in the farthest wall, each a different color, and each at least twenty meters tall. "Oh, now I get it, we're in a freaking Power Rangers world."

"Power Rangers?" Lita asked. "We're the Sailor Force, but if your world is like ours, you should know that."

"We don't have big bad robots in our world," Terry noted.

"Huh? And how do you fight, then?"

"With magic," Ami said, "what you call 'lunar power' in this world, if I understood everything correctly."

Terry walked to Aiko. "Hmmm... We have one just like you back home. What's your name?"

"Aiko," the computer girl said.

"Strange, that name _is_ the same back home."

Amy nodded. "I guessed from your names, that your universe's got quite a few diferences."

Usagi, or rather Serena, walked to them. She had a robot-like version of Luna on her shoulder, who had been staring at the two newcomers ever since they entered the base. "Guess you're welcome to help our group, as long as you stay here. Name's Serena."

"So we heard," Terry noted. "And that must be the 'Lunatron.'"

"We aren't staying for too long," Ami said, then looked at Terry. "Right?"

"We've been here for almost two hours and the teleporter only charged up ten percent. It means we will be around for another fifteen hours or so."

Ami scowled, but said nothing.

Aiko suddenly jumped up. "The youma are attacking."

Amy turned to the AI girl. "Is it far from here?"

"Just a few blocks," Aiko said.

Terry smiled. "Maybe we can help."

"Of course," Serena said, "I'm curious about what this 'magic' of yours can do."

* * *

Upon arriving, Terry and Ami saw youma were a bit different in this world. Actually, the point was that they weren't different from each other. "What are those things?"

"Youmatrons," Serena said.

"Let's get them!" Lita shouted and jumped right into the crowd of 'Youmatrons.'

Terry noticed everyone jumping into the fight, and to his surprise, even this world's 'Usagi' was an extremely skilled fighter. Either that, or these Youmatrons sucked majorly.

"These creatures are really weak," Ami noted. "Let's change for the party."

Terry nodded. "Mercury Cosmic Power!"

"Mercury Cosmic Power!"

Serena looked at the two as they transformed. "Wow, I want transformations like those."

"Where's that slacker Darien?" Raye growled.

Just then, a rose hissed by, stabbing through several monsters before exploding, taking out a few more creatures. The monsters all turned to see a man in a black full body suit, complete with a dumb-looking helm. "Sorry I'm late, guys, traffic jam."

The two Mercuries had transformed by now, and the Dragon smiled. "I think they said they wanted to see what our powers were like."

Mercury smiled, then turned to the others. "Everyone, out of the way. "

Amy looked in their direction, again holding her scanner, and gasped. "Guys, do as she says!"

The others weren't sure of why, but did as Mercury said. "This better be good," Lita muttered.

"If the readings I'm getting are correct, this will be amazing," Amy said.

Mercury smiled. She wasn't one to show off, but she was curious to what her strongest attack would do to such weak monsters. "Tsunami Wave!"

"Ice Wyrm!"

The icy construct fled over the water wave, but high enough so it wouldn't hit any of the creatures. As the wave hit the monsters, killing several of them instantly, the dragon sunk into the water, causing it to freeze, trapping the remaining monsters in a thick layer of ice.

"That was cool," Mina said, then added "pun intended."

"We're not done yet," Dragon Mercury said.

"Terry, you're not going to..."

"Nah, not worth it, but..." he summoned his two swords and tossed the Mercury one at his friend. "I've wanted to try this one for a while."

Mercury was looking at her sword. "I thought they had fused..."

"Yes, but this way, we can both use that one move."

Mercury knew what he meant. "Oh, that's nice."

"Done talking? I'm getting bored here," Molly said.

The two Mercuries run up to where the ice block was, and they both stabbed the ice with their swords. "Double Mercury Hail Blade!" they both shouted in unison, and the whole ice block exploded into thousands of small ice fragments. That, of course, took care of all the monsters trapped in it.

"Holy shit, I'm not going to mess with these two," Mina commented.

Mercury looked around and sighed. "So, that was all, right?"

"You never watched any sentai shows, do you?" Dragon Mercury mused.

"Not really a fan of them, why?"

"Anytime now, some General type is going to show up and bring a super monster along."

And just as Terry said that, a familiar brown-haired man appeared. Actually, it should have been a man, but instead...

"Zoisite's back for another beating, guys," Serena said.

"Let's kick her ass," Molly suggested.

"Her?" Dragon Mercury muttered. "This world just keeps on getting dumber."

Zoisite laughed evily (and with a quite high-pitched tone, too.) "Stupid Sailor Force, you're not going to defeat the Negaverse."

Mercury shook her head. "Is that watch charged yet?"

"Far from that," Dragon Mercury said. "So we'll have to enjoy the show."

"I don't know who you two rejects from the cheerleading squad are, but stay out of this if you don't want to get hurt," Zoisite snapped.

Mercury growled at her. "Shabon Spray Freezing."

Serena's eyes widened. This Mercury girl had just sent Zoisite flying back for almost three blocks. "Damn it, that attack's really strong!"

"Actually, it's one of my weakest," Mercury said, "but I don't want to screw up this universe by killing one of the main villains."

"Can I?" Dragon Mercury joked.

Serena saw Zoisite appear in front of them again, and sighed. "Just leave, okay?"

Zoisite dropped a white crystal to the ground, and an image of yet another familiar man appeared in front of her. "Malachite, the Brat Force has reinforcements. I'll need one of your Youmazoids."

"I'll send my lattest creation, then. I'm sure the Sailors will enjoy its company."

A massive, metallic pod suddenly fell down from the sky, crushing a building as it landed. The pod exploded, wrecking two more buildings, and a large insect-like robot walked out of its remains.

Ami recognized the robot's looks immediately. "That looks like a Gale."

"We'll need our Guardians for this," Serena said. "Let's morph. Moon Guardian, Activated!"

"Mars Guardian, Activated!"

Dragon Mercury grinned as the others transformed. "Hey, they're at 'guardian' level too."

Mercury groaned at that. "Not funny. Should we help?"

"I want to see what those can do, actually," the Dragon said pointing to the north. The seven giant mooncat robots were flying their way. The seven heroes had transformed, their suits similar to Mamoru's suit, but the colors matched those of their robots. "Hmm... And what about the Tuxedo Ranger?" he mused.

The black-clad warrior produced what looked like a remote control. He pressed a button, and a large, black dragon walked out of a nearby lake. A lake that was too small to actually be able to hide said robot, actually.

"That robot looks nice," Mercury said.

"I think I'll build us some of those when we get back."

Mercury chuckled. "Think we can ask these Senshi for the blueprints?"

By now, the eight robots had engaged the massive insectoid, and were having little luck fighting it. "If that's all they can do, they're screwed, though."

"Guys, we need to form the Moonbot," Serena announced from her white 'mooncat.'

The seven catlike robots run to each other, and fused into a robot that wasn't much taller nor bigger than any of them (as impossible as that may physically be,) but what was strange (or fitting,) was that the robot looked like a giant Sailor Moon. The dragon robot wasn't going to stay out of the fight, and it turned into a black sword.

The insect, however, wasn't apparently going to let the giant Senshi hit it, so it shot twin energy beams off its eyes. The beams hit the ground just in front of its enemy, and sent it sailing back, crushing a stadium as it landed.

"They might need help, after all," Mercury commented.

Just then, another robot appeared. It looked like a giant, metallic wraith, complete with black, raggy robe and a familiar-looking glaive. "That must be this world's version of Hotaru," Dragon Mercury guessed.

"Dead Ribbon Revolution!" a voice from inside the wraith shouted. A swarm of black ribbons shot out of it, ensnaring the creature. "Now, finish it!"

The Moonbot run to the enemy, sword drawn. It struck, and stood unmoving, meters behind it, until the creature exploded. "We did it. Thanks, Grim..." Serena stopped and frowned. "Oh, the Reaper left, again."

The two Mercuries looked at each other and just shook their heads at how dumb the fight had been.

* * *

Half an hour later, the two 'travellers' were walking through the city, along with the members of the Sailor Force. "So, Malachite and Zoisite escaped while you were fighting," Ami said. She was staring around in wonder. For some reason, all the buildings that had been wrecked were now rebuilt. Moreso, there was no sign of any battle ever happening in the city.

Amy nodded. "We'll take care of them, someday."

Terry was looking at his watch. "Hmm... Strange. The watch's charged now."

Hokuto looked at it and nodded. "Maybe using your powers speeds up the process."

"Now that's a good theory," Terry said.

"Not surprising. I am you, after all... Sort of."

Ami saw a certain pale girl walk by and was almost tempted to call out her name. "Hmm... Who's that girl?"

"That's Hotaru Tomoe," Amy said, "she was transferred to this school arond two months ago."

Terry was a bit surprised Hotaru's name wasn't, let's say, 'Alice.' It would somehow fit the pattern, too. "And let me guess, the Grim Reaper appeared around that time, too?"

Amy frowned. "Yes, why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason at all," Terry said and winked at Ami. "Guess we should leave. We have to find a way back home."

"So, you'll just jump around until you get lucky?" Lita asked.

"Yes, that's the plan."

"That's dumb," Mina said, "there might be a million universes out there, and you expect to get lucky?"

"It's the only thing we can do," Ami said, "We can't just stay here, or in any other universe but ours. I know our friends will need us back home."

Serena nodded. "I bet, if Amy or Hokuto vanished suddenly, we'd be weakened."

"It's been fun," Terry said, "but the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get to our world. Goodbye."

As the two vanished, Amy turned to Hokuto. "Think they knew something about Hotaru?"

"I think we should keep an eye on her, just in case," Hokuto agreed.

* * *

First thing they noticed when they appeared in this new world, was the sound of battle, in the distance. Looking eastwards, they could see a large city. And, thanks to their enhanced sight, they could see the streets were packed full of people fighting. "Think we should investigate?"

Ami frowned. "I don't know. Are we going to be here for a while?"

"The watch's out of energy, again," Terry said, "we should transform and see if we can figure out what's happening there."

Ami nodded, she was using her scanner. "I'm sensing some pretty powerful entities in that city."

"Then this will be fun," Terry said with a smile.

* * *

**A/N:** Why is Terry called "Hokuto" in that alternate world? For the same reason Mako was "Lita" in the dub: Mad dubbing skillz. But I think Ami and Terry quite summed up what I feel about the Sailor Moon dub.

Episodes will surely be longer than usual, and will take a bit more time to write. For the next one, I'll have to re-read a long arc of the manga I'm using this time around. You're free to guess what series it is, I'll just say it'll be a lot of fun to write.

_SailorStar9:_ All the more reason to make a parody out of it. And I also parodied the dub, so it was worth the pain.


	151. Everyone's A Ninja

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 151: Everyone's a Ninja.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 27, 2008_

* * *

Dragon Mercury took a moment to stare at the scene before him. There were literally hundreds of ninja, everywhere in the city. And they were all fighting, at least those that were alive, or at least uninjured. "Bet Mako would love this."

Mercury nodded. "From what I can see, some of those ninja fighting have the same symbol I've seen in many local buildings. That must mean they're defending this city."

"Now the question is, which side should we aid," the Dragon pondered.

Suddenly, a group of five ninja leapt up to the rooftop they were on. All six had a musical note on their forehead, and all six were looking at them like they were their next meal. "well, well... I don't know where you came from, but those suits are just too flashy to be ignored."

Dragon Mercury frowned and summoned his sword. "I guess these guys decided for us, huh?"

Mercury nodded. "Their power is quite low, only a bit higher than it would be for trained human warriors."

"Which means we can kick their asses," the Dragon mused.

"Kick our... Why you, brat!" one of the ninja snapped and rushed in. Dragon Mercury used his free hand to punch the man out of the rooftop (and send him bouncing on rooftops for at least a quarter mile.) The other ninja stared at him in shock.

"Uhm... They're weaker than I thought."

"Get them!" a second ninja ordered.

Mercury frowned. "Tsunami Wave!"

"Okay, that was overkill," Dragon Mercury noted as he watched the five being literally drawn away by the water wave.

Mercury looked to the center of the village. "Wonder what's going on in that rooftop?"

The Dragon looked in that direction and flinched. The barrier set around that area looked dangerous. "Maybe we should go?"

"The two fighting there are equally strong," Mercury said. "Maybe we should..."

"Damn it, Pakkun, I thought you'd keep us away from enemy ninja."

The two turned to see a group of four ninja standing in a nearby rooftop. Though ninja was a figure of speech in this case. One of them was a blond guy with spiky hair and an orange suit, who didn't look too bright. The second was a guy wearing a fishnet and looking bored. The third was a pink-haired girl. Those three were fourteen at most. But the fourth member of the group was the weirdest. It was a dog wearing an outfit that somehow resembled that of a ninja.

"They don't look like sand, or sound," the girl noted.

"Hey, you! Yes, you with the funny outfits!" the blond snapped. He was obviously not too polite. "What are you doing in our village?"

"We just got here, saw what was going on and decided to help," Mercury said.

"I don't believe that."

"Naruto, they might be telling the truth," the other guy noted.

"You're just trying to avoid the fight and sit around in your lazy ass, Shikamaru," Naruto snapped.

"The blond one, he's got quite a lot of power," Mercury said in a low voice.

Dragon Mercury frowned. "How much?"

"His power's above Galaxia's, but it's... blocked inside him."

"Blocked?"

"Hey, you two, stop muttering and tell us the truth!"

"We have already told you that," Dragon Mercury said. "You seem to be from this village, so, why don't you explain what's going on?"

"I don't have time for that," Naruto said, "and I don't trust you two, so get out of our way."

The pink-haired girl knocked the blond off the roof, sparing him a glare before turning to the two strangers. "Please excuse Naruto, he's just not good at being polite. And thinking. And many other things. Anyhow, our village's under attack by enemy forces, and we are pursuing one of them right now."

"Good thing at least one of you remembers that, Sakura," the dog, Pakkun, said.

Naruto leapt up to the roof and growled. "Okay, so if they're not enemies, what are they?"

Shikamaru was staring at the two. "That guy, the way he's holding his sword... He's a skilled fighter. And the girl might not look like it, but I'm sure she could kick your ass easily, Naruto."

"Oh really?" Naruto shouted. "Let's see if she can resist my amazing Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Mercury saw the blond create a dozen or so clones of himself, and they all jumped at her. She sighed and aimed her arms up. "Tsunami Wave."

Shikamaru saw Naruto (all of them,) getting dragged down the street by a massive wave of water. "Is she a water ninja?"

"Oh, we're not ninja," Mercury said. "We're Sailor Senshi."

Sakura smiled. "That kunnoichi suit of yours needs some work, girl. "

"This is not a kunnoichi suit," Mercury said.

Naruto had, by then, managed to leap back into the roof. "Wow, she's a strong girl. And pretty. Why are all girls we meet prettier than you, Sakura?"

Sakura once again punched Naruto off the roof, while Shikamaru shook his head at the idiocy. Pakkun leapt to the roof the two newcomers were in and looked up at them. "So, you say you're Sailor Senshi? Where's your boat?"

"Err... Not that kind of sailors," Dragon Mercury said, "it's just a title. In our universe, we were chosen to protect our city and our world from invaders."

"So you're just like us, huh?" Naruto mused, having once more leapt back to the roof.

"Sort of. So, where is this enemy you're chasing after?"

"They are in that direction," Pakkun said, pointing with his paw, "and are getting away thanks to our little chat."

"Nag off, doggie," Naruto muttered. "One of our friends is chasing after the enemy too, we're going to back him up."

Mercury scanned the area and nodded. "There's at least four power readings in that direction, and they're all quite strong."

"Lead the way, then," Dragon Mercury said, "we'll help you."

"Huh, why?" Naruto asked. "Not that I'm complaining," he added rapidly.

"Because you may appear a bit too noisy and dumb, but I can tell you've got a lot of potential. You remind me of someone from my world."

Naruto leapt besides him and looked at him with half-closed eyes. "You don't look that strong."

"Want to try attacking me?"

Naruto had a playful smile on his face. "I'll use my deadliest technique!"

"Oh, not that thing again!" Sakura exclaimed.

Mercury got ready for whatever Naruto was planning. "Terry, watch out."

"Don't worry, Ami, this kid's going to need a few years of actual fighting to beat me."

"Don't be so sure of that! Harem Jutsu!" Naruto turned into a few dozen blonde females, who were completely naked, but somehow had mist covering all the right (or wrong, depending on your point of view) areas. "Hello there, handsome," they all said in unison and blew a kiss at their 'foe.'

Mercury sighed. "That's one silly technique." She then noticed something and growled. "Terry..."

Terry stood there open-mouthed for several seconds before shaking his head and blinking to recover from the 'shock.' "It is quite deadly, though."

Sakura growled. "Naruto, stop being an idiot and get moving! We need to catch up with Sasuke!"

"Can he even stop being himself?" Shikamaru muttered.

Mercury sighed and summoned her airboard. "If you're done drooling, let's go."

"I wasn't drooling," Dragon Mercury noted, "just oogling."

* * *

Several minutes later, the group was travelling through the forest surrounding Konoha village. Pakkun suddenly slowed down and looked back. "I'm sensing enemies, and they're approaching fast."

Mercury looked back and nodded. "There's a lot of them."

"We can't stop, we need to get to where Sasuke is," Naruto said.

Shikamaru was about to say something, but Mercury beat him to it. "We'll stop them."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

"We can take care of ourselves," Mercury said, "go ahead, we'll catch up with you."

As the others left, Dragon Mercury looked around. "Time to show off my own ninja skills."

Mercury snorted. "So you've got those?"

"Ow, now that was mean. Been around Rei too much?"

"Maybe. Seriously, though, do you think we'll have to keep on jumping around too long?"

"I don't know, wish I could tell you the next world will be our world, but all we can do now is trust our luck."

"Too bad Chie isn't here."

Just then, a couple dozen ninja leapt out from the surrounding trees. "Well, well, we came looking for ninja and found circus clowns instead."

"Ice Wyrm!"

The ninja vanished as the creature hit them. "Those were clones, just like Naruto's attack," Mercury noted. She then sensed something and felt a sting in her side. A small kunai bounced off her arm, and a surprised gasp was heard. "Got you now. Tsunami Wave!"

The real ninja were hiding in a high tree branch, but that ended up being their doom. Mercury's attack made them lose balance, and the all fell down head-first. None of them stood up, however, and Mercury stood there, frozen.

"Ami..."

"I... I killed them? I didn't..."

The Dragon hugged her. He could understand how she felt, as he had gone through the same first time he saw a thief die thanks to him... Actually, he had deflected a bullet from one of his partners, and the bullet had gone right through the man's brain.

He had told Mercury about that, too, but he wished she never had to go through it herself. "Terry, I'm..."

"I know. We can just get to the next..." the Dragon looked at his watch and cursed out. "Damn, it's charging slower than it should. We'll be here for a day or two."

"Wonderful," Mercury muttered. "Let's go, we need to help those four. "

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," Mercury said before summoning her airboard. "But I also know staying here and brooding about it won't fix what I did. "

"There's nothing to fix," Dragon Mercury said, "these ninja aren't playing, they wouldn't have stopped until we killed them."

Mercury looked back. The two were now flying away from the scene, but she could still see the six men there, a large pool of blood forming around them. "It doesn't make me feel any better."

Dragon Mercury nodded. "Believe me, I know how you're feeling. Just try not to think about it too much."

* * *

Minutes later, they both reached the place where the others had run to. From the look of things, they were in a dire situation. There was another ninja of Konoha there, Mercury supposed that had to be Sasuke. He had quite a lot of power, too, but the enemies were something else.

There was a girl wearing a suit that made her Senshi suit (or that of the Starlights) seem conservative. She was holding a giant fan, but Mercury could bet it was a dangerous weapon despite its stupid looks.

The second guy was wearing a suit that made him look like a fat cat. Or weasel. Or some sort of small mammal. He was right now channeling energy into a puppet he apparently used as his weapon.

The third enemy, however, was what made Mercury gasp. He was human, but only half human right now. His right half had become something else. It was a monster, made entirely of sand. "What is that?"

"Gaara, the demon of the Sand," Shikamaru said, his tone as calm and unaffected as always. "If you ask me, even your attacks will have little effect in that guy."

"Maybe we should just attack him, and tire him down."

"No, that sand of his is protecting him. Even Sasuke had a hard time hitting him directly."

Gaara howled in rage. "Let them come... I want to see their blood... "

"He's really gone," the blonde girl with the fan said. "See what you got, Konoha brats? You made him angry now."

"Yes, he won't even listen to his own siblings," the other guy said.

Sasuke frowned. "I'm not going to let you go after you helped Orochimaru attack our village."

"Oh, it would be a pity to go without having some fun first," the girl said.

"Temari, Kankuro... They're mine..."

"Come on, Gaara, there's more than enough losers to fight now. Can't you share with us?"

Gaara growled. "Do whatever you want, but don't get in my way."

If the readings Mercury was getting were right, then even their powers would be just an annoyance for this creature. But they couldn't just run and leave these kids to die. Besides, if Naruto used the power he had inside, even this monster called Gaara wouldn't stand a chance against him.

* * *

**A/N:** Technically, Ami and Terry are in the late 1996, and I know Naruto didn't exist as manga back then. I just love messing with plotlines, and you can see from what's going on that I've quite messed with this one. Tech names might vary since I'm using the Spanish manga version as a base.

Originally, I was going to have them land during the Zabuza arc (specifically, during the bridge battle,) but then realized even Haku wouldn't stand a chance. And I'm being objective here.

And yes, this one crossover got longer than I had expected. The battle against Gaara should be interesting, though, and different from the original (that should be a given, though, with how I've altered things.)

_DavisJes:_ If I had actually read more than three comic books in my whole lifetime, I would probably know what Exiles is... And nope, this isn't quite like Quantum Leap, as you see they can go to worlds where the characters aren't anyone they know.

_SailorStar9:_ Yeah, I will. Not in this arc, though.


	152. Leaf vs Sand

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 152: Leaf vs. Sand.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: May 31, 2008_

* * *

"So, what's the plan?" Sakura asked.

Mercury frowned. "I will fight the kunnoichi."

"Be careful, that fan's an impressive weapon," Shikamaru said.

"I'm going to get Gaara," Naruto said.

"I'll help Sasuke, too," Sakura added.

Dragon Mercury frowned. "Guess that leaves me that pupeteer."

Shikamaru looked around. "Shino, you can stop hiding."

A new figure leapt down from one of the many trees surrouding the group. "... I see." The newcomer was quite tall, wearing a trenchcoat that covered most of his body, its neck tall enough to cover his mouth and nose. His eyes were hidden behind round sunglasses, though one could tell he was looking at the three Sand ninja in turns. "I'll help with Kankuro."

Shikamaru nodded. "And I'll help defeating Temari. I've fought her before, after all."

Gaara growled at the others. "Losers... Stay out of my fight."

"He's insane," Sakura muttered.

"Naruto, Sakura, leave this one to me," Sasuke said.

"Are you for real?" Naruto snapped. "I'm not staying out of this fight, Sasuke."

"Same here, I'm more than capable of backing you up. Besides, we're a team."

Sasuke grunted. "Right. Just don't let him kill you."

* * *

Mercury followed Temari, who leapt from branch to branch, and snorted. "First you want to fight, now you run away?"

"I'm not running away from you, but from Gaara. When he's in that state, he doesn't mind killing whatever gets in his way." Temari had stopped and looked to the place where Gaara and the three Konoha ninja were now fighting. "Good, this seems like a good place for our fight. So, shall we start?"

"Ladies first," Shikamaru said, looking as bored as always.

Temari smirked. "How nice of you."

"Actually, I was talking about her," Shikamaru said pointing at Mercury.

"Too late," Temari said. "Slashing Wind Jutsu!"

Mercury was quite surprised at the power of the wind blast that came out of Temari's fan. It was like getting hit by one of Haruka's attacks, and it nearly knocked her off her feet. He was also surprised that Shikamaru could withstand the wind, maybe the guy had skills other than looking unconcerned by everything.

However, she figured her water attack would do the trick nicely. "Tsunami Wave!"

"Slashing Wind Jutsu!"

Both attacks clashed, and to Mercury's surprise, Temari's one got the upper hand. She dove to the side, but wasn't fast enough, and was hit by her own wave, faster than it should be thanks to the wind blast.

Temari laughed. "Aww, you're all wet now."

Shikamaru looked at Mercury, whose suit was showing a lot more than it usually did after being soaked thoroughly by the water wave. "Guess it's a good thing neither Kakashi nor Naruto are close enough to see this." But besides getting a look at Mercury's figure, Shikamaru had been analyzing both her and their rival, looking for the way to defeat Temari. After all, his technique wasn't too useful if Temari kept on moving like that, unless he could guess her next move.

"I see I can't win from here, but I bet you're nothing without that big fan of yours," Mercury said.

Temari snorted. "I'm not going to fall for that. Or is it that you're jealous because you've got no weapon?"

"Just because you don't see it, it doesn't mean I don't have one."

Temari heard a noise behind her, and turned around, just in time to kick Mercury's airboard away. She tried to turn around, but found her muscles weren't responding. "What the... Damn it, not you again!"

Mercury noticed a shadow runnig from Shikamaru to Temari, and her scanned told her all she needed to know about it. "You can control your opponent with your shadow. That's amazing."

The three froze as an inhuman growl was heard in the distance. Temari looked in the direction Gaara was fighting the others and paled. "Shukaku awakened, you Konoha brats are gonners."

"Tsunami Wave!"

Shikamaru blinked in shock. One second Temari had been gloating, the next she was knocked into a tree by the watery wave, and fell to the ground, unconscious. "Don't you have other skills?"

Mercury grinned. "Sure do, but that's my strongest one."

"Who taught you that?"

"I learnt it myself," Mercury explained.

Shikamaru whistled at that, then looked at the monster in the distance. "Aw man, how are we going to fight against that?"

"Not the first time I fight a giant monster," Mercury admitted, "but this one's pretty strong."

"How can you tell?" Shikamaru asked.

Mercury pointed at her visor. "This artifact scans anything I look at."

"What does it tell you about me?"

"That if you took fights more seriously, you could be a very dangerous foe."

"Yeah, it works fine, then," Shikamaru muttered.

* * *

Dragon Mercury looked at Kankuro, then at Shino. "Not to be rude, but you don't look like a fighter."

Shino shot him a sideglance (hard to see behind his glasses,) then nodded. "But I'm full of surprises. Literally."

"Hmph. Hey, old man, why don't you leave this fight to us youngsters?"

Dragon Mercury looked at Kankuro and snorted. "Yeah, I bet you're a little boy. You're still playing with dolls, after all."

Kankuro growled at him, then sent his puppet right at him. "Die!"

Dragon Mercury parried the attack with his swords, and snorted again. "I never liked practice dummies, you know? Why don't you fight me yourself?"

"It doesn't matter what weapons you use, be it swords, fans or puppets, as long as you're skilled with them," Kankuro said, "but enough talking, let's see how much you last against me."

Dragon Mercury noticed Shino wasn't moving, and also that he had some bugs running across his face, but he was seemingly unaware of them. "A little help would be nice."

"Thought you had him controlled," Shino said, "besides, help's on its way."

The Dragon turned to Kankuro. "Okay, then, since you like playing with artificial pets, let me show you mine. Ice Wyrm!"

Kankuro looked at the large ice construct and, for a second, his mocking smile faded. He had only seen constructs of this type a few times in his lifetime, and knew the only thing he could use to defeat such a creature was... "Hmph, I guess I'll have to use him after all."

"Him?"

Kankuro's smile returned. "Come, Kuroari!" A second puppet appeared, uglier than the first, as impossible as that might have seemed. "That's Kuroari, another puppet of mine. I must admit I'm surprised someone like you forced me to use it."

Dragon Mercury snorted. "Summon twenty puppets if you might, it won't change a thing." He mentally ordered his wyrm to attack the first puppet, and chuckled. "Let's see whose puppets are stronger. "

"No need to be stronger when you're sneakier," Kankuro noted. As the wyrm got closer, he smiled. "Now I'll show you what Kuroari can do. Watch and learn, old man."

And the Dragon did just that. As soon as his construct was close enough, Kuroari leapt at it, somehow capturing it inside its body. "What the..."

"The show's not over yet," Kankuro said. "Puppet Play Jutsu." The other puppet split into several pieces, all of them with blades and other sharp, pointy things on them. He tried to get the wyrm out, but Kuroari wasn't letting it happen. "Damn."

Kankuro smirked. "Darkness Trick." As he said that, the pieces of Karasu fled straight into the holes in Kuroari's body. Seconds later, water started pouring out of the puppet. "Show's over."

"Why, you're quite right."

Kankuro heard the voice behind him, and gasped. Looking back, he could see Shino standing there. "What? But you are..." Indeed, Shino was also standing near Dragon Mercury, still in the same position as before. "That one's a clone," Kankuro realized, then smirked. "But you should've attacked while you could." He mentally commanded his puppets, and swiftly repeated the trick he had first used on the wyrm. "Gotcha," Kankuro said, then noticed it wasn't blood what was pouring out of the puppet, but. "Insects?"

"As you said yourself, there's no need to be stronger, when you're sneakier," Shino's 'clone' said. Actually, the Shino still outside was the real one, and the other was a clone made of his chakra-eating bugs. Bugs which, thanks to Kankuro's mistake, where now runing up his arms, draining his energy.

"Damn... You bug boy are smarter than I thought," Kankuro said before fainting.

Dragon Mercury turned to Shino "Summoning bugs, that's quite an impressive skill."

"I didn't summon them," Shino said, "they're with me at all times. "

Dragon Mercury was about to ask what he meant, but then saw a bug crawl out of Shino's skin. "Oh."

"What, not freaked out like everyone else?" Shino mused.

"I've seen my share of incredible," Dragon Mercury admitted. "Now, let's go help..." It was just then that the area shook, the shockwave knocking them both down. "What the..." Looking to where the main battle was taking place, he couldn't help but gasp. There was a giant, nine-tailed fox grappling with a sand monster (possibly the one they called Gaara,) and Naruto was riding on top of the fox's head. "Okay, I gotta admit that one is something I've never seen before."

* * *

By the time Mercury reached the place of the battle, she saw things were quite out of hands. Sakura was pinned agianst a tree by solidified sand, while Sasuke watched the fight, and her visor told her he was quite out of energy right now. She looked at Sakura and frowned. "Maybe I can free her."

"I've tried," Sasuke said, "but that sand's not normal."

Mercury scanned the sand, and knew he was right. Only way to free her would be using one of her wave attacks, but it would also probably hurt Sakura badly, or even kill her, as weakened as she was. "I see. Guess it's all up to the loud one, then." The two giant creatures were grappling, and apparently Naruto was getting ready to leap on the sand monster's head. "Didn't know that boy could control monsters, too."

"Same here," Shikamaru said, looking shocked for the first time since Mercury arrived.

"I'm definitely not messing with that guy."

Shikamaru turned and saw Shino and Mercury's friend running to them. "You two got Kankuro?"

Shino nodded. "He's not going to wake up for a while."

Mercury sensed something, and turned back to the battle. The 'fox' was actually a giant toad, and now its 'disguise was gone. However, it still held on the sand creature, somehow managing to stop it from moving. Naruto was now on the monster's head, rushing at Gaara. Tendrils of sand shot out, slowing him down, but Naruto still managed to hit Gaara with a headbutt. Gaara and Naruto fell down as the sand creature fell apart, and the giant toad vanished.

"He beat Gaara?" Sasuke, who had just regained consciousness, said. He looked up in shock as the two fighters fell.

"They're still going at it," Dragon Mercury noted as he saw both Gaara and Naruto glaring at each other.

"They've barely got any energy to stand," Mercury said. Still, she'd seen Moon like that a few times, and she had still managed to defeat her enemies in such a state. and Mercury saw Naruto saying something to Gaara, though she couldn't quite hear what it was, then they both rushed forwards.

It was Naruto, however, who got the upper hand in that last blow. He managed to punch Gaara away, but as Gaara fell to the ground, barely conscious, Naruto fell on his knees, then down to the ground.

Mercury turned to see Sasuke checking on Sakura. She scanned the girl and smiled. "Don't worry, she's just unconscious."

Sasuke nodded. "What about those two?"

Mercury turned to see Naruto crawling to where Gaara was, while the redhead shouted at him to not come close. "Is he going to attack him?"

"How, glaring at him until he dies?" Shikamaru mused. "Those two are lucky to still be conscious."

Naruto said something to Gaara as he got close enough, but the others couldn't quite hear what it was. But from the look in Gaara's face, whatever it was, it wasn't cute. Sasuke walked up to the two and stared down at Naruto. "That's enough, Naruto. Sakura is all right now. Gaara run out of Chakra, so the sand crushing her is gone."

"Is that true..." Naruto whispered.

Just then, Kankuro and Temari leapt in front of Gaara, and they both seemed ready to fight, despite the beating they received earlier on. However, before the two could move, Gaara looked at them. "That's enough. Stop it."

Kankuro looked at Gaara for a few seconds, then nodded and picked him up, helping him walk away. Gaara looked at Naruto as the three Sand ninja walked away.

"That was actually an impressive battle, Naruto," Shikamaru noted, then saw the blond was out cold. "Hmph."

"Let's head back to the village, they may still need our help there," Sasuke said.

Mercury scanned the area. "Strange... I'm seeing no signs of battle back at Konoha anymore."

"You can see the village from here?"

Mercury shook her head at Shikamaru's question. "No, but I can sense energy readings, and there's no attacks being thrown around anymore, from what my visor tells me. So, that means the fight is over."

"So, who'll carry the noisy, ugly one back to Konoha?" Shikamaru asked.

"Now, now," Naruto said as he stood up and stirred. "Don't you call Sakura that, Shikamaru."

"I see the beating did nothing to improve his intelligence," Shino noted.

* * *

Ami looked around and smiled. It had been three days since the battle, and the village was being rebuilt. They had lost their leader in the battle, from what Ami and Terry could see, but there were plans to choose a new one. While she was curious on how things would develop for this world, she also knew her friends needed them back home. "So, it's time."

"Aww, leaving so soon?" Naruto asked. "I kinda like you, icegirl."

Ami cringed. "I wish you'd stop calling me that."

Sakura smiled. "You know, from what Shikamaru told us, you two are quite good fighters. We could use someone like you here."

"Yes, but... We have our own world to protect," Terry said, "we can't stay here."

Naruto smiled. "Oh well, guess it's back to training."

Ami gave a last look at the village. "Think we can come back someday?"

Terry looked at Ami and just shook his head. "Let's go."

As the two vanished, Naruto turned to the others. "Know what I feel like doing right now?"

"Eating ramen?" Sakura muttered.

"Wow, good guess."

"Yeah, it's amazing I guessed it right," Sakura said and shook her head.

* * *

A forest, a normal-looking forest, with no giant sand monsters or ninja. "Hmmm... Wonder just where the heck we are now..."

Ami looked around, then frowned. "I detect an energy signature, coming this way. And whatever it is, its power is amazingly high."

"It's always like that," Terry said, summoning his sword and getting ready to fight.

* * *

**A/N:** This episode took more time than I thought it would, since I had to go and re-read a good thirty manga issues, and see what points I wanted to keep and which ones would change. And nope, I didn't describe the battle of Gaara and Naruto,. That'd need yet another episode or four and would be mostly copying what happened in canon, anyway, and I'm focusing in the two Mercuries rather than the 'natives.'

And for the Naruto-addicted, I know Kankuro didn't use Kuroari in that battle, but I changed quite a few things, like Shikamaru not staying behind, or Shino not confronting Kankuro earlier on. Blame the two Mercuries. Or me. Either works.

_SolarWinds:_ I'm not going to tell which worlds will be visited by Ami and Terry, but this won't be the only crossover arc of the story, and some worlds these two visit will be visited by other Senshi too. Though that is something for the very far future, at least for the characters.

_DavisJes:_ I know I heard someone talking about that series before. Anyhow, the "Sailor Force" episode won't be the last 'fusion' I make in this arc, though the remaining ones will be a bit more serious, and the one they landed on first, well... That's just planting a plot device that will be used in a future arc.


	153. Role Reversal

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 153: Role Reversal.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 3, 2008_

* * *

Terry was rather surprised to see what exactly leapt out of the wilderness around them. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me."

"Pika?"

Ami blinked. "Uhm, that little Pikachu is the energy I detected."

"This weak-looking rat?" Terry mused.

"Pi Pikachu!"

"No, we're not going to hurt you," Ami said as her visor disappeared.

Terry blinked at that. "Ami?"

"What?"

"Do you understand what this bug says?"

Ami nodded. "Yes." She then took a few moments to realize where they were, and why it was weird for her to understand Pikachu. "You don't know what he's saying, do you?"

"Not at all, I just hear a lot of Pika Pika," Terry mused.

_"You two aren't Rockets, then,"_ Pikachu said.

Ami flinched. Yes, she could understand what the creature was saying, but why was it... She had always been proud of her intelligence, and right now it was giving her the most likely answer to that question. It was apparently her special power, understanding any language she heard (or read?) "No, we're not from that team."

"Never told me you could do that," Terry noted.

"I didn't know... Maybe it wasn't active until now, or maybe I hadn't noticed because we're always speaking Japanese in Tokyo."

"Pikachu, where are you?"

(Over here, Ash!)

"Ash?" Ami said, surprised.

"Oh, great," Terry muttered. "That's the English name for Satoshi."

"Oh. It fits, unlike those other translated names we saw before."

"So it does," Terry said, "but I'd still rather be in the game instead."

Just then, a familiar trio run to them. "Oh, there you are, Pikachu. Don't run off like that, buddy."

Misty looked at the two strangers standing near Pikachu, then at Brock. "Hmph. Figures."

Brock seemingly floated to Ami and held her hand. Ami could've sworn his eyes were heart-shaped right then. "May I know your name, your sign and your measures, beauty?"

Terry growled. "Hey, she's taken."

Brock looked at him, then at Ami, then sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I should've guessed that. Story of my life."

(You gotta excuse Brock, he can't tell you're that guy's mate,) Pikachu said.

Terry noticed Ami blushing, and rose an eyebrow. "What did the rat say?"

"Uhm, nothing important," Ami said, her blush darkening as she saw Pikachu smiling at her. Yep, the rat could tell even that just from their scent, apparently.

"Who are you two, anyway?"

"I'm Terry, and this is Ami," Terry said, "we're not from around here." That, he realized, was quite an understatement.

"Oh, nice to meet you, I'm..."

"Ash, Brock and Misty," Terry said.

"Hey, how do you know?" Misty asked, a bit of doubt creeping into her voice.

Ami had recovered enough from Pikachu's words, so she decided to explain. "We're not even from your world. In the universe we come from, you three are characters from a kid's toon."

Brock snorted. "That's quite hard to believe, beauty," he then noticed Terry glaring at him. "Hey, I'm harmless."

"He's also a pervert," Misty stated with a nod.

Ami giggled. "We know how he acts."

Terry looked around. "So, where are we exactly?"

"Wish we knew that," Misty said, "but we're lost _again_ thanks to Mr. Let's Take A Detour here," she added looking at Ash.

"I know where we are, Misty."

Misty snorted. "Yes? Then please tell us."

"Somewhere between where we were and where we want to be," Ash said with a grin.

"Not funny," Misty muttered.

Terry looked at his watch. "Strange."

"What's wrong?"

"Not wrong, not at all," Terry said, "the watch's already at a hundred percent charge."

"So we could..." Ami started, but then the area filled with smoke. "Oh, great."

_"Not those losers again,"_ Pikachu muttered.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double, yadda yadda," Terry said with a shrug. "Come out of the smoke so I know where to hit," he added with a smirk as he summoned his sword again.

"Why, you asshole, you ruined our motto!" Jesse snapped walking to him.

"Jesse, that guy's got a sword," James noted.

"I know, see me care!" Jesse snapped turning to her partner, then felt something cold in her throat. "Uh..."

"Leave," Terry said as he kept his sword's point pressed at Jesse's throat, his tone dead serious.

"I know I've seen that sword somewhere," Brock commented.

Jesse backed away. "Uhhh... I guess that we're going to leave, yes, we don't want to mess with a lunatic swordsman."

"We're really leaving?" Meowth asked.

"Of course," Jesse said, then produced a Pokeball. "After we let our Pokemon beat him down. Arbok, go!"

_"Crap, not Pikachu again,"_ Arbok muttered. Frankly, the snake-like monster was quite tired of getting zapped by the yellow rat.

James smirked. "That's more like it. Wheezing, go!"

_"Let's smoke those brats."_ Terry looked at the two Pokemon and snorted. "You know, these two look more intimidating on TV."

"Arbok, poison sting that idiot!"

Arbok shot its stings at Terry, but he simply leapt over the snake, stomping on its tail as hard as he could.

_"Aaaah that hurts, you stupid little..."_

Ami cringed at the rest of the snake's shout, which had some words Ami didn't quite want to repeat.

"Wheezing, use Smog."

Terry was caught by the dark cloud and coughed. "Ami, a little help here."

"Fifty degrees to your left, three meters ahead of you," Ami directed.

Terry leapt out of the cloud, for everyone's surprise, right at Wheezing, and gave it a quite painful-looking punch in the face.

"Seriously, who are these two," Jesse muttered.

Ami smirked. "I guess I should show them. Mercury Cosmic Power!"

"Gahh..." Brock fell to the ground, mumbling incoherently, as Mercury's transformation ended.

"Brock, are you okay?" Ash asked, seemingly unaffected by the short skirt and form-hugging suit Mercury had.

Brock stood up, staring at Mercury. "Yeah, and now I know why they both looked familiar. She's Sailor Mercury!"

Jesse laughed at that. "What? That's stupid, they're just characters from a kid's toon. And a silly one, at that."

Mercury smiled. "I'll show you silly."

As Mercury run to them, James gasped. "Arbok, Wheezing, protect us!"

The two Pokemon leapt right in front of them, and Meowth also stood ready to attack. However, Mercury apparently tripped while meters away from them, and started falling. "Hmph, see, she's just a silly Sailor girl," Jesse mused.

Mercury's fake accident, however, got her right where she wanted to be. The Rockets realized, a little too late, that she had fallen right in front of (and under) them. "Tsunami Wave!"

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaaaaaain!" Jesse shouted as the villains disappeared up in the sky.

"That was awesome," Misty said.

Brock was still staring at Mercury. "Yes, she's awesome..."

Ash nodded. "That's quite an impressive attack. So you're one of those Senshi, huh?"

"Terry's one of them, too," Mercury said, a bit uncomfortable under Brock's gaze.

"Dragon Mercury, I suppose," Brock noted, his face going from pervert to normal in a blink. "That's the Frostbite."

"Didn't know you were a fan of them," Misty noticed.

"Yeah, I watch them because of the plot, the comedy, the drama, the action..."

"You watch them just because of the skirts, most likely," Ash commented.

"That too," Brock said with a smirk.

"This was fun," Mercury said, "but we have to leave, we need to get back to our own universe."

"Aww, leaving so soon?" Brock whined. "Please, stay for a while, so I can stare, uhm, I mean, so we can chat a bit more."

Mercury noticed the way Terry was looking at Brock wasn't friendly. At all. "Uh, no, we really need to go now."

"Yes, we do," Terry said and pressed a button in his watch.

As they vanished, Ash noticed Brock was quite downcast. "Cheer up, Brock, at least you got to meet your favorite character."

"Not really my favorite, Venus' got the hottest figure," Brock said, "but yeah, I can now gloat that I met one of them."

"That'll make you earn a straightjacket, Brock," Misty muttered.

_"Maybe that way he will stop chasing after girls,"_ Pikachu said.

Ash looked at him and sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could understand what you're saying."

* * *

First thing Ami and Terry noticed when they arrived to this new world, was that the city was quite similar to their Tokyo. However, Terry couldn't understand the symbols drawn on road signs and windows around them. "Ami, can you translate?"

Ami started reading some of the signs around, and paled. "Terry, this world is..."

"What's wrong?"

"Those signs are written in... Youma."

"Gah, we have to get..." He looked at the watch and cursed loudly. "Damn thing's depleted again."

"It's a good thing I'm not transformed anymore," Ami noticed. "Think we can pass up as one of them?"

Terry looked around. The youma around them weren't destroying the city, or draining humans. From what he could tell, it was as if they'd always lived in the city. "Hmmm..."

"Excuse me, you look familiar somehow," a voice said from behind them. To Terry's surprise, it was plain Japanese. However, as the two turned around, they almost jumped. A teenage-looking Jadeite was standing there, looking at them.

"Uhm, no, I don't think we've ever met."

Jadeite blinked. "Strange, but you really seem familiar."

"We're not even from this city, we just arrived... Today," Terry said.

"I see. Then I welcome you to New Arcadia, but watch out for those evil Senshi that keep on showing up everywhere."

Ami's mind was already in sixth gear. So, from what she could understand thus far, youma were good, and Senshi were evil. She really hoped she wouldn't have to fight them, if they looked like her friends. "Yeah, the Senshi are a real trouble here, I heard."

"Good thing the Generals keep those freaks at bay," Jadeite said.

Terry stopped himself short of laughing. This was most likely another Power Rangers spin-off. Anytime now, a group of ugly creatures were going to show up and start attacking the civilians.

And just then, two figures appeared, but they weren't what Terry would call ugly. In fact, they were this world's version of Mars and Venus, though the suits they were using were closer to bikinis than to Senshi suits. At least they still had the tiaras.

"Arcadians, it's time for you to give your precious life force to our Queen," the one that looked like Mars said.

"Or else we'll have to rip it out of you," the one that looked like Venus added, then cackled insanely.

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen."

The two villains looked up and growled as they saw a brown-haired figure standing there. "General Nephrite!"

Nephrite didn't say a thing, he just leapt to the two and started trying to punch them out cold.

While Nephrite kept the two pseudo-Senshi busy, several other figures appeared. They were all the Generals Ami and Terry had seen before, along with one they didn't know. Terry glared at one of them, specially, and was about to throttle her, but Ami stopped him. "Terry..."

Terry looked at her and sighed. "I thought that one wound was sealed already," he said, "but just seeing that bastard here..."

"She's not the same," Ami said, "she might look the same, but remember, this universe's quite different."

Terry closed his eyes for several seconds, then nodded. "I know. By the way, notice how our blond friend left while we were talking... "

As expected, Jadeite run in, wearing an outfit similar to the others. "Strange, they're not using robots," Ami mused.

"Maybe this isn't a Power Rangers world," Terry guessed.

The fight was quite uneven, and, Ami noticed, devoid of magical attacks on both sides. However, despite what one would suppose at first, the two 'Senshi' managed to knock out most of their foes, and then looked around. "Fun's over, time to work," 'Mars' said.

"Aw, Ares, you're no fun at all," 'Venus' complained.

"Shut up and help me, Aphrodite."

"Greek deity names instead of roman ones," Ami noted.

"This isn't our world, so I guess I'll get a chance to kick Rei's rear," Terry said.

"Be careful," Ami, who had her visor on now, said, "they've got quite a lot of power."

Terry nodded. "Right, then we should stick to ranged attacks. They apparently have none of that."

"True. Mercury Cosmic Power!"

"Mercury Cosmic Power!"

As the two heroes got ready to fight the barely dressed villains, someone was watching the battle from the background. "Interesting, those two match the DNA readings of the two Mercuries, but... They aren't the same. I think I could use their help in this war."

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, that was season 1 Pokemon. I could use the last two or three seasons, or any other, but I don't think that makes much difference (other than Ash growing taller.) And yep, Pikachu meant 'mate' _that_ way. Evil, little yellow rat.

Ami and Terry are in for a nice little fight in our next episode...


	154. Cold Blood

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 154: Cold Blood.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 5, 2008_

* * *

Dragon Mercury got the first attack in, kicking Ares back. However, while his kick should've sent her skipping back, she just staggered. "I see, you girls are stronger than I thought."

Ares growled. "I don't know who you are, but you're going down."

"I doubt it," the Dragon snapped and went for a sword slash.

Ares caught the sword with her hands and smirked. "My turn. Phoenix Punch!"

Mercury saw the Dragon sailing back, his suit's chest burnt. "As I thought, they're melee fighters."

Aphrodite smirked at her. "If you think range will save you, you're dead wrong."

Mercury wasn't really expecting the Venus lookalike to have the same power as the Minako she knew, but it was just what she used. She felt something hit her side and flinched. The kick to the ribs she had just taken was strong enough to send her flying back. "Damn, they are strong."

"Nah, you are weak," Aphrodite said appearing next to her, and kicking her again, this time knocking her through a wall.

Dragon Mercury glared at her. "Hey, you moron, don't hit my girl."

"She asked for it," Aphrodite snapped. "And now you did, too."

As Aphrodite 'vanished, the Dragon smirked. Hook, line and sinker. He threw a few of his bombs around himself, then leapt out of the way just before they exploded. "Gotcha."

"What the... Ahh, my lungs, you... Ack..."

"Ice Wyrm."

Ares frowned. Aphrodite had literally run into that man's trap, and that ice dragon he had summoned was quite strong. She decided to help the blond before she was squished to death by the ice creature, but something stopped her charge.

"Tsunami Wave!"

"Crap, thought you were out cold," Ares snapped.

"Then don't think, it's clearly not your forte," Mercury said.

Ares growled and produced a small crystal. She then smashed it against the ground and smiled as a familiar face appeared in the cloud formed by the resulting explosion. "My queen, the Generals got reinforcements."

"Can't you handle them?"

"Aphrodite's out," Ares said as she looked to the place where the Wyrm was. It was still wrapped around her ally's body, but the blond didn't look like she was conscious anymore. "These two bastards have quite a lot of power."

"Understood," the 'queen' said and looked to the side. "We've got some unwelcome guests around, get ready to attack."

Ares looked at Mercury as the cloud vanished. "You two idiots are as good as dead."

Mercury knew what she had seen, that 'queen' looked exactly like Usagi... No, not exactly, her face was too cold and emotionless, even for a lookalike. "We'll have to wait and see."

Dragon Mercury walked to Mercury, and turned to look at Ares. "One of you already suffered a crushing defeat, I think we can take care of the rest of your evil team."

Ares cringed at the stupid pun, then saw Aphrodite wasn't looking good. She was alive, yes, but she was out and too beaten up to fight. "Hmph, you don't know just how strong the queen is."

The Generals all stood up and frowned. "Wow, you took care of one of them?" Jadeite asked.

As soon as he finished asking that, four more villains appeared. From what Mercury could tell, they were this world's versions of Jupiter, Nemesis, Earth, and herself.

Kunzite flinched and then produced a strange artifact. The gadget lit up and he spoke into it. "Professor, are the new suits ready?"

Mercury looked at the Dragon, who smiled. "I suppose... Since we're the bad guys here," she noted, "then Onara is with the good guys."

"They are, I'm sending them to you right away," a voice said through the device.

"Either that, or they've got Professor Xavier working for them," Dragon Mercury mused.

Kunzite looked at the other Generals. "Let's change for the party, guys. Upgrade!"

A set of battlesuits appeared near the 'heroes,' and fused with them while blinding white lights surrounded them (for no apparent reason. ) When the transformation was complete, they looked like some kind of futuristic knights, complete with assorted ranged weaponry.

"Guess that was a 'general' upgrade, huh?" Dragon Mercury said.

"Terry, don't make me knock you out," Mercury muttered.

This time, the heroes were apparently superior to their opponents. Before, they couldn't take on two of the villains, but now they were facing each of the one on one, and winning.

"How's the teleporter?" Mercury asked.

"Only fifty percent charged," Dragon Mercury said, "our guess was true, it charges faster when we're transformed."

"Part of our mana must transfer into it," Mercury guessed, then noticed the Generals were almost done with their fight. "It's strange to see our friends beaten up and not feel sorry," she commented.

"These aren't our friends, they're just evil clones," the Dragon said.

Right now, only the Mercury lookalike (or, rather, Hermes,) was standing, and she was clearly outnumbered. "Damn it, this isn't good. Queen Oblivion!"

The woman that appeared looked too close to the Usagi they knew. However, her black, imposing gown and the glare she was giving everyone (even her fallen soldiers,) was something the two Mercuries had only seen in her friend once, when she was turned evil by the Animates. "You've disappointed me."

"Forgive us, my queen, but these youma freaks have a new kind of armor..."

Oblivion waved Hermes' explanation off. "Go back to the castle and rest. I will take care of these weaklings, and their new friends."

"No," Hermes said, "I'm taking care of the intruders myself."

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Look at them."

Oblivion looked at the two and gasped. "Impossible, they're just like you and..."

"And Leviathan," Hermes said, a hint of rage in her voice.

Dragon Mercury could guess who that was easily, and flinched. "Seriously, why do I get the stupid name all over the multiverse?"

"Multiverse?" Mercury mused. "Fitting name. And Leviathan sounds nice, too."

"Err... If you say so," the Dragon muttered.

While Oblivion faced the Generals, Hermes walked to the two Mercuries. "You, you look like someone I... Someone I cared for."

The Dragon shrugged. "And you look just like the most important person in my life, but that doesn't mean I won't beat you up."

Mercury smiled at his words, then looked at Hermes. "She's powering up."

It took only a second, a bluish light surrounded Hermes, and when she walked out, she was wearing an armor that seemed to be made of transluscent ice.

Dragon Mercury almost oogled at the suit. "Ami, you need to get a suit like that one."

"Terry, get serious," Mercury chided. "That girl's power is up to Guardian levles now."

The Dragon nodded. "As long as we keep it ranged... Ice Wyrm!"

Hermes snorted as the construct wrapped around her. "Ice is my element too, moron." She punched the creature, causing it to explode in a cloud of ice shards. "It's my turn now. Icycle Tornado!"

Mercury paled. So much for these lookalikes not having ranged attacks, really. Dragon Mercury was surrounded by a vortex of ice shards, and she could hear his shouts of pain from inside it. If that Hermes girl kept this up, then... "No!"

Hermes turned to smile at Mercury. "Leviathan betrayed me, and I think it's nice that fate's giving me a chance to kill him again."

Those words were all Mercury needed for her rage to explode. "Sorry, but you won't do that. Mercury Guardian Power!"

Hermes chuckled as she saw her 'clone' gathering energy and running to her. "You idiot, ice's my element, you can't hurt me with it."

Mercury dodged as Hermes tried to punch her away, then swung her fist at her foe. However, just like she had done once before against Lion, she summoned the Mercury sword just as she hit her mark.

"What... You can't..."

Mercury smiled coldly as blood started pouring out of Hermes' mouth. "Ice may be our element, but plain old metal can still kill us," she said as she pulled her sword out of Hermes' chest.

Dragon Mercury fell to his knees as the icy tornado vanished. "Thanks, Ami, we have to..."

An explosion rocked the area, and the two looked at the source. Oblivion had, apparently, dealt with the 'heroes' and was now glaring at them both.

"You... You killed one of my soldiers!" Oblivion snapped. Mercury thought she had sensed a bit of sadness in the woman's voice, but it was hard to tell over the enraged tone. "I'm going to return the favor now."

"We better leave," Dragon Mercury noted.

Mercury was not listening to him, however. "You and your creeps... You're not us. You may look like us, but you're evil. I won't let you take over this, or any other universe."

Oblivion snorted. "Really? And what can you do? If you're like Hermes, then I can easily kill you."

Mercury gave her another cold smile. Really, she could see some of Usagi's traits in this woman, she was clueless as to what she was facing. "No, you can't. As I said, we're not like you."

"That's bullshit," Oblivion snapped, and sent an energy wave at her foe.

Mercury put her sword in front of her, and the wave split in two as it touched it, wrecking a few buildings behind her. "It's not, but I see you believe it until you see it. Mercury Tsunami..." She looked like she was going to release another wave of water, but instead she held on the energy, slamming her open palms into the ground instead of shooting water forwards. "... Freeze!"

The results were quite amazing. Oblivion was hit by a stream of cold water that came from right under her feet, and the water froze before she could do as much as figure out what was happening.

The 'Generals' woke up just in time to see that. "Darkness, that girl sure has a lot of power," Aurite commented.

Mercury sank to her knees, her energy depleted. "Careful, she's still alive."

Dragon Mercury walked (or, actually, limped,) towards her. "Thanks, but... Are you okay?"

Mercury looked at him and smiled. "If you mean killing 'myself,' I had to. I couldn't let her kill you."

The ice column exploded, and a very angry Oblivion walked out of its remains. "You stupid icegirl, I'm going to enjoy killing you."

"Guys, it's time to show miss Bitch Queen what youma can do. Set your weapons to Overdrive." The other Generals followed Kunzite's plan, and they all aimed their guns at the evil queen.

Oblivion snorted. "Your weapons can't do a thing against me, weaklings."

"That'd be the second time you're underestimating someone today," Mercury mused. "You're definitely not Usagi."

The seven youma all shot their weapons at the Queen, and Mercury didn't really need to check her visor's data to know the attack was too powerful even for her.

After the mandatory explosion, she saw Oblivion was no more. "Good, they got her."

"That's strange," the Dragon said, "big bad bosses don't die before their underlings."

Mercury was about to say something, but a face appeared up in the sky. A quite familiar face. And, Mercury thought, it was a bit strange to think she existed here, too. "That's... Black Lady?"

Black Lady was apparently looking down at all the heroes. "You stupid youma, I won't ever forgive you for killing my mother. Next time we meet, I'll make sure none of you survives."

The Generals all sighed in relief. "Good, I thought she was going to come kick our asses right now."

"Yeah, our weapons are out of energy after that shot, we'd be gonners."

Dragon Mercury helped Mercury up. "You know, those suits of yours keep on getting better."

"Uhm, thanks," Mercury said with a slight blush.

"Though it may just be you wearing them that makes them so nice to look at," the Dragon added.

Jadeite walked to them, saving Mercury from having to blush any deeper. "Thanks for your help, but there's something Luminite just told us about you..."

"What is it?" the Dragon asked.

"See, she's the one with the scanner, and she says you two are human. "

Dragon Mercury nodded. "Yes, we are, but we come from a different universe. In that one, we're not the villains, we fight to protect the Earth from aliens."

"A world where humans are the good guys?" Zoicite said in shock. "That's impossible!"

Mercury chuckled. "In our world, the very first battle we fought was against a group that looked just like you all. Years later, we faced a group of the same race again, but this time, we found out many of the youma weren't interested in taking over the world, all they really wanted was survival and they had trusted their 'Generals' to give them that."

"So you've allied with youma?"

"We just did, didn't we?" Dragon Mercury mused, "but I know what you mean... And no. But now we've got peace, and that's the best outcome for both sides, I guess."

"Interesting," Kunzite noted. "We should tell miss Reel about that."

"Reel?" Dragon Mercury said, stopping himself short of laughing out loud. "As in B. Reel?"

"Right," Kunzite said, not noticing the Dragon was about to burst out laughing. "She's the one who sponsors our team, and she was the first one to ever wear one of these battle armors."

"Let me guess, she was wounded in action and had to abandon her superhero job?"

Zoicite nodded. "That's a good guess. She can't fight anymore, not after the battle where she killed Oblivion's mother. She thought that'd end the war, but well... You just saw even killing Oblivion isn't going to end this."

"There's nobody named something like 'Metallia' around here, is there?" the Dragon asked.

Kunzite growled. "Sure there is... It's a myth for the youma, but Reel says she actually saw that thing... It's the monster that gives Oblivion's army their powers."

"Some things never change, then," Mercury noted. "Metallia was our enemy, too."

"Let's go to the base, any more chatting and we'll end up giving away our secret identities to the civilians," Aurite noted.

* * *

It had been, by far, the strangest world they'd been at. Ami and Terry now stood on top of a building, watching the sunset. "You know, I really miss home."

"Me too," Terry admitted. "But luck isn't helping, huh?"

Ami sighed. "Guess not. I hope we don't have to deal with another twisted version of our own world, though."

"Why not? Maybe I'll get to Guardian in the next one."

"Now that would be nice," Ami mused. "Okay, I'm ready."

Terry smiled. "Good, if I don't leave this world I'll be tempted to go and kick Pinky's clone's rear."

"Like you did with my clone?" Ami teased.

"Eeh... Shut it," Terry muttered as the two vanished.

* * *

**A/N:** _SailorStar9:_ I hate the show nowadays, because it's just a rolling rerun. But the first season was good, not counting the ending. And hey, that segment I did helped showing off Mercury's 'special' skill.

By the way, any suggestions made on to what to cross over next will be kindly ignored. I've already got what's left of the fic (including this arc) planned out, with some undecided plot points here and there (Rei: Yuu, stop eyeing that sword. I'm serious.) but nothing will be _added_ to the plot. If you suggest something and it gets written, I had already scripted it out. (It's what happened to the Pokemon thing.)

So, what's next? There will be dragons, knights, a princess, a rich girl and cards in the next few episodes. Yes, I know, those aren't good enough clues. You didn't expect me to spoil which worlds would be crossed over, did you?


	155. But Wait, It Gets Worse!

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 155: But Wait, It Gets Worse!**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 9, 2008_

* * *

Terry looked around and flinched. There was something about the landscape of this place that gave him a very bad feeling. "I don't know where we are, but..." He looked at his watch and smiled. "... we can leave whenever we want, luckily." "Where are we, anyhow?" Ami asked. Their surroundings were right out of a science fiction movie, a metallic corridor with wires running through, dimly lit. She could see other similar corridors crossed this one in the distance. "Let's explore this first."

"You know the saying, curiosity killed the Senshi?" Terry mused.

"Don't be silly, it can't be worse than what we've already been..." Ami turned around the corner and froze at what she saw. ".., through. "

Terry looked at the figures now confronting them. They were yet more lookalikes, but their bodies were mostly covered by metallic plating. "What the fuck is..."

The one that looked like Usagi spoke as the group noticed the two intruders, and she did so in a cold, robotic monotone. "We're Sailor Borg. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated."

Ami looked at the creatures, then at Terry. "Screw my curiosity, let's get out of here."

"You won't have to say that twice," Terry said, and both vanished.

* * *

Once again, the scenery changed. They were now in a huge, futuristic metropolis. Tall buildings, crowded streets, and roads and highways packed with cars of all sizes and types. Ami was about to say something, when an explosion rocked the area.

A girl looked up in shock at a falling piece of building. She was too terrified to move, but a blue blur stopped the falling hazard before it could hurt her or anyone else. A muscled Usagi in a blue leotard was holding the wreck with one hand. She tossed it up and away and smiled thriumphantly.

"Thank you, SuperMoon!" the girl shouted and the crowd cheered.

Ami looked at Terry and winced. "How's the teleporter?"

"Good to go, but hey, I humored you last time. This one looks like a fun world."

Suddenly, a bald version of Jadeite walked out of the building holding a huge laser cannon. "I'll destroy you now and here, SuperMoon!" he shouted.

A bat-shaped disc sliced the weapon in half before embedding itself on the ground in front of the Jadeite lookalike. A Tuxedo-lookalike with a bat mask dropped to the ground. "I won't let you do that, Jed Luthor!"

"Oh, it's Tuxman!" The girl said and everyone cheered again. Suddenly there was an annoying laughter and a green-haired, white-faced Zoicite appeared in front of Tuxman.

"It's showtime!" he shouted and charged at Tuxman. Tuxman dodged and Zoicite went crashing on a wall.

"Zoiker, you jerk!" Jed muttered.

Ami cringed. "I think we should've stayed at that Borg universe for a bit longer."

Just then, two other villians dropped to the ground right in front of the heroes. "Oh no, Magnephto and Dr. Octokunz!" The girl said. Seriously, Ami wondered what kind of creature would create such twisted worlds... Then again, she guessed it was just the Multiverse, as Terry had called it, being stupid.

Suddenly, four women dropped to the ground. The crowd cheered yet again. "Stop right there, evildoers!" The one that looked like Mercury said. "I'm Captain Amarsica!"

"Spider-Merc!"

"JupiThor!"

"The Venusher!"

Before Ami could comment on just how stupid things were, the sky darkened, and two other villians appeared. Terry, on the other hand, was barely containing his laughter.

"Oh no, Berylniac and Metalypse!" the girl said.

"That's it," Ami muttered and grabbed Terry's arm, pushing the teleport button before he could complain.

* * *

... And the two materialized again in what looked like Tokyo. "Aww, I was having fun in that world."

"Spider-Merc?" Ami muttered, then sighed. "Now where are we?"

Terry looked around, spotted something in a shop and frowned. Ami followed him and, as they entered the shop, she was quite confused. "This is... A card shop?"

"Not just any card shop, young lady, but the best Duel Monster shop in the whole city!" The cheerful old man behind the counter said.

The man's hairdo was quite strange, and the makeshift napkin-hat-thing on top of it all wasn't helping his image, at all. "I see, a card shop..." Terry said. For some reason, this looked like something he'd heard about. It was bad he didn't really pay attention to every new manga that came out back in his universe. He noticed Ami was scanning the area. "Ami?"

Ami looked at him. "Can you buy one of those packs? They look... Interesting."

Terry blinked at that. "Hmm, sure."

* * *

As they left the shop, Terry looked at Ami. "Okay, just what was that about?"

Ami picked the pack of cards and blinked. "There's something about these cards... A faint magic aura in them."

"Your cards and your souls will be perfect for my collection."

The two turned to see a man wearing a hooded robe, standing there, and trying to look menacing. Considering who his 'victims' were, though, he was failing miserably.

"I don't know what you're up to, but I think you should just leave before you get hurt," Terry warned.

The man laughed. "Funny words coming from someone who'll have his soul taken soon."

Ami had quite ignored the man, she was busy looking at all the cards. "I suppose you came here looking for these."

"Yes, and I'll challenge you for them, and your soul. Let's duel."

"Duel?" Terry muttered. "Does it involve shooting or swords?"

The man blinked. "No, that'd be downright barbaric."

"Oh, I see, you're like those insane Magic card players back in New York."

"Enough of that, if you're not going to duel, step aside."

Ami looked up from the pack of cards. "I guess I'll do it."

Terry checked his watch. "Yeah, we've got some time to waste, I guess. Just be careful, I don't like all that crap he said about souls."

"Don't worry, this apparently is a strategy game, and from the cards I have here, I can guess it's all about attacking, defending, and laying traps."

Terry smirked. Ami was a very good strategist, so if this game was based in that... "Right. Still, don't lose."

Ami looked at the man. "You should start, since I'm a novice."

"Okay then, let me show you how it's done." Some sort of blade-like weapon appeared from a bracelet the man had. Though, from closer examination, Ami realized it wasn't a weapon, as the slots the 'blade' had were the exact size of the cards. He put his deck in the blade's middle, and then took seven cards out. "Hmm, not a bad start, if I may say so myself. I play Downgrade, which cuts my creatures' stars by one, letting me summon this in my first turn. Summoned Skull!"

As the man said that, a creature appeared between him and Ami. It was a quite ugly-looking, skinless demon. "So that's the magic I was detecting," Ami whispered. She looked at her own cards, and frowned. "You're not going to attack?"

"Can't do if I go first," the man said, "but don't worry, my friend will show you pain in my next turn. I'll meanwhile set two face down cards and end my turn here. Go ahead, try to win."

Ami looked at her cards. Sure, she was mostly guessing, but the text in the cards was quite helpful while trying to figure out what to do. "I suppose what you played is a strong card," she said, "I have no monsters here that can beat that one."

"Put one in defense position and wait for the right one to strike with," a voice said from behind her.

Terry looked at the newcomer. A short guy wearing a blue school uniform, and with hair that both defied gravity and genetics. "I've seen some extreme hair colors, but tri-colored hair's a new one," he muttered.

"Defense position?" Ami asked.

"If you're a novice, then you'll need my advice."

"Do not interfere," the hooded man warned.

"I am not, I'll merely point this girl in the right direction. Your defeat will only depend in her own skill."

The hooded man scowled. Yes, as long as the other guy didn't actually interrupt their duel, he couldn't say a thing. However, he knew who he was, none other than the King of Games himself. The one he had wanted to challenge before this rookie sidetracked him. "Do as you please, I will still claim her soul."

"That's yet to be decided. Okay, uhm... What's your name?"

"Ami."

"Okay, Ami, I suppose you've never played this. Monsters in defense position are set face-down, and sideways."

"So that your foe can't see what it is, and hence he may activate your monsters' effects attacking them."

Amazing, the girl was able to think up a strategy on her own. Maybe she was playing dumb about not knowing the game? No, she seemed honest about it.

"May I ask your name?" Ami said to the boy.

"My name's Yugi," he said, "and the game you're playing right now is my favorite."

Ami nodded and looked at her cards. "I see, so if I do this, then... "

"Hurry up, I have more souls to reap," the man snapped.

Ami frowned. "This game's about strategy, if you don't think your moves through, then..."

"Hah! Strategy? The one with the strongest monsters wins, lady."

Ami smiled. "If you say so... I play a monster face down, and then..." For some reason, she felt compelled to tell her foe what she was doing next, even though he would see it seconds later. Maybe a side-effect of being in this universe, she thought. "I play Fairy's Feather Duster."

The man showed no signs of it, but he knew she had just screwed up several of his strategies at once. "Is that all you're going to do?"

"I'll set a face down card, and that's it for now."

"Hmph, pathetic. Okay, to start off I'll summon my Gemini Elf. Then, I'll attack your monster with it." The man smiled, but the smile faded as he saw what the monster was. "Man-Eater Bug?"

Ami smiled. "Yeah, which means your demon's gone thanks to my card's effect. And I'll also play a trap, Michizure, which takes care of your other monster."

"I see... You sure you're a newbie?"

Ami nodded. "But this game's quite entertaining."

"Hah! Keep thinking that way, and you'll lose. This isn't a simple game, girl, your soul's the prize. Anyhow, my turn's done."

"Don't mind him, he's just trying to scare you," Yugi said.

"Any tips on what to do next?"

"Depends on what your style is, but you could finish this duel in your next turn."

Terry had been watching the whole game, and from what he could see, this Yugi guy knew what he was talking about. "Can't I just blast the guy dead and be done with it?"

"Interrupting a duel of this kind may have unwanted consequences," Yugi said.

"Besides, this is a game of brains," Ami noted, "and I think our hooded friend brought only brawl to it."

The man frowned. "Just play, I want your soul."

Ami looked at her cards and nodded. "Here goes nothing. First off, I'll play Monster Reborn, bringing back your Summoned Skull. And I'll also summon my Cure Mermaid. Care to sum them both up?"

The man cursed under his breath. "Impossible, you..."

"Combined attack of four hundred points, which means you've lost this game."

"Amazing, for a newbie to beat me like this..."

"Means you're far from ready to face me, whoever you are," Yugi said.

"Hmph, I suppose that's true. But rest assured that I will return someday, to get your soul!"

As the man rushed out of the area, Yugi groaned. "Great, yet another soul-sucking weirdo to fight."

"Thanks for the help," Ami said.

"You would've won anyhow," Yugi noted. "But you sure learn fast."

"She's a good strategist," Terry noted, "And this game looks quite interesting."

Yugi nodded. "It is, though it tends to attract all those shady, hooded types."

"So, you're good at this game?" Ami asked.

"I'm the current world champion, for several years now," Yugi said.

"If you're thinking about challenging him, miss, you should think twice."

Yugi smiled at the man that had just arrived. It was the shop owner, Ami and Terry noticed. "Grandpa, what are you doing here?"

"I smelled a duel and thought it was you beating someone down," the man said.

Ami looked at Terry. "Do we have some spare time right now?"

Terry nodded after checking his watch. "More than enough. And I think playing this thing will be fun."

Yugi looked at them. "So, are you both going to challenge me?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll let Ami try first."

"Or you could both duel me at once," Yugi said.

Ami frowned. "Uhm, is that okay?"

"Sure, it'll be fun."

* * *

"Dark Magician Girl, finish this!"

Ami cringed as the magic construct attacked. True, they weren't real creatures, but with the magic in them, she could feel their hits as if they were. "You've won."

Yugi smiled. "You fought well, but you both need a lot of practice before defeating me."

Terry sighed. "Game's more complicated than it seemed at first."

"I could teach you both much more," Yugi said, then noticed Terry looking at his watch. "But I guess you're in a hurry."

"Actually, yes," Ami said. "We need to get back home."

"Maybe I can drive you there," the old man offered.

Terry snorted. "No, I don't think you could. We're not from here."

Ami smiled. "Quite an understatement. Goodbye, Yugi, I hope we can see each other again, someday." Though, all things considered, they would probably not see him again. "Let's go, Terry."

Yugi sighed. "Goodbye, then, hope you've got a safe trip home."

Terry nodded, and pressed a button on his watch. Yugi blinked in awe as both vanished. "... Okay, that was strange."

"Not as strange as a soul-eating giant dragon, or your trip to ancient Egypt, or that time you were stuck inside a virtual reality game."

"Point taken," Yugi said. "Think my friends will believe this?"

"Yeah, they're used to weird stuff happening around you."

"You say that like I'm a magnet for that, grandpa."

"I'm really not too sure you're not, Yugi."

* * *

As soon as they arrived the new universe, they noticed things were looking quite hectic. There was a giant, mutant worm crushing everything on its wake, and a man wearing a moth costume was riding on top of its head. If that was even a costume, Ami thought.

"I think we should transform," Terry said.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea right now," Ami admitted, noticing the worm was now looking at them.

* * *

**A/N:** And this was the one about "cards." But let's hope poor Ami and Terry don't have to go through many more strange crossover worlds, they might go insane from the silliness.

_NightmareSyndrom:_ Good guess, even though you missed the season. If you're wondering, nope, it's none of the villains from the show, it's more of a continuation for it. And yep, I'm winging some of the game's rules, just like the anime did all the time.

_MidnightRayne13:_ Just like with all the other crossovers, many things will be left hanging. There's a reason for that, but yes, you'll find out _much_ later. Next crossover arc is in Aeons, the fourth 'book' of this saga. I'll get there, don't worry, but it'll take time.


	156. Freak Show

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 156: Freak Show**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 10, 2008_

* * *

"Noooooooooo!"

Dragon Mercury looked at the moth man who was now hugging the giant, moth-filled ice column, and growled. "This guy's pathetic." And the monster itself wasn't better, it had only taken one attack from Mercury, and that worm was done for.

"You! You two dare hurting my precious soldiers! I'm going to..."

"You're going to get your ass kicked all the way to prison."

Dragon Mercury saw the group, then turned to Mercury, who was just as confused as he was. "Is it just me, or that boy is..."

"You'll never catch me, Titans!" the moth freak snapped and fled away.

"Should we chase after him?" the redhead girl asked.

"No, let him go. I'm more concerned about these two." The black-haired boy walked to the two Mercuries. "Just who are you two?"

"We're heroes, just like you, Robin," Dragon Mercury said.

Robin frowned. "I bet you are the one responsible for that," he said pointing at the still frozen giant worm.

"Yes, that one of my attacks," Mercury admitted.

"Cool!" the green-skinned, green-haired, short boy who was now standing besides Robin said. "But you look somewhat familiar, you know. The suit, the attacks, the curves..."

Dragon Mercury glared at him, then looked at the two girls who were right now floating towards them. "So you must be Starfire and Raven. "

"Sure, ignore the guys," the half-robot man (who was easily twice as tall as Robin,) muttered.

"Sorry, not my type," the Dragon mused.

"If that's Robin, where's Ba--" Mercury started, but Dragon Mercury covered her mouth.

"Don't ask," he said in a whisper.

Robin frowned. "That was the old team, this is the new one. We're the Teen Titans, in case you didn't know. And again I must ask, who are you?"

"Sailor and Dragon Mercury."

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?!" The green-haired boy aka Beast Boy shouted and started to run around them, flapping his arms so fast it was amazing he wasn't taking off. "No way! These two? They're real? Aaah!"

"Calm down, Beast Boy... I'm hyperventilating just from looking at you," Raven muttered.

"Let me guess, we're just toons in this world?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"Just toons?" Beastboy asked. "Not 'just toons,' you're the best, guys! But tell me, is Jupiter around?"

"No, just us," Mercury said.

"Aww crap, I wanted to see Jupiter," Beastboy said, his eyes tearing up.

"Guys, let's return to the base," Robin said, but nobody was paying any attention to him.

"What planet are you from, guys?" Starfire asked.

"The Earth, just from a different dimension."

Robin cleared his throat, but to no effect.

"Oooh... The Senshi! Beastie showed me some episodes of that. So, you must be the computer wiz girl, right?"

"Uhm, yeah, that would be me," Mercury said.

Robin cleared his throat again, a bit louder.

"That suit is so nice, maybe I can make me one like that too?" Starfire asked.

Cyborg, Beast Boy and Robin all looked at Mercury, then at Starfire, then started drooling.

Mercury blushed. "You guys are weird."

"You think that now? Wait until you stay around Beast Boy for one hour," Raven noted.

Robin cleared his throat, loud enough to make the windows around them shake. As everyone turned to him, he sighed. "Guys, we should go back to the base before the fangirls arrive."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea, why didn't you say it before" Beast Boy asked.

"... Nevermind," Robin muttered.

* * *

And so, several minutes later, the group was inside the Titans' base. "Wow, nice base you've got here."

Beast Boy smiled at Mercury. "Yeah, but we don't have any self-aware AI here."

"Self what?" Starfire asked, confused.

Mercury sighed. "A computer program who... Well, thanks to an unexpected factor, she has emotions and awareness. She built herself a human body replica, so back home, nobody knows what she really is, except for those in our team."

Beast Boy smiled at that. "Wonder if she can..."

"Don't even think about _that_." Mercury said.

"You sound like you're that computer's... Mother," Raven noted.

"I am," Mercury said, not minding the weird looks most of the Titans were giving her.

"Oh? But how... Can humans have computer babies?" Starfire asked.

"Uhm, no, it's not like that," Mercury said. "We built the program, that's all."

"So you're the smartest one in your team," Robin said, "you must be the leader."

"Not at all. Sailor Moon's the leader."

Beast Boy nodded at that. "Sailor Moon started as a crybaby and quite pathetic fighter, but she's become quite a brave, strong leader lately. She's not as hot as Jupiter, though."

"Yeah, we really needed to know that last bit," Raven muttered. "So, what else can you do besides freezing stuff?"

"I understand any language spoken to me instantly," Mercury said.

"Is that so?" Starfire asked, then switched to her native language. _"You have the same power as me, then."_

Ami grinned. _"You can understand languages instantly too?"_

_"Yes, but I've got to... Uhm... Make lip contact with someone who can speak said language first."_

"Uhm... Translation?" Robin muttered.

_"She can..."_ Starfire flinched and switched back to 'human' language. "She's telling the truth, Robin. But she doesn't need to... Well, you know."

Robin blushed slightly. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Dragon Mercury sighed. "Well, it's all fun, but..." He looked at his watch. "We can leave whenever you want, Ami."

Cyborg noticed Mercury was looking at their computer. "Hmm, what's wrong?"

"There's something in there. I can feel it."

"Without your visor?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"I don't know, I just know I..." She walked to the computer. "... I think your computer's got a bug."

An ugly face appeared in the computer's large monitor as it flashed alive. "It's way more than a bug, Tin Titans."

"Control Freak? What are you..."

"Isn't that obvious?" Control Freak said looking at Robin condescendingly. "Let's just say all your computer are belong to me now."

Dragon Mercury winced. "And they say my puns are bad."

Mercury walked to the computer, typing as fast as she could, but making sure she wouldn't strain the keyboard too much and break it. "Relax, I can take that bug out of there in a moment."

"Aww, but that wouldn't be fun. This bug isn't going down so easily, you stinky Senshi."

Before anyone could ponder what he meant, they all vanished.

* * *

"Where are we?" Starfire asked. "Everything looks so... Flashy."

Mercury looked around and cringed. "We're inside the computer."

"That's correct," Freak's voice said from seemingly everywhere. "And I control this world now!"

"Same you said when you took over the TV," Cyborg noted.

"This time is different," Freak said. "Here, let me show you."

Suddenly, a dozen Pac-Men appeared around the heroes.

"Deja-vu, huh?" Dragon Mercury mused.

Mercury smirked. "Yes, but his evil plans didn't consider us, an unknown factor."

"And what can you do, watery brat? Shoot digitalized water at me?" Control Freak snapped, then laughed.

"I can do something a bit better than that, thanks to my newfound skill," Mercury said. She looked around, and the creatures who were about to tackle the heroes disappeared. "See?"

"What? Impossible!"

Beast Boy snorted. "Don't you know their saying? Nothing's impossible for the Senshi."

Control Freak appeared right in front of the group, glaring daggers at Mercury (actual daggers, too, though they vanished inches away from her face.) "You icy loser, I'm going to take care of you right here, right now!" He produced what looked like a three-bladed lightsaber and laughed evily.

Mercury chuckled. "With what, that candy bar?"

"This isn't a candy bar, this is a light trident!"

"Nope, not anymore," Beast Boy mused.

Control Freak looked at his weapon, and realized that yes, indeed, it had turned into a candy bar. "What the fuck..." A split second later, he was hit by a combined blast of several different weapons, and fell on his back. "The pain!"

Mercury smirked. "You may be a control freak, but lucky for us, I'm a computer freak myself."

Control Freak saw the others vanish and looked around. Darkness, everywhere. "Hey, this isn't funny, guys. Where are you?" Suddenly, he saw a light appear in the distance. "Yeah! I'm gonna get out of here and then I'll get those Titans! Just you wait!"

* * *

Outside, Robin was checking on the computer. "Strange. Control Freak's still there, but he's not moving. What did you do?"

"Just a bit of programming. He's in an endless program loop right now," Mercury said.

"Cool," Beast Boy said. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"It means he'll be running around in circles until we get bored and decide to let him go," Robin said. "Good thinking, Mercury."

Mercury smiled, then looked at Terry. "I guess it's time to leave."

"Awwwwww... Do you really have to go?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, we need to return to our own world," Dragon Mercury said.

"So what were you doing here, visiting?" Raven asked.

"Not really, the devices we're using weren't meant to take you to other dimensions."

"I'd love to see how they work."

Dragon Mercury looked at Cyborg and chuckled. "No offense, but we need them in one piece to get back home."

"Good luck in your journey," Robin said, "and thanks for the help. "

_"Farewell, friends,"_ Starfire said.

Mercury nodded. "Goodbye."

Beast Boy sighed sadly as the two left. "Oh well, it was good while it lasted. But I know if she had stayed longer, she could've fallen for my charm."

"First off, it was quite clear she was with that guy," Raven said. "Second off, she's too smart to choose someone like you." She made a pause, then gave him a slyly look. "And third off... _what_ charm?"

* * *

Ami looked around. They had appeared right besides a race track, for what she could see. And one of the cars speeding to them was strangely familiar. "Is that... The Mach 5?"

Terry nodded. "Yeah, but look who's driving it..."

Sure enough, the driver was none other than Usagi. And the other drivers chasing after her were the Generals. "Oh crap. Tell me the watch's good to go," Ami muttered.

"I kinda liked this show, though," Terry mused.

Just then, a wheel bounced on the road, right in front of the Generals. Jadeite steered aside to dodge it, causing the others to crash on him. A black car with a hat-wearing driver hissed by as the two heroes watched the whole scene in shock.

"But know what? Let's just leave, my brain's not ready for this kind of stupid," Terry said and pressed a button on his watch.

* * *

Ami looked around and frowned. "Looks like Tokyo."

"Oh shit."

"What's wrong?"

Terry pointed east, and Ami looked in that direction. "Yeah, that's wrong," he said as Ami gasped.

Several miles away from them, Godzilla was wrecking buildings as it fought against yet another invader. However, the invader wasn't the usual overgrown moth or three-headed dragon, but a giant Pikachu.

Terry looked at his watch and sighed in relief. "Luck's with us again." Before Ami could even turn to him, they were both gone from that universe.

* * *

Tokyo, again. No giant robots, monsters, teen heroes with their underwear over their pants, or racing cars. That was good. And Ami could see the Hikawa shrine in the distance. That was better. Maybe, just maybe, they were finally back home.

Though the atmosphere was strange, heavier, as if the city's pollution had raised a few digits while they were out. "Think we're in the right world?" Terry asked, apparently thinking the same way as she was.

"I don't know, we'll have to ask... Rei." As they came closer to the shrine, she knew something was wrong. Rei wasn't there, but a dozen priestesses she didn't recognize. And they all looked at them as they walked up the stairs, seemingly suprised to see them as well.

"Miss Zephyr, what are you doing here?"

Zephyr? That was it, they weren't in their world, but what was going on in this one?

"Uhm, I was looking for Rei."

"Miss Hino is at the base, along with the rest of your team," the priestess said.

"Oh, I see," Ami said, trying to not look surprised at all. As she and Terry walked away from the shrine, she noticed he was looking at her amusedly. "What?"

"You seemed quite shocked when they called you 'Miss Zephyr.'"

"Well, wasn't expecting that," Ami noted, "not that I wouldn't like, uhm..."

Terry smiled. "I know."

Ami looked at him for a few seconds before focusing on the road ahead. Or, actually, she tried to look like she was focusing in that. Was he thinking about proposing to her? And why did it matter to her so much? Maybe because a part of her wished that was the case, she realized with a mental frown. "Let's use our boards," she said outloud, "I want to find out what's going on."

Terry looked at his watch and nodded. "We'll be here for a while, so we better figure out why Rei's shrine was so crowded. Lead the way, Miss Zephyr."

Ami sighed. "As you wish, 'Hokuto.'"

"Ouch," Terry muttered as they both summoned their boards. "Next stop, the dojo."

* * *

**A/N:** There's princess in this one (Starfire, of course.) So, what about the dragon, the knight and the rich girl? This last universe will deal what those, and with another 'fun' battle for our two heroes.

And I think I'm having more fun writing those 'transition' universes than the long ones, too.

_DavisJes:_ You've got Beast Boy in this one. Not an X-Men (as far as I know, and US comics are far from my usual read,) but one funny mutant nonetheless.

_NightmareSyndrom:_ Are you sure you want to know the answer to that? Seriously speaking, though, there's not much more to go before Ami and Terry go back home right in the middle of... Well, I'm not spoiling that one.


	157. Power Of Money

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 157: Power Of Money.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 11, 2008_

* * *

"The dojo should be right here, shouldn't it?"

Terry nodded. Yes, they were staring at the place where the dojo should be... But instead of that, there was a tall skyscrapper. "Damn, this world's Terry sure loves to spend a bit of money."

Ami looked up at the sign on top of the building. "But I can guess he doesn't know much about stealth."

Terry looked up as well. "Cyber Knights Headquarters. Yeah, that... Wait a second, Cyber Knights?"

"That's us, you second-hand copies."

The two looked behind and saw this world's Minako, Ami and Rei standing there, glaring at them. The suits they were using covered all of their body except for their heads, still left little to imagination. "The Cyber Knights, I suppose."

"You guessed right. Now give up before we're forced to take you down, evil being."

Ami was using her visor to scan the three, and gasped. "Impossible... "

"What?"

"I sense no magic in them."

"Magic?" Rei snorted. "That doesn't exist."

"I'm detecting an unknown kind of energy in them," the other Ami said.

"Can't we go somewhere safe to talk?" Terry asked. "We're not here to attack you, we're not even from this world."

"Now you're going to say you're from another dimensions," Minako said.

"Yeah, that's exactly where we are from."

The other Ami nodded. "That would explain why their DNA matches mine and Terry's a hundred percent."

Suddenly, Usagi appeared near them. "Hmmm... Those three..."

"They say they're from another dimension, Usagi," Ami said. "and that's the only logical explanation I found for this mess."

"Interesting..."

Ami looked around. "Aren't you worried about anyone overhearing us?"

"You're not from here," Usagi mused, "let's go back inside, and we'll explain you how things work here."

* * *

It was, to say the least, an amazing story. Ami had just heard it all, but it was quite hard for her to accept this was how things had gone in their world.

These 'Cyber Knights' weren't princesses reborn, they had all been born in rich families, and thus had more than enough money to spare. While they had faced some major invasion forces in the past, they were most of the time fighting what few criminals still dared showing up in Tokyo, along with the odd alien that decided to come try its luck taking over the world.

But they had no magic at all, and instead used weapons with a technology that even Terry and Ami had trouble understanding. And instead of keeping their identities a secret, they had revealed themselves to the public after the second great invasion, and the people of the city (and the Earth,) considered them the greatest heroes of the planet.

And yes, much to the two Mercuries' surprise, this world's version of themselves were already married, and had been so for a couple years.

At the age of twenty, thus, these alternate versions of the Senshi had things pretty much under control. "Well, now I see why you said magic doesn't exist, Rei," Ami said, "but I can show you it indeed does."

"Hmph," Rei said, "I'll believe it when I see it."

Ami smiled. "Okay then. Mercury Guardian Power!"

"Hmm, interesting suit," the other Ami said.

Mercury nodded. "It sometimes works as a distraction. Now, watch this... Shabon Spray!"

Rei looked around confused. "Huh? What... What's that?"

"She just created this mist out of nowhere," Ami explained.

"That's partially right. I actually keep a reserve of magic energy, known as mana in our world, inside me, so I can use it to create these attacks. And this is just my weakest one."

Dragon Mercury (who had transformed while the others gawked at Mercury's attack,) decided to show them what else they could do. "Ice Wyrm!" The mist from Mercury's attack cleared, just in time for everyone to see the floating, icy construct, circling him.

Mako looked at the large creature in shock. "Wha... What is that thing?"

"A being of pure energy," Ami explained. "Its will is controlled by him."

Mercury nodded. "That's right. Where we come from, everyone uses magic like that, or even stronger. Even our enemies do."

Usagi blinked as the wyrm vanished. "So... What exactly are you doing in our world?"

"We had an accident while testing out a teleporting device, and it was altered," Mercury explained. "We've been jumping between dimensions for the last few days."

Ami looked at Terry (her world's Terry,) and frowned. "Think we can help them with that?"

He shook his head "I doubt it. I hadn't considered the existance of other dimensions, let alone knowing how a deviced that travels between them should work. Moreso if that thing's working on this so-called 'mana.'"

Mercury suddenly looked to the computer (it was strange to her to not see Aiko around, she realized,) and frowned. "There's something out there, the computer's sensors are picking it up."

"How..." Ami started, and walked to the computer, seeing that yes, the computer was actually detecting something in the city. "Wait, you can communicate with computers?"

Mercury nodded. "Yes, it's a power I have gained lately. Why?"

"Maybe you can 'tell' your teleporters to take you home," Ami said. "It's just an idea, though."

"Hmm, that could work," Mercury said. "However, that creature..."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it," Usagi said.

"We can't jump yet," Dragon Mercury noted, "so I guess we'll stick around for this fight."

"Be our guests," Terry said, "it'll be interesting to see this magic of yours in action."

* * *

Meanwhile, several universes away, another couple of Senshi were trying to find a way to replicate the two Mercuries' device.

"Are you done yet?"

Actually, one of them was working on it, while the other just waited impatiently. "Rei, asking me that every ten minutes isn't going to help me finish."

Mars cringed. "Sorry, Ami."

"Nevermind. It would really go faster if I had more data on it." It was lucky she had cracked into Zephyr Corps' database months ago. It had seemed like an useful thing at the time, but she had found nothing she could use in their projects that would help her defeat her foes. But she had seen the plans for a teleporter, which she had also ignored back then, but she now guessed could be altered to travel through dimensions, like her lookalike was doing.

"Ami, we better get out of here."

"Incoming?"

Mars nodded. "At least a dozen of them. Guess our visitors triggered some of their alarms."

Mercury sighed. "Let's go, the sooner we find a safe place, the sooner I can get this teleporter done."

* * *

"That thing looks strong."

"It is strong," Mercury admitted, "but I think I can beat it."

"Beat it?" Naru said. "That thing's too tough, all we can do is scare it off whenever it comes out."

Dragon Mercury looked at the building-sized worm which was now devouring a radio station. "It doesn't happen too often, I suppose?"

"It comes out to eat once every two years," Usagi explained, "but our weapons can't kill it, just chase it away."

Mercury closed her eyes and concentrated. "I think I can solve that problem. Keep it busy for a minute."

"What, is she going to take a nap?" Brad mused as everyone started shooting energy beams at it.

Dragon Mercury noticed they had no visible weapons. No, actually the suits themselves were weapons, as they shoot their energy blasts from their hands, much like his friends did back home. "To put it simple, her body's like your suits. The more energy she charges up before attacking, the stronger the attack will be."

"But if you overload a weapon..." Ami started.

The Dragon nodded. "She knows that, don't worry."

Mercury opened her eyes and looked at the giant worm. "Mercury... Tsunami... Freeze!"

This time, the column of ice created by her attack wasn't transparent, and the others could see the grass and windows around it slowly getting covered by ice. "That is... Amazing," Rei said.

Mercury smiled. "So, you believe it now?"

"I said I had to see to believe, didn't I?" Rei noted.

Ami was scanning the block and nodded. "The creature is dead."

Usagi walked to the two Mercuries. "Now that this little crisis is over, you're leaving, right?"

"Yes."

"We could use your powers here," Mako noted.

"Maybe your Ami and Terry can research a bit on mana and magic. I sensed some mana in this world when I got here," Mercury said.

"Yeah, imagine how cool it would be if I could shoot ice like that," Minako said.

Mercury and Dragon Mercury looked at each other and knew they were thinking the same. Minako, the insane ice queen? That would be a scary thing. "Uhm, anyway, we're going now," the Dragon said.

Mercury looked at his watch. "Wait, let me try to..." she closed her eyes again and growled. "Damn."

"What's wrong?"

"It doesn't have enough power to get us back home in one jump. And I can't scan which world we'll jump to."

"Can't you get to one of the universes we've already visited?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"That'd actually get us further away from home," Mercury said. At his confused look, she sighed. "I don't know, either, remind me to ask Pluto how this multiverse works."

"Remind me to kick her rear for not telling us about this little journey," Dragon Mercury said.

Mercury nodded. "Guess all we can do is hope the next few universes are peaceful."

"Next few?" Dragon Mercury asked with a wince.

"It's better to do small jumps and be able to jump again immediately, than making a long one and being stuck in an universe like that Sailor Borg thing."

"I hadn't think about that," Dragon Mercury noted. Then again, they didn't have a choice of how to jump before.

"I know, that's why I'm the brains in our makeshift team and you're the muscle," Mercury teased.

Eehh... Just tell this thing where to go next."

"Goodbye," Usagi said, then sighed as the two vanished. "That was kinda weird, telling Ami and Terry goodbye, but they're still here. "

Said Ami and Terry weren't paying attention to their friends anymore, as they were both already talking about how to adapt their weapons to use magic instead of their normal energy source.

* * *

**A/N:** The rich girl and the knights... Where's the dragon, you ask? He's been there all along, Terry's a 'dragon.' I know it got a bit confusing without name changes, but I hope it was clear enough which Ami and which Terry was speaking each time.

For the records, this one universe is how the idea for Cyber Moon looked at first (many years ago,) as I had this idea of having all the girls be freaking rich and built their own weapons rather than rely on magic. Fortunately, it all ended up in what Cyber Moon is nowadays.

Also, I'm starting a little side-project for this 'epic' which may evolve into something good, or be a complete failure. I'm not giving out any details until I have enough of it done to upload it.


	158. Home, Sweet Home?

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 14: Fantastic Voyage.**

**Episode 158: Home, Sweet Home?**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 11, 2008_

* * *

Just as the two heroes materialized, they saw the scenery was quite changed. They were in a graveyard, and it was close to midnight. Something fled by the moon as they looked up, but they couldn't quite see what it was. A howl was heard in the distance, and the two turned to see a quite strange scene. Something they were already getting used to, actually.

Jadeite was there, looking creepier than usual, and he was apparently biting a girl's neck. He apparently sensed something and tossed the girl aside and scanned the area with his eyes.

"Stop it right there, Jadeite!" A familiar voice said. Seconds later, Usagi run in, wearing jeans and a leather jacket, and holding a stake in her hands. "I'm going to end your feeding frenzy right away."

"Just try, you slut!" Jadeite snarled, baring his fangs. Suddenly, a flask of water (holy water, perhaps?) hissed by Jadeite's side, smashing into a tombstone right behind him. "Oh, not that idiot again..."

A white-haired Mamoru leapt down from a tree and glared at Jadeite. "give up, vampire, you're not going to leave this place alive."

"I'm not alive, idiot," Jadeite muttered.

Mamoru shrugged "Err... Bunny, are you going to stay there gawking, or are you going to kill this moron?"

"Shut it, Spike," 'Bunny' aka Usagi snapped, then saw Jadeite was rushing at her. "Yaa!" She tossed the stake at Jadeite, piercing right through his heart. "And this is where you die."

As Jadeite turned to dust, Ami cringed. "So this is... Bunny the Vampire Slayer?"

Terry nodded. "And I bet that was the Moon Stake Action, too."

"Let's just get out of here," Ami said as she watched 'Bunny' and 'Spike' walk out of the graveyard, still arguing.

* * *

"Okay, where are we now?" Terry muttered.

"There's a village there," Ami said, "but something's strange..."

"Those houses are small," Terry noted. "Wonder what kind of creatures live there?"

"Small, hairy humanoids," Ami said looking into one of the houses.

"You two shouldn't be here."

The two almost jumped at that. When they turned to the one that had sneaked up on them, they saw it was Setsuna... Or, at least, looked a lot like her. The woman confronting them had greyish-green hair and wrinkled features, and wore a grey robe complete with a grey, pointy hat.

Terry only needed to think about who she looked like for a few seconds before gasping. "Gandalf..."

"Oh, so you know my name," Setsuna, or rather Gandalf, said. "Are you spies from Sauron's army?"

Ami grimaced as she saw four creatures walking through one of the roads of the village. They looked just like her, Usagi, Rei and Mako, but in halfling version. "Oh my..."

Just then, a quite strange creature walked to them, or rather crawled, and looked at them wit beady, insane eyes. For some reason, the creature looked a lot like Umino. "Strangersss... Are you here to give us our precioussss?"

Terry groaned. "That's it, next universe better not be like this."

"Nooo... Don't go, preciousss..."

Gandalf ignored the creature, instead staring at the spot the two 'spies' had been standing in. "Hmm, I wonder what they were really up to," she pondered to herself, then remembered she had somethign to do and walked away, leaving the other creature to mutter incoherently to himself.

* * *

As soon as the two arrived, they saw it was Tokyo, and things were quite normal. "Maybe this is..."

Ami looked at the watch and frowned. "It's not, so be ready for anything."

Seconds later, a black car hissed by, stopping near them. Usagi and Rei, both clad in black business suits, got out of the car, and looked at them. "You must be new arrivals," Rei said, "you're not respecting the protocol, so you will have to come with us."

"Where to?" Terry asked, already dreading the answer.

"To the Senshi In Black headquarters, of course," Usagi said.

Ami didn't have to say a thing, Terry was already activating the jump as soon as Usagi finished her line.

* * *

"Oh shit."

Ami looked around and paled. "Uhm, good news is, we only have one jump more to give. Bad news is, the watch needs to recharge for a few minutes."

Terry sighed. "Great." The world they'd landed on was like the first one... No, actually, it made the first, post-apocalyptic universe they'd been to look nice.

They stood taking the scenery in. They were in the border of a massive crater, which was, from the buildings around it, where most of Tokyo had once been in this world. "The whole area is flooded with mana. I can't get a reading of anything."

Terry looked around nervously. "Whatever did this, I really don't want to meet it, him or her."

"Something's coming."

"Thought you couldn't get any readings?"

Ami got even paler. "Something with that much power, no way to miss it."

Terry looked north, and saw something coming in their direction. It seemed humanoid, except for the large wings in the creature's back, and its speed was amazing. As the 'creature' drew near, however, he almost fell back. "That is..."

"ChibiMoon," Ami said, "but her power levels are... In the billion points."

Terry didn't even need to calculate how much stronger than them she was, to know it was good she was on their side. Or was she?

ChibiMoon landed near them, at first seemingly surprised to see them, then a bit of sadness crept into her face. "You two... You can't be here."

"ChibiUsa, what..."

The girl ignored Ami. "It's impossible. I saw her kill you both."

"Her, who?" Terry asked.

She turned to look at him. "No, you're not the same. Your power is pathetic. Who are you two?"

Ami sighed. "We are from... Another dimension. I know it's hard to believe, but..."

"I don't see why I should doubt that."

Terry looked at the girl. Her suit was quite different than the one Mercury had, or even Moon's Guardian suit. While it still looked like a 'sailor' uniform, the gloves and boots had fused with the rest of the suit, and her fingers were now bare. The Ginzuishou rested in her chest, and the wings in her back (five pairs of wings) were actually quite intimidating.

"I take it you've never seen a Holy Senshi before," ChibiMoon mused as she noticed Terry's stare.

"Holy?" Ami repeated.

"Look, you better leave while you still can... While she hasn't detected you yet. She's looking for me, so she could get here anytime now."

"who is _she_?" Terry asked.

ChibiMoon looked away at that. "She... A long time ago, I considered her my mother, but she changed. She was changed, corrupted by something we thought defeated. Now she's something else, something evil... Something unstoppable, even for me."

"Usagi wouldn't just turn evil like that, it's..."

ChibiMoon gave a dry laugh at those words. "That's exactly what Mercury said, minutes before my mother blasted her through."

"She killed me and Saturn too, I assume?"

The pink-clad Senshi nodded at Terry. "You and Hotaru were the first to fall. She knew better than to leave the two that could revive everyone else alive."

"Terry?"

"Sorry, we still have a few minutes to go."

"Damn it, leave now, or you'll both die."

"Maybe we can help you," Ami suggested.

"Help me? You two will not last more than a few seconds against her. "

"This thing works with mana, so we have to wait until it's recharged, " Terry explained.

ChibiMoon pointed her finger at Terry's wrist, and a thin beam of light shot from it. "There you go."

Terry checked the watch again and gasped. "It's charged."

ChibiMoon nodded. "Now leave before..." She felt something and turned. "... too late."

Sailor Moon was there, or at least what had once been her. She now wore a pitch black suit, and her eyes were lifeless and matched her suit's color. Ami felt a shiver run through her as she got a reading of this woman's power. "Well, well, what do we have here? Can't you weaklings stay dead?"

ChibiMoon frowned. "Ami, Terry, get out of here. And make sure this doesn't happen in your world."

Ami was about to say something, but Terry had already pressed the jump button before she could speak.

"Aww, they escaped. Too bad."

"I'm still here."

Moon laughed at that. "So you are. Going to give up at last?"

"Don't bet on it, monster."

"Respect your mother, ChibiUsa."

"You're not my mother, demon."

* * *

Ami looked around and sighed. "Damn."

"Don't worry, I think she'll be okay."

"I'm not so sure... What was inside Moon in that world, was Metallia. "

"Oh." Terry sighed and took a moment to consider it all. "Then we should've stayed and helped."

"No, she was right. Her power was almost infinite."

Terry looked up. "Uhm, we're not back home yet, are we?"

Ami sighed as she also noticed the 'slight' change in the scenery. "We are. I think our friends have a lot to explain about what's been going on while we weren't around."

Something was blocking the sun, a shadow that covered most of Tokyo. A spaceship, Ami realized as she scanned the 'shadow,' and it was full of creatures. Of invaders.

Terry summoned his communicator and smiled as he saw a familiar face in it. "Hi Aiko."

"Mom, dad, come to the base as soon as you can, we've got to explain what's been going on the last few days," Aiko said, then smiled. "And welcome back."

"About time, too," Rei's voice said in the background.

"We'll be there in a few minutes," Terry said and cut the link, then turned to Ami. "Should we fly there, or would you rather try teleporting?"

"Don't even joke about that," Ami muttered.

After all they had been through, however, even if there was an impossibly large spaceship hovering over the city, it was still good to be back home. But they both could guess trouble was far from over for them.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope this last batch of crossovers didn't break anyone's brain. Specially mine. In the next arc, we'll see what happened while Ami and Terry were out having fun.


	159. First Encounter

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 159: First Encounter**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 12, 2008_

* * *

Usagi stirred and yawned. As she looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand, she sighed. Only ten in the morning? "Too early for a weekend." However, she didn't feel like going back to sleep, so she dressed up and walked out of the room.

As she ate breakfast, she noticed someone missing. "Mom, have you seen Luna today?"

"No. Maybe she's in a date?" Ikuko mused.

Usagi chuckled. "Possibly, though she'll never admit it." She then sighed. "Guess I'll go to the base. Bet Ami will be shocked to see me up this early."

"Have fun."

* * *

As she reached the base, however, she was drenched. It had been a strange thing, one moment it was sunny, then the next a thunderstorm started. "Damn this weather..."

She saw Aiko was there, looking at the large screen embedded on the far wall of the base. Maps and numbers were being displayed in it, at a speed that made it impossible for Usagi to follow whatever the computer girl was doing.

"Hi, Usagi," Aiko said, taking her eyes off the screen, though numbers and maps still kept on running through it. "I suppose I'll give you the bad news first."

Usagi cringed. Bad news? Aiko wasn't one to joke about this kind of things. "What... What's wrong?"

"It's mom and dad, they're... They've vanished."

"What?"

Aiko nodded. "I've been trying to locate them for several minutes. They were at the mansion last I know, and they were going to test those teleporters, but then... They were gone."

Usagi was pale by now. "Are they..."

Aiko knew what the other girl meant. "No, I'm sure they're okay, they're just... Not in this world anymore."

"Where are they then, the Dark Kingdom?"

"No, they're... Not in this universe."

"That... We have to bring them back!"

"How?" Aiko said. "I can't scan for them, I wasn't built for that. And even if I could, how would we get there?"

Hana appeared right in front of Aiko. "Where is he?"

Aiko saw Hana's face and frowned. She looked _scared_, something she had never seen in this psichic girl before. "Mom and dad aren't in this universe right now."

Hana gasped. "That's..."

"Impossible?" Aiko finished for her. "I've only been alive for a few years, but I've already seen a lot of impossibles happen."

"How did that happen?"

Aiko sighed. "Can you wait for a while?"

"Why?"

"I'll call everyone else, so I don't have to explain this twenty more times. It's getting annoying."

Usagi looked at Aiko. She looked so calm, so unnervingly calm. "Aren't you worried about them?"

Aiko looked at her and flinched. "Worried? Of course I am. I may not be a biological daughter, but I... If anything happens to them out there, then we won't..."

Usagi smiled. "Don't worry, they'll be okay."

"How can you know?" Aiko growled.

"I don't, but I trust them to get through whatever they may be facing right now."

ChibiUsa walked in right then, along with Hotaru. "Nice weather we have today, huh?"

Aiko glared at the pink-haired girl. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

"Why do you even bother asking?" ChibiUsa asked back. "They'll be fine. They were alive in the future, after all."

Aiko wasn't glaring at her anymore, but still turned away, snorting. "You and Pluto really think future's set in stone, don't you?"

"Not really, and that's more of a reason not to do anything that could mess the timelines."

"Did someone mention time?"

"Pluto..."

Setsuna ignored Aiko's glare. "Yeah, I know. Still, we've got a bigger issue at hand right now."

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked.

"Since the two Mercuries are missing, and Aiko here's too shocked to bother checking, I have to come here and warn you about the new enemy."

"New enemy?" Aiko asked, then looked up. "Oh, I see."

"Someone explain what's happening," Hotaru muttered.

"There's a large spaceship orbiting Mars, and it's sent several smaller ships to our planet. The ships will get to our world in about one hour."

"And you didn't detect them before?" Hotaru asked.

"She was too worried about her parents to notice that," ChibiUsa noted, "and I don't blame her."

"I've already called everyone," Setsuna said, "we need to make plans before these aliens arrive."

* * *

And so, half an hour later, the group was mostly gathering. Besides the two recently missing, there were others that weren't in Japan, but those had listened to the whole explanation through their communicators.

"Things aren't looking good," Aiko noted. "There are three large spaceships about to arrive to three cities. One will come here, and the other two are heading for London and New York."

"I've already warned the Japanese army," Setsuna said, "and they'll fight the invaders here. The other two cities might be harder to defend."

"We've fought alien armies before," Rei noted.

"But not like this," Aiko said, "There's at least a million aliens in each of those ships."

"Wait, how large are they?" Brad asked through the communicator, then gasped as the area darkeneed. "Nevermind, I just saw it," he said after looking out the window for a few moments.

Aiko put an outside view of Tokyo in the monitor. A black form was moving to it, floating several miles above the ground, and it cast a shadow that was too large to bother measuring. "They are, as you can see, quite large."

"Aliens must be compensating," Karin noted.

Kage flinched. "Shooting them down isn't an option, then."

Hotaru nodded. "Yeah, they'd fall on the cities."

"If they attack, innocents could die," Usagi said. "What'll we do?"

"Destroy anything they throw at us," Rei suggested, "unless you want to go to their ship and try to talk them into leaving friendly."

Aiko shook her head. "This transmission was broadcasted worldwide, in several different languages, minutes ago."

The monitor showed a lizard-like creature, humanoid but with four arms and a long tail. It took a moment to let its image sink into the viewers, then started his speech. "Your days of crawling around your home planet are over, we the Kh'sun have come to claim your world for our empire. In exchange for letting us take over, we will let you live, and give some of our technology. We might even take some fortunate souls with us to further explore our universe."

"Kh'sun..." Hotaru frowned. "Why's that name familiar?"

"That's the same race that the First Senshi drove out of our system, " Setsuna said. "A race our old friend Metallia once belonged to."

Usagi frowned. "They're trying to buy us with a speech, but what if we refuse?"

"They've got more than enough weapons in each of those ships to turn any city into a smoking crater," Aiko explained.

"But they won't do that. At least not yet," Setsuna said.

"why not?"

"'Take some fortunate souls with us,'" Setsuna repeated, "which translates to: Once we drain your planet out of resources, we'll take most of you away as slaves and cannon fodder, and leave the rest to die in this lifeless rock."

Haruka (who was also out of the country, along with Michiru,) nodded. "They need slaves, so killing millions of them is out of the question."

"Unless they want to teach the rest of the would-be slaves a lesson, " Kage added.

Usagi groaned. "Damn, I wish Ami was here, she'd think of a plan."

"I just might," Aiko noted, "but I need time for that. In the meantime, our friendly visitors are coming out to say hi."

Rei looked at the monitor. A swarm of small ships was pouring out of the larger one. As the image zoomed in, she frowned. "Oh? Those ships don't look like they're armed."

"They have weak weapons concealed," Aiko said, "they're most likely scouts."

"Still, the sheer numbers of them are outstanding," Setsuna said. "Haruka, Brad, what are things like over there?"

"No scouting here, I think they'll only probe your area," Brad said.

"Same here," Haruka added.

"Stay there, just in case," Setsuna said. "Okay, I think we should go welcome our unexpected guests."

Usagi nodded. "Let's go, guys."

* * *

"Khrall, the natives are movilizing their army."

The Khrall laughed. "As expected. It would be convenient if they just gave up, as some races had, but this way is far more entertaining."

"Should we send the Stalkers in?"

"No, leave it to the Scanners for now."

"As you command, Khrall."

* * *

Seia saw the Senshi fly out of the dojo and snorted. "They are really lucky nobody bothers noticing where they come from..." She switched her radio on and nodded. "All units, help the Senshi. Let's show these aliens we aren't going to just be run over."

She looked out and saw the Senshi's 'sidekicks' had joined the battle. "Nice, everyone's here today." She took her rocket launcher out and aimed it at one of the nearest ships. She shot at it, and it crashed down on a parked car, then exploded. "So much for alien ships being hard to destroy.

* * *

Ikuko looked out the window and flinched. "What is that thing?"

"An alien spaceship."

Ikuko saw Luna standing right outside the window. "Where have you been?"

"Talking to a certain lady in green about that spaceship," Luna said and walked in.

"How are they going to beat that?"

"Pluto said they would try not to bring the ship crashing down on the city," the mooncat said with a shrug. "I really don't know what they'll do to defeat these aliens, but right now they're fighting a swarm of smaller alien ships near Kobe."

Ikuko looked up again and couldn't help but feel a bit hopeless. She knew her daughter had won all the battles she'd fought so far, but this one, it just wasn't the same.

* * *

"Lady Apatite, the Earth's under siege."

Apatite looked at the youma scout and snorted. "I knew peace wouldn't last for them. What is it this time?"

"Aliens with massive spaceships, and they're covering all three zones."

"Go back there, and keep me informed. If things get out of control, we may have to send our own forces there."

The scout bowed and left, and Apatite sighed. True, most youma were still uneasy about their makeshift peace with mankind, but they would, at least, be eager to defend their energy sources.

* * *

**A/N:** _MidnightRayne13:_ We'll see more of that power level, though not for a while (Guardian isn't just the previous level to Holy.) Scary thought, however? Holy isn't the last power level.

_DavisJes:_ Yeah, it would make a good 'what if' fic. Maybe I'll write more on some of those alternate universes later on. For now, I want to at least finish Chronicles before getting involved in other projects.

And in case anyone's wondering, Moon herself, in Guardian level, is only up to about two hundred thousand points (it's just numbers, but from two hundred thousands to a few billions, the difference does matter.)

Also, the total number of arcs for Chronicles will be twenty. Doesn't mean there's few episodes to go, since some of the next few arcs will be longer than these last two were.

Oh, and if this arc smells like a copy of ID4... Yeah, I based these aliens partially on that, but there's much more to them than just big bad motherships and thousands of smaller ships zooming around.


	160. Under The Kh'sun

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 160: Under the Kh'sun**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 16, 2008_

* * *

It was quite clear to her, that these aliens were just testing their power. And they were certainly getting more than they'd hoped for so far. Everywhere she looked at, things weren't looking so bad. She could see Mars using her fire shield to burn down the ships that came too close to her. Jupiter was a bit further away, and was using one of the ships to clobber any other ship that came close to her. Nemesis was at ground level, using the shadows of buildings and trees as her weapons.

She looked around and frowned. She was pretty much useless, her endurance was not good enough to let her use her attacks as much as she would need for this fight. Even her lower level ones wouldn't do.

However... "No, I can't use that..." But it was the answer to her troubles, the way to let her fight longer, and also get rid of many of these aircrafts. "If I use that, it could..." She still remembered it, remembered how good it felt when she killed that hunter. If she started killing these aliens, she knew it could get out of hands.

She heard a cry of pain, and quite close, and turned to see ChibiMoon about to be run through by one of their enemies. "No!" In a second, she was gone, her fear of using her powers replaced by the instinct to protect her friend.

* * *

ChibiMoon already knew about these aliens, yes, but she had expected even these scouting spaceships to be more of a challenge. She leapt off her board, landing on top of one of them, and slashed through its front.

At first sight, these vehicles were closer to winged, metalic eggs than to spaceships, with no visible windows. Even the weapons were concealed in such a way it looked like the energy beams were coming out of the ship itself. However, being scouting vehicles, they had no shielding, and their hulls were nothing against their weapons and magic.

She leapt off the ship as it exploded, turning to check on other enemies. However, she failed to realize one of the scouts had managed to get into her blind side, attacking right from above.

ChibiMoon cried out as she was hit. While the blasts weren't strong enough to kill her, they still hurt, and quite a lot. She looked up, seeing the ship heading straight for her, but the pain made it hard for her to focus. The ship, however, veered off at the last second, missing her completely, and crashing down on the road. Had that been Venus? Lilith?

Other ships around the area started dropping down, and ChibiMoon flinched. Their link was strong enough for her to know it was her. She was draining the pilots out of energy. While it wasn't too different to what everyone else had been doing, she also recalled what Saturn had told her, about the problems she had in the past to control her powers.

The ships in their area were all down now, and Saturn appeared near her. Her body was shining, and she seemed to be looking for more targets. "Hotaru..."

"Chibi, just leave them to me."

ChibiMoon frowned and concentrated as she looked at her. "Sorry, I can't let you do that, you're getting out of control."

Saturn realized she couldn't move anymore. "You idiot, if we stay here they'll shoot us down!"

"I'm aware of that, but I'm not letting go until you calm down."

Saturn growled. "I'm serious, release me or else..."

"Or else what?" ChibiMoon snapped back. "Would you hurt me because I don't let you drain them?"

"For the last time," Saturn said, "let me go. I'm serious."

"Only way you'll get out of here is if you control yourself. I suppose you could also hit me, but that's not how the Hotaru I know would act."

Saturn growled. "So what, are we going to stay floating here until the fight ends? That's sure going to help the others."

"It'll be worse if you lose it for real," ChibiMoon said. "Your future self told me about it, about how hard it was to control that power, about how good it felt to just drain your enemies dead."

The Death Senshi frowned at that. "I can control it."

"For now, yes, but if I let you keep that up? I doubt it."

"Hmph. Did the future me tell you I ever harmed or killed someone I cared about?"

"No, but I know why now. Listen, I can't really stop you from doing it, only you can. Don't let it take over you, or you'll be worse than Black Lady was."

"I see, so I guess I'll just have to calm down and... Wraith's Cry!"

ChibiMoon saw the ghastly figure shooting at her, and was about to dodge, but someone got in the way before it hit her. "Pluto?"

Pluto had slashed the wraith in half, and was looking at Saturn. "Saturn, listen to her words."

"I don't see what's so bad about this. We kill aliens all the time, don't we?" Saturn asked.

"Indeed, but a true warrior doesn't attack its own team. It doesn't matter if that wraith hit or not, the harm's already done."

Saturn looked past Pluto, to see ChibiMoon was looking at her, pale and shocked. It sank on her, what she had been about to do. "This... I didn't..."

"Maybe I was wrong," ChibiMoon said. "Maybe I don't really know you like I thought I did."

Saturn saw ChibiMoon fly away, and tried to follow, but Pluto blocked her way. "Out of the way!"

"Hotaru, do you see it now?"

"Yes, these draining powers... They're evil. I'm not going to use them again."

Pluto frowned. "No, you don't get what the problem is."

"Just let me go, I need to talk to her."

The older woman took a few seconds to consider the options, then nodded. "Hope she wants to talk, too."

* * *

"Khrall, our Scanners are being decimated."

"Is this planet's army that strong?"

"The army's doing its part, but the magicians are the ones doing the most damage. Their energy readings are simply amazing."

Khrall looked at the monitor and saw his soldier was right. "Credit where credit's due, I have never seen mana users with such high readings. However, I doubt they'll have the same luck against our Stalkers, or our Crawlers."

"Should we send them out?"

"No. We should play our moves right."

"What is your plan?"

"Divide and conquer," Khrall simply said. "Call back the Scanners, and have our factories build more of them for our next attack."

"That'll require at least three Earth days."

"Then start at once. We can't let those humans rest."

* * *

Saturn found ChibiMoon leaning on a wall near the dojo. "Chibi..."

"What?"

Her tone was almost too cold, Saturn noticed. "Listen, I... You were right, I was letting it take over. If Pluto hadn't stopped me..."

ChibiMoon snorted. "You think I left because I was scared of that?"

Saturn blinked at that. "Actually, I thought you were just disappointed."

"And I am," the pink-haired girl noted. "If I hadn't left when I did, I would've been tempted to return your favor."

"I won't use that power anymore, just... Don't be mad at me."

"As if that solved anything. Letting it control you isn't good, but just running away is no different."

"But if I use them again, then..."

"I'll help you."

"Even after I tried to hit you?"

"I've lived through worse. Like the time you stabbed me through."

Saturn flinched. "I said sorry about that one already."

"I know. So, from how things look right now, you can either let me help you, or you can keep on fearing your power until it literally blows in our faces."

"Guess I'll choose the hard way, then. How are we going to do that, though?"

ChibiMoon was about to answer, but then groaned. "What do they want..." She produced her communicator and blinked. "Hi mom."

"ChibiUsa, is everything okay there? Pluto told me about..."

"Don't worry, we're okay."

"Good... Listen, the alien scouts are retreating, so we're going to gather and plan for their next attack."

"Understood. We'll be there in a minute."

"We are already 'there,'" Saturn noted as ChibiMoon turned to her. "So, about my question..."

"It involves you trusting yourself, and me trusting you," ChibiMoon said, "but I won't spoil the surprise."

"You can be quite a brat, you knew that?"

"And you're fun to tease."

Saturn smiled. At least, ChibiUsa was teasing her now, instead of being mad at her. But she still wondered about that training, and what it would involve.

* * *

Several minutes later, Aiko was briefing the others on what she had seen while they were away. "Our enemies sent another message to our world. They're going to attack and destroy the three cities they're seiging in two days."

The others looked at Pluto. "Thought you said they wouldn't do that, " Mars noted.

"It may be a trap," Pluto said, "they may want us to split before sending in the real attack force."

"Or they are really going to attack the three cities with all they've got," Moon said. "We can't let that happen."

"I've run a scan of those ships... It seems to be a weapon itself, besides a carrier."

Hotaru looked at Aiko. "Hope that doesn't mean what I think it does. "

"The ship gathers energy and stores it," Aiko said, "and it's center is a giant cannon. One shot from that thing, in the best case scenario, would turn half our city to ashes."

"And worst case scenario?" Kage asked.

"It may have enough power to drill a hole right to the core of our planet."

"How do we stop _that_?"

Pluto looked at Chie. "They won't use that much power. It wouldn't do any good to them."

"If they hit the core, the whole planet could blow up," Mako said.

"That's true. Still, they could destroy the cities without that."

"They have enough vehicles inside to do that," Aiko admitted.

Pluto looked at Usagi. "So, what we have to do in this case, is split up and protect each city as good as we can."

"So?"

"So, you're the leader, you should be the one deciding who goes where."

"But I'm not..."

"You know us," Rei said, "you know who we get along better with, you can think up three balanced teams."

"Okay, I'll try," Usagi said.

"Once that's decided, I'll take you where you need to go," Pluto said.

"You love being a human taxi, don't you?" Kage mused.

"Respect your elders," Pluto snapped.

"Specially those elders that could send you to visit the dinosaurs," Mako joked.

"I wouldn't do that," Pluto said. "Poor dinosaurs would suffer needlessly with his sense of humor."

Kage sighed as the others laughed. "And that's why I don't like talking a lot."

* * *

**A/N:** _NightmareSyndrom:_ I think the title answers part of your question. As for what Stalkers are, you'll see that soon.

_SailorStar9:_ Luckily, that's no spoiler. The 'big blob' as you call it won't be around... I'm aiming for an easier to explain alternative. But I won't spoil anything yet.


	161. Waiting For The Kh'sun To Rise

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 161: Waiting For The Kh'sun To Rise**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 19, 2008_

* * *

"Okay, I've got it now," Usagi said.

She had been thinking about the three teams, and how to form them, for half an hour now. Rei was right, she knew her friends and what each one could and couldn't do. "Let's see... I'm staying here, of course... ChibiUsa and Hotaru should stay, too."

"But she's the only other Guardian Senshi in..."

Usagi looked at Hotaru. "You two need to stay here, and that's it. "

Hotaru frowned. "Right. To keep an eye on me."

Usagi continued. "Rei, Mamoru, should stay here too. Mako, Karin and Setsuna, you should go to London."

Pluto nodded. "Agreed, that way we'll have a balance of power in both cities."

"Naru, Chie, Shingo, Kage, you go to New York."

"You're forgetting about us," Hana said.

Usagi sighed. "That I did."

"I'll go to London," Yukiko said, "I want to see thosee mages I heard about..."

"I'm going to New York," Hana said, "I want to see my parents again. "

"If Naru's going there, I'm going, too," Umino said.

Ail shrugged. "We're staying here. The further away we go from our tree, the more time it takes our mana to regenerate."

Usagi sighed. "I just wish Ami and Terry were here. We could really use their help."

ChibiUsa looked at Pluto, then sighed. "Don't worry, they'll come back eventually."

"That doesn't sound too promising."

"They'll be back before this war ends," Pluto said.

"Now that's better," Usagi said with a smile.

"Uhm, what about all the talk of not breaking the timelines?" ChibiUsa asked.

"I'm the one that can see the different outcomes for our future," Pluto said, "and in this case, it's better for Usagi to know that, than to be worrying about the two Mercuries needlessly."

ChibiUsa nodded. "Got it." However, she felt a bit of jealousy, too. She wished she could be the one travelling around the different universes, and fighting opponents she just wouldn't get to fight in her own world. But she also knew she couldn't really stay away from home for too long, and wondered just how much longer the two would be 'leaping' around all the different realities.

That was a question that, amusingly, only time itself could answer. Or the Senshi that had some control over it.

* * *

While the Senshi got ready to fight their enemy, there was another group reviewing their own plans.

"Do you think we could gather some samples of those aliens and their technology?"

"I'm not too impressed by those ships they sent, Rubeus. True, their carriers are something I'd love to have to fight the Senshi with, but I don't think we can just charge in and take over it."

Onara nodded. "That's right. Their larger ships have a kind of shield that doesn't let anything through, unless it's coming from the inside."

"Anything?" Kaorinite asked.

"I suppose a direct blast from Sailor Moon's crystal would pierce through it," Onara admitted, "but I doubt Moon's willing to kill millions to save millions."

"How's our guest?"

"She's resisted any of my attempts to get her to obey us, A. Even unconscious as she is, her mind seems to have enough will to resist being tamed."

"Then just let her rest. When she wakes up, I'm going to talk her into joining us."

* * *

"I could say it's good to be back home, but Tokyo's where I belong. "

Shingo looked at Hana. "Done already?"

"Yeah. Dad wants to meet you, when all this mess is over."

"So I'll get into an even bigger mess."

Hana chuckled. "Don't worry about that."

Naru walked to them, glancing up to the ship. "Darkness is my element and all, but having no sun at noon is annoying."

Umino frowned. "Maybe we could shoot through it?"

"Aiko's been keeping herself busy scanning those ships and the aliens inside. That shield's strong enough to stop anything we throw at it, not counting one of Moon's blasts."

"And if we did shoot at it," Michiru said as she and Haruka joined the others, "then we'd have a city-sized spaceship exploding a few miles over the ground. I hope I don't have to explain what that would do to the city."

"The big half-apple?" Shingo guessed.

"Not a nice thing to think about," Umino noted. Specially since they would all be caught in the blastwave.

"Where are Chie and Kage?" Hana asked.

"Flying around the city," Haruka said. "Or at least, that's what they told us they would be doing."

"Think we can really fight those goons?" Shingo asked, nodding up at the ship.

"I don't know if we can, I just know that we must," Haruka said with a shrug.

* * *

"I didn't know your house was this big."

"It's not really mine," Brad said as Yuki took a good look at the room they were in right now.

His mother nodded. "This house was built by my husband."

"The style is rather... Arcane," Karin noted.

"This is strange, you don't look much older than us."

"I'm aware of that. It's an old trick from our clan. Mana can't stop a cell's aging, but it can sure slow it down to a crawl."

"How old are you, April?"

The woman smiled at Minako's question. "Not as old as our green-haired friend, but... I'll just say I was around for the second world war."

"Amazing."

"We can't stop aging for good," April said, "but I know my mother lived for nearly two hundred years."

That wasn't a lot, Minako realized, compared to how much they were going to live... Or to how much Pluto had lived. "In any case, we need to get a hold of this country's military."

"That won't be hard, I think the spaceship over our heads already got their attention."

"Where is everyone else, mom?" Brad asked.

"They're busy right now, a lesser witch was causing some trouble in Scotland."

"Too bad, we could use their help."

April smiled again. "Minako, I was told your powers have progressed in amazing ways."

"You could..." Minako started, 'vanishing' from where she was sitting. "... say that," she completed from right outside the window.

The woman nodded. "I see. You move faster than any normal human's eye could see."

"Faster than our own eyes can, too," Mako admitted.

"There's a flaw to that power," April noted.

"Other than the way it tires me down if I use it too much?"

"Yes. See, while my eyes couldn't follow you, I could still feel your magic. It may still be quite unlikely for me to dodge or counter you with your speed, but it's still something to be wary of. "

Brad nodded. "Anyone who can sense magic could detect us."

"There's a solution for that. But I fear we don't have the time to teach you it right now," April said, "I know the Senshi of the Silver Millenium could cloak their mana to the point it was literally undetectable. It served as a way to fool some enemies into thinking they were as weak as a normal human... Or for infiltration. "

"Thought our suits took care of cloaking it," Minako noted. "That's what Ami said, at least."

"In part, they do," the woman admitted, "but the cloaking's got a limit, it still lets five percent of your power visible. And that five percent, to me, looks like a neon sign to me."

"Considering our power grows with each new level," Brad guessed, "we should learn that technique, just in case."

Mako looked at Setsuna. "But you... I've seen how much power you have, by Ami's scanning, and it doesn't look like a lot."

Setsuna smiled. "That is because I was taught that technique by one of the many members of her clan."

"Is he alive?"

"I doubt it. He was there to see Rome's fall."

* * *

"Are you ready?"

"I would be ready if I knew what we're going to do."

ChibiMoon and Saturn were inside the base, alone. Aiko, while still controlling the computer, wasn't really there. And ChibiMoon had purposefully told everyone to leave them both alone.

Saturn was really worried about that. "We two alone, I don't know about this. If anything went wrong..."

"It won't, as long as you don't fear your power. I trust you."

"Even after what I..."

"That was caused by your fears. If you let those fears control you, then you will never be able to control your powers." ChibiMoon smiled. It all made sense, too, at least to her, because of who had taught her the technique she was about to use.

And it also created one of those annoying time paradoxes she had already been a part of in the past.

"Okay, whatever it is, I'm ready for it."

"Good. Now, summon your gloves."

Saturn did as told. "Now what?"

ChibiMoon took her hands. "Use your draining in me, but only until I tell you to stop."

"But..."

"Just do it. I trust you."

Saturn sighed. "Right." They locked eyes as she triggered her gloves' power. She could feel the energy flowing into her own body, and she hated to admit it, but it felt good.

"Stop."

Saturn blinked and stopped. "I didn't drain that much, did I?"

"No. Just... Give me a moment to recover and we'll try again."

"Why did you stop me so soon?"

"I'll explain that later." ChibiMoon said. "Hmm... Okay, let's try again."

This time, Saturn noticed, it took longer until she was ordered to stop. And, again, she did as told almost instantly. "I don't see how this is going to help me."

"But I do know," ChibiMoon said, "and frankly, I thought this would take a lot more time, but I think you're almost ready for the final test."

"I am?"

"Yes. Let's try this one more time."

Saturn frowned. ChibiMoon was trying to hide it, but she could see her energy was running low. Even with her crystal's help, she wasn't recovering enough to keep this up for much longer. Maybe that's why she wanted to finish this quick?

"Hello? Still with me?"

"Uhm, yes," Saturn said. "I'm ready."

"Then you know what to do."

Again, the same, dangerous game. And again, it took a bit longer for the order to be given. "Are you okay?"

ChibiMoon smiled. "Don't worry, I know my own limits." Which is why next part would be dangerous. But she wasn't telling her friend that. She concentrated, willing the Ginzuishou to give her as much energy as it could, then nodded. "Now, for the final test."

"Already?"

"You can control yourself, Hotaru," ChibiMoon said, "it's just that you didn't trust yourself to do it. And this fun little test will show you just that. Now, we'll repeat what we've already done, but this time, I'm not telling you to stop."

"... You're not?"

"No. No matter how much you drain me. I'm not going to say a thing. It's your call."

"But I..." Saturn started, but ChibiMoon's eyes stopped her. She could see it in them, she wasn't lying. She trusted her that much? No, that wasn't bad, the real question was, could she really control herself? Only way to know, was to try.

She could, again, feel the energy flowing in. And yes, it felt good. It made it hard for her to stop, when she could just keep on draining and... 'Stop.' Saturn blinked at that. She had stopped, yes, but that voice wasn't coming from anyone. It was her own.

ChibiMoon opened her eyes. "See? You can control it."

"I..." Saturn felt a shiver run down her spine. "I don't know, for a moment I felt too eager to just keep on..."

"But you didn't. If you had, well... I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

"I guess I got it now. I was just running in circles, so to speak. "

ChibiMoon nodded. "Your powers aren't the only ones that can kill, Hotaru. I went through the same as you, in the future, A year before I came back this last time."

"What happened?"

"I saw how much power Serenity had. I knew about my darker side, and feared it would control me, control the Ginzuishou. That it would become strong enough to destroy my friends, the city, everything I cared for. So I wasn't even training, letting my fear and my power grow unchecked."

"Sounds bad."

"I was about to explode, so to speak, but then, someone did something much like I've showed you."

"But you don't drain..."

"But I can fight. She... She let me attack her, at first telling me when to stop, and in the final test, just like you, I was able to stop before going too far. I was able to control my powers, once I stopped fearing them."

Saturn smiled. "I see... And I can bet who that someone was. It was me, right?"

ChibiMoon nodded. "For once, it's a time paradox I'm not complaining about."

"But there's a difference between this and... Draining our enemies. "

"I know. But even there, you must know when to stop."

Sailor Moon's face appeared in the base's monitor just then. "ChibiUsa, Hotaru, are you okay?"

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"They are back for more."

Saturn smiled and turned to ChibiMoon. "Good, time to see if your paradox worked."

"Huh, what paradox?" Moon asked.

"I'll tell you later," ChibiMoon said. "We'll be out in a minute."

* * *

Dragon Venus looked up to the sky and flinched. "There must be thousands of those things up there."

"And they're bigger than the ships we fought before," Jupiter commented.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right?" Earth mused.

"Yeah, but it'll be better if they don't even get to fall," Venus said.

Pluto nodded. "Here they come. Get ready."

* * *

"You guys ready for this?"

"Always," Dragon Sun said.

"Game on," Game Master said.

Nemesis sighed. "Umino..."

"Would you rather have me give a corny speech and strike a pose?"

"Ehh... Nevermind."

Nova tried to calculate how many ships there were now, and growled. "This will be fun."

Dragon Moon could only agree to her sarcasm. It was a good thing he'd brought the Moon sword along, because he could bet he'd need it.

* * *

**A/N:** _SolarWinds:_ I don't write much during the weekends, but I'm writing this thing whenever I have free time (and am not playing some game, mostly offline nowadays as the online gaming community ticked me off for good.)

I think telling me to update isn't needed, some people (like my girlfriend) actually think I should write less.

Before anyone kills me, I'll say this episode's title is the last pun on _this_ race's name I make.


	162. Battlefield Earth

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 162: Battlefield Earth.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 24, 2008_

* * *

"Evacuation of the city is ninety percent complete, sir."

"As bad as things are looking, we may not have enough time to get everyone out of the city," Kino admitted.

"It'll go faster now," Seia said, "and things look the same in the other cities, from what I heard."

"Let's hope the Senshi don't let these aliens wreck Tokyo," Tomoe added.

"Their fighter ships are already doing a nice work on that. If the big one up there decided to shoot, it would be really bad for us."

"What about our little surprise?" Seia asked.

Tomoe shrugged. "Their shielding can withstand a blast from it, so it would be just a waste of energy. But I do have a plan to use in case things get really ugly."

* * *

"We should use the Terraformer. It would take care of those magicians."

Khrall looked at the monitors, not turning to his advisor, one of the Khtei of his ship. "That city has millions of slaves, but they're being moved out. We can't attack until they've been placed elsewhere."

"What if the Terraformer isn't enough?"

"I doubt that would be the case, but we still have the Cursed if everything else fails."

"These magicians are amazing fighters, it's a pity we have to kill them."

"None of the other magicians we encountered gave up, none joined us. This won't be any different."

* * *

As soon as they started fighting, they knew the battle would be a lot tougher. The new ships they had sent along with the scouts from last battle, were definitely stronger. They had energy blasts like the others, but also homing missiles.

Moon came pretty close to being knocked off her board by those missiles more than once. But the really bad part was their shielding. Most standard weapons couldn't blast through them, and their weakest Senshi powers also weren't any good.

She looked to the side and spotted Aiko, who had decided to join them in this battle. "We can't fight this many ships."

Aiko nodded. "That we can't. But all we can do for now is try to stop them from damaging the city."

"Where's Rei?"

"She was fighting close to the temple," Aiko said, "she said she wouldn't let them wreck her home."

* * *

Mars was, indeed, trying her best to stop any ships from shooting at her temple. And the aliens seemed to be way more interested in shooting her down than destroying the city, something that made things both easier and harder for her.

It was impossible for them to hit her, so she didn't have to spend any energy dodging. Her shield was something she had gotten used to, and she didn't need to summon it at all, so she could just focus in burning down as many ships as she could.

Once her energy run out, however, she knew things would get really bad. But even then, she would still fight with her sword (or her bare hands) if she had to.

* * *

Things didn't look any better in the other battlefields. In New York, while the army deployed was way stronger, the alien ships still kept pouring in like rain.

Dragon Moon didn't have a crystal like his sister, but he wasn't a weakling, either. His energy reserves were running low, but he couldn't just sit around and let the others fight.

He saw one of the ships zoom by, slamming down into the ground and exploding. Looking up, he saw Nova was having no trouble at all in this fight.

Another thing that didn't make him happy, was that he had no range. He had to focus on speed and dodging to get close to the ships, and once there, pierce through their shields with his sword.

Locating his closest foe, he leapt at it, landing on top of that ship and preparing to attack. It wasn't the only ship in the area, however, and one of the others saw its chance to attack.

He didn't see the missiles coming his way, but someone else did. He was knocked out of the ship by the explosion, but saw Nova was also falling, she had apparently taken the hit for him. "Damn, Hana..." He summoned his board and fled after her, catching her before she hit the ground. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'll live," Nova said weakly.

He smiled at her as he let her on the ground, then looked up and frowned. "I'm sorry you had to get hit to protect me."

"Don't worry, it's..."

"No, it's not okay," Dragon Moon said and floated up.

"Wait, Shingo!" Nova said and tried to fly after him, but winced. No, she couldn't fly right now, that blast had really stunned her. "Shingo, don't do anything crazy," she whispered with a sigh.

Dragon Moon had meanwhile floated up to where the battle was taking place. All around him, the others were fighting fiercely. Nemesis, Uranus, Neptune, Lilith, Dragon Sun... Even Game Master was blasting ships relentlessly. And all he had done was getting his girl hurt, because he was too weak to protect himself. He growled. No, not anymore. "Moon Twilight Power!"

The bright light of his transformation attracted many ships, but he wasn't worried. He could feel it, as his transformation ended. "Werewolf's Call!"

Nova looked up in awe. Dragon Moon's form had seemingly split, but the new figure besides him was... A werewolf? Yes, a white-furred werewolf, and it had started leaping from ship to ship as soon as it had appeared.

But Dragon Moon himself didn't stand there watching, he rushed off in a different direction, also slashing down any ships that got in his way.

"Hey, what's with the large doggie?"

Nova looked at Game Master and smiled. "That's Shingo's new power. "

"Oh, like Mars and Jupiter's summons. Let me guess, you got hurt?"

Nova rose an eyebrow at that. "How did you guess that?"

"First off, you're down here. And second, what it takes, most of the time, for a Senshi to power up, is to either be put in an extreme danger, or to have someone they care about hurt."

Nova nodded. "Yeah, guess that's about right." She floated up a few meters and smiled. "Okay, time to go back to action."

Game Master sighed. "Have fun."

"What, out of power already?"

He nodded. "I'll have to recharge for a few minutes."

Nova nodded back and fled up, already scanning the area and finding the closest foe.

* * *

Warwitch created a wall of fire, and snorted as a ship slammed into it. "This is kind of fun, it'd be funnier if there weren't thousands of those things around."

Pluto shot a blast at one of the ships, and smiled as it exploded. "It's been a while since I was able to fight against such odds."

"Oh, so you've been in a war before."

Pluto nodded. "Yes, but this isn't the place to talk about that."

Warwitch dodged a missile and sighed. "You're right."

Not far from there, Earth and Jupiter were quite busy. Earth was using vines to destroy many ships at once (often having the vines come out of rooftops,) but Jupiter had chosen a different approach. She was jumping from ship to ship, tearing their wings off before leaping to the next one. Earth was really impressed at how strong Mako was, but also worried that she would get hit while up there.

* * *

Saturn appeared near ChibiMoon and smiled. "This is going better than I thought."

ChibiMoon almost jumped at how she looked. Once again, Saturn was shining, which could mean... "Hotaru, you..."

Saturn looked at a group of incoming ships and smiled. "Death Ripple. " As the ships were blasted to dust, she turned to her friend. "I wouldn't last too long if I didn't drain some of them. But don't worry, I'm not letting it get to my head again."

"Let's hope so, or I'll have to drop a heart at you."

"Yes, that would be painful," Saturn said before vanishing again.

ChibiMoon shook her head before heading for the nearest ship in the area. Actually, a group of five ships were heading straight to her. "Five against one are very bad odds," she said as she summoned her sword, "for them."

* * *

Dragon Venus saw Venus stop near him, and flinched. She looked really worn out, and it was no surprise, as she had been using her skill for longer than she ever had before. "Mina, are you..."

"I'll be okay, I just need to recover."

"Just rest, then, I'll take care of this area."

Venus snorted at that. "I can still fight."

The Dragon sighed in defeat as Venus fled up again. "Stubborn as usual." He followed her up, not seeing there were a couple ships heading at him from behind. "Hey, Mina, you should really..."

Venus turned around, and her eyes widened instantly. "Brad, watch out!"

Dragon Venus didn't hear the warning in time to dodge the missiles. He was knocked off his board and fell to a rooftop, out cold.

Venus felt anger boiling inside her. That was it, she wasn't going to hold back now. "Venus Guardian Power!" The two ships noticed her and shot their missiles, but Venus literally walked out of their way. "Hurting the one I love was a very big mistake, alien freaks. Venus Photon..." A ball of light formed in front of her, though she wasn't holding it or even looking at it. It grew bigger, until it was as big as a truck, and she smiled. "Pulse!"

The Dragon woke up in time to see the energy ball fly. It hit the first ship, then somehow corrected its course, blasting through the second one, and immediately headed for a third. He saw Venus wasn't concentrating to keep the ball doing that, she had already tackled another ship down and was scanning the area for enemies. But he could bet the attack was as impressive as it was tiring. He summoned his comm and sent a signal to the other Senshi in London. "Girls, I think we need to come up with a strategy here. Just fighting them blindly isn't going to work.

"I'm well aware of that," Pluto said through the comm, "but don't worry, if things get out of hands, I can always just time-phase them to the next week."

"You could do that?" he heard Warwitch ask.

"Sure, but I'd be out of action for about the same time, if not more. "

Dragon Venus frowned. "Let's hope it doesn't get that bad, then."

* * *

Mars, meanwhile, was running out of energy. She had stopped using her first level blasts minutes earlier, and right now was using her sword to fight. But she knew that, even if she didn't go for ranged attacks, she was still goign to run out of energy fast. She could use her bow, but that would also use energy to cast each of the arrows she shot. No, she had to resist for as long as she could, it was the only thing she could do now.

A blast hit her shield from the side, and she frowned as she felt something. She barely had any magic left, so the shield was weakening. A couple more blasts and...

She couldn't finish that sentence, as a barrage of missiles hit her from all sides. She fell off her airboard, bouncing on a roof once before stopping, coughing up some blood as she tried to stand up. She had lost grip of her sword during the attack, her ears were ringing and she was sure she wouldn't have enough power left to cast a Fire Soul blast even if she could focus.

"Fire Spikes!"

She looked up to see two ships that had been heading for her explode in mid-air, then to the side. A man in a red Dragon suit was there, looking at her with concern. She recognized him easily. "Yuu, what..."

"Rei, are you okay?"

Mars took a step towards him, then everything went black.

* * *

**A/N:** About Shingo's new attack: If Usagi can have a pet cat, why can't he have a pet 'dog'?

Dragon Mars is going to make things a bit more interesting, too... Both him and Dragon Moon are _really_ lagging behind as far as power goes. Guardian level Senshi have technically a thousand times more power with their strongest attacks than normal Senshi have, and around five hundred times the power of a Twilight Senshi. Yep, their power rise is exponential.

And yep, I still love cliffhangers.

_SailorStar9:_ My puns don't get old, they get better. /Ego


	163. Intermission

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 163: Intermission.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 24, 2008_

* * *

Saturn appeared inside a building and frowned. Whoever it was, it wasn't a good time to call. She summoned her comm and blinked twice at the face in it. "Uhm, who are you?"

"I'll explain later. Come to the shrine as soon as you can, Rei was heavily wounded."

Saturn pushed another button and ChibiMoon's face appeared. "Chibi, I have to go check on Mars, she might need healing... Or worse."

ChibiMoon gasped. "I knew we shouldn't have left her stray off on her own."

"She's not alone now," Saturn noted, "And I think we have another Dragon." She cut the link and sighed. The shrine... It would take her several minutes to get there flying, so she'd have to teleport a few times instead.

* * *

ChibiMoon looked around and couldn't help but feel a bit of fear. This battle, they simply couldn't win against these odds. The only way to win would be... She looked up at the main ship and shook her head. No, that wasn't an option.

She noticed something was off as she saw Dragon Earth fly by. "Uhm, dad?" His suit was different, did that mean...

Dragon Earth smiled at her. "I had a little upgrade while fighting." The suit hadn't changed a lot, really, except for the wings on the sides of their boots and gloves, like her own suit had.

ChibiMoon leapt back, dodging a missile, and frowned. "They won't give us a break, will they?"

The Dragon sighed. "Earth Sword Burst!" He slashed the air, but as he did, several sharp-looking rocks appeared, shooting forwards and piercing through many of the ships around them. "Where's Saturn?"

"Mars was hurt, maybe worse. She's checking on her right now."

* * *

Saturn had reached the temple, and saw Mars lying on the ground, with the new Dragon kneeling besides her. "Yuu, I assume."

The Dragon nodded. "Dragon Mars, but you might have guessed that already."

Saturn turned her attention to Mars. "No time to chat right now." She put a hand on Mars' arm and let the energy flow.

"Is she okay?"

Saturn grimaced. "She's suffered internal damage, that takes a lot more energy to heal than external wounds. Her energy's rather low, and I don't think she would be alive by now, even in her Senshi form, if not for her one major trait."

"And that is?"

"She's too stubborn," Saturn said, not a hint of humor in her voice. "But don't worry, I can heal her, as long as those ships don't bother me for a while."

Dragon Mars cringed. "That's bad. I'm almost out of power myself."

Saturn knew things just couldn't get worse. These invaders weren't, individually, any stronger than a normal youma was back when they started fighting, but there were thousands of them, and that really turned the odds against them.

"What the fuck... Hey, what's that, more monsters?"

Saturn looked up to see a... Literally, a cloud of flying youma had appeared, and was now fighting the aliens. "Okay, now that's something I never thought I'd see."

* * *

"Yes sir, I see them," Seia said, "but they're attacking the invaders."

"They're youma," Tomoe noted.

Moon came flying to Seia's truck. "Don't attack them."

"If you say so..." Seia muttered. "What are they doing here?"

"Helping us," Moon explained. "I'll give Kino the details later, but don't worry, they're our allies."

* * *

Venus strained to keep her attack up, but the ball was shrinking as it went. A few minutes more of this, and she'd be out of power.

"Laser Implosion!"

It was good that Senshi upgrading season was apparently open again, though. She looked at Dragon Venus' new attack and flinched... Even though light was her element, she still wouldn't like to be hit by that. Several small light points appeared around a wide area, then rapidly shrunk, causing a blast of light that vaporized any ship caught in its range.

Still, just like her homing light ball, it was a one-time attack for now, and that meant they both were now out of power.

To be fair, only Pluto and her were fighting now, and Venus herself was just about to run out of energy. It would take a real miracle to win this one, really.

As she saw a swarm of youma appear, she flinched. Were they there to... No, they were attacking the enemy. "That's what I call being saved by the bell."

Pluto appeared next to her. "Moon and Uranus called, apparently there's youma helping them too."

"Good, that means we can win this."

* * *

"Khrall, our troops are being decimated."

"What?"

"A new army appeared... They're not human, but they're helping them. And we don't have enough ships left to fight them."

Khrall shouted something out loud in his native tongue, most likely an insult, that the soldier didn't dare understanding. "Pull back our forces for now, and move all ships to Tokyo."

"Sir?"

"I've still got one card left to play, but if that fails, then we'll have to use the Terraformer to get rid of those magicians."

* * *

Moon was back in the base, but jumped as she saw Pluto appear, with the rest of the group. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Yeah, we missed you, too," Dragon Sun muttered.

"The ships that were over London and New York are now heading for us, " Aiko explained, then frowned. "No way..."

"What?" Moon asked.

Aiko summoned a small screen. "Mom, dad, come to the base as soon as you can, we've got to explain what's been going on the last few days, " Aiko said, then smiled. "And welcome back."

"About time, too," Mars muttered..

"We'll be there in a few minutes," Terry said and cut the link.

Moon was quite happy despite how tired she felt. "They're back!"

Aiko nodded. "If I had bothered replicating that part of the human body, I would be crying right now."

"Computers," Mars muttered.

ChibiMoon smiled. She knew many things about this era, but what those two had gone through, it was something they didn't like to talk about... At least to her. "While we wait for them to get here, what are we going to do with those ships?"

"They might be getting ready to attack us again, or they might be willing to use their weapons here," Pluto observed.

"They'll kill millions," Moon said.

Pluto smiled. "Actually, most of the city's population is outside the city now. Kino said they would have this city clean in just a couple hours."

"Still, they could destroy the city," Dragon Sun said, "and I don't know about you, guys, but I kinda like this city."

Just then, the two Mercuries rushed in. "Okay, I think we've missed something important," the Dragon commented.

Mercury nodded. Several more Senshi were at her level now, and there was a new Dragon, too. "Yuichiro, I suppose?"

"Everyone's telling me that lately," Dragon Mars joked.

"Here's what's going on," Aiko started.

* * *

To anyone who didn't know what was going on, the room Khrall walked into would've seemed empty. But he knew better, he knew his best spy was right there. "Ky'ma, stop fooling around."

"Wasn't fooling around, Khrall, I was just warming up for my mission."

Khrall frowned. This creature was one of a kind, really, in more than one way. Her race was 'immortal,' in the sense they didn't die of aging, or even by diseases. They had also been one of the hardest races to conquer, as their skills made them literally impossible to spot. Still, the Kh'sun had taken over their world, captured a few of them to be used as spies, and then simply killed the rest.

Ky'ma was the last of them, and Khrall knew she wasn't really happy about that fact, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it. Where she to attempt murdering him, it would be the last thing she would try.

These magicians were dangerous for a simple spy to be of any use, no, if they were found, they would be killed. So he had to use his winning card, a creature who could go completely unnoticed, who could waltz in and out of any alien city without anyone detecting her.

Yes, she was the perfect spy.

"So, what is my mission exactly, Khrall?"

"It would be easier to speak to you if I could see you."

A red-skinned, feline humanoid 'appeared' in front of him. "I apologize, I tend to forget your race can't see through our disguise without pretty gadgets."

"Any other creature speaking to me in such a way would be punished. "

Ky'ma purred mockingly. "But I'm too important for you."

Khrall growled warningly at her. "Very well. Your missionis to infiltrate the city known as Tokyo, locate the magicians, and learn as much as you can about them. Once you get all the info, you will give me that data personally."

Ky'ma smiled. "Sounds fun. I'll get right to it."

Khrall sighed as the female vanished. If she failed to deliver anything important, he would just have to blast the city to dust, along with those magicians.

* * *

An hour later, both parties had finished telling the others what had happened in the last few days.

"So, there was a world where we all were rich?" Venus noted. "That sounds cool."

"Maybe we could build that building here," Jupiter joked.

ChibiMoon couldn't help but snort. If the others knew just what building would be built right where this dojo was now..."

"Speaking of buildings and such," Dragon Mercury said, "I need to go check on my mansion."

Mercury smiled. "I'll go with you."

"Don't you two teleport anywhere," Dragon Venus joked.

"Hardy har har," Dragon Mercury muttered.

* * *

During their trip to the mansion, he had been worried that he'd find the building wrecked. If the attacks were half as bad as her friends told him, then there was a slight chance for that. It was a big target, after all.

He put those thoughts aside as the mansion came into view. It had been left unscratched, yes, but that was no longer his main worry once he noticed there was someone standing in front of the gates. The woman was looking to the mansion, so he couldn't see her face. But he felt like he knew her. He did know her, yes, but... She couldn't be alive. Though after what had happened with Hana, he wouldn't be surprised if she was alive, too.

The woman apparently sensed their approach, as she turned to look at them. Their eyes met, and Dragon Mercury let out a shocked gasp. _"Mom?_

Mercury had seen enough pictures of this woman to know it was her. But how could that be, she had been lost for almost ten years...

Dragon Mercury turned back to his normal form and leapt off the airboard. The woman finally realized who he was, and her eyes widened in surprise. _"Terry?"_

_"I thought you were dead... I..."_

_"I'm sorry, I know I've been away for a long time, but..."_

Terry hugged her. _"This is just... What happened to you?"_

Mercury knew Terry enough to realize she had never seen him cry in happiness like he was right now. As she saw him wiping off the few tears he did let out, she sighed. "We should go inside the mansion. "

Terry nodded at her, then turned to his mother. _"We can talk inside the mansion, we'll be safe there if those aliens decide to attack."_ He pointed up as he said that last bit, to press his point.

Rose sighed. _"You're right. I've got a lot of questions to ask, too."_

Terry could guess what she would ask, but there would be no use in trying to hide the truth. She'd already seen him transform, after all, and even if he could make up a lie, he didn't want to.

And so, the trio walked back into the mansion, with Mercury trailing behind the other two, a part of her mind telling her this was just too good to be true. For Terry's sake, she hoped she was wrong. She'd hate to be right about this.

* * *

**A/N:** Irony at work: The youma save the day.

What's up with Terry's mother? You may guess, or you may wait for the next episode to find out. It will be 'fun,' I promise.

The few (un)fortunate enough to have read the old Cyber Moon will know Ky'ma already. And I know, she wasn't a 'catgirl' originally... In any case, spoilers aren't appreciated.

_MidnightRayne13:_ Nah, it's not always Venus. Guardian level was first achieved by Moon and ChibiMoon.

_SolarWinds:_ His name's Bob. Nah, just like Mako, Terry and Rei's summons, it doesn't need a name, it just needs to kill stuff.

_DavisJes:_ I may just end every episode from now on with a cliffhanger, then.

I kid, I kid.


	164. The Visitor

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 164: The Visitor.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 25, 2008_

* * *

Usagi saw Mercury's face appear in the base's main monitor. "Is everything okay, Ami?"

The others looked at the monitor too. "Don't tell me they wrecked the place..." Hotaru muttered.

"The mansion is intact, but I'm inside right now, and you won't believe who just showed up here."

"Who?"

"Rose Zephyr."

"What? Terry's mother?" Rei asked skeptically. "But wasn't she dead?"

"I'm going to try and find out about that," Mercury said. "I'll call you again in a few minutes."

* * *

As the three walked into one of the large rooms, one, Mercury realized, Terry used as a lab, Rose looked at her, then turned to Terry. _"Who is your friend?"_

_"My name is... Ami Mizuno"_ Mercury said.

"Nice to meet you," Rose said. Her accent was a bit strange, Mercury realized, but she was speaking Japanese better than she'd expect her to. It had been the same with Terry, actually. "Oh, you're wondering how I... Well, I always had it quite easy learning new languages. Terry got that trait from me, too."

"That's true," Terry said.

"I was wondering... Is that outfit what I think it is?"

"We're Senshi," Mercury explained.

Rose gasped. "So you're one of them too?"

Terry nodded, then sighed. "Mom, what happened? Why did you take this long to come back?"

Rose sat on the only couch in the room, and grimaced. "I woke up in a hospital bed, and I couldn't remember anythign about who I was or what had happened. Someone found me near the shore and took me to that hospital, but..."

"Amnesia," Mercury said. "So, how did you recover your memory?"

"I spent years looking for clues on who I was. See, the only family I had were Terry and Jack. A few days ago, I saw Jack's face in a newspaper, and it all came back to me."

"So, you came here to Japan? Shouldn't you have looked for his father first?" Mercury asked.

"I was told he was here in Japan too."

"That's quite a story," Terry said.

_"Terry, I'm sorry. I was away all these years... How's Hana?"_

Terry winced. His mother didn't know about that. "It's quite an incredible story, too."

_"Is she okay?"_

"She was killed, years ago, by a monster. I came here to Japan looking for that monster, and in the end killed it. But I met the Senshi while looking for my stupid revenge, and I became one of them, too."

"So... She's dead?"

"No, she was revived and used by one of our enemies because of her abilities. In the end, we managed to get her back to us, but... We're not together anymore."

Mercury listened to them silently. There was _something_ about this issue that didn't look right. It was just one huge coincidence, for Rose Zephyr to come back, out of nowhere, and during this invasion. Her story was a bit hard to believe, too, but that was besides the point.

She summoned her visor and scanned the woman. Human DNA, there was no doubt about that. No magic aura. Nothing to tell her this wasn't who she said she was. But still, her mind didn't want to let the matter drop.

Maybe, she realized, it was a bit of jealousy. She had rarely seen Terry this happy, and much despite herself, she felt the same way she did when he stared at other women. Yes, there was a high chance it was just her mind being stubborn, trying to find a defect that made it all a lie.

Or, she realized, it could actually be that this was not Rose Zephyr.

Terry seemed to notice something was wrong and stared at her. "Ami... Is everything okay?"

Mercury blinked, forcing her worries to the back of her mind, then smiled "Yes, I... I'm okay."

Terry knew her well enough to know she wasn't okay, but decided to let the matter drop for the moment. "Why don't you turn back to normal, I want my mother to see what my girlfriend really looks like. "

Rose blinked at that. "Girlfriend?"

Ami smiled as she turned back to normal. "That's what I am, yes."

Rose turned to Terry. "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"Not counting that massive spaceship looming over the city, which I suppose you already noticed, no, there's not much going on in our lives right now," Terry joked.

Rose frowned. "I see you still have your father's sense of humor."

"Despite all we've been through, yes."

"All you've been through?"

"I think you'll need a recap of what happened so far, mom... And right now we have nothing else to do, so I guess we can tell you our story."

And so, Terry started telling his mother about all the things that had happened before and after he'd joined the Senshi in their battle.

* * *

Sailor Pluto wasn't with the others, as she had something to take care of before the aliens' next strike. "I hope my explanation was clear enough."

Kino nodded. Yes, it sure had been clear. And quite unbelievable. "So you're telling me Sailor Moon herself agreed with these youma draining humans freely?"

"Yes, but as I said, they don't drain like they did before. It's a passive form of mana draining, one that won't affect the victim."

"What if they break their word?"

"I haven't told Moon this," Pluto said, "but I'm prepared to sever the link between our worlds if that happens. I respect the Princess' decision, but I'm not as forgiving as her."

* * *

A few hours had passed since Rose Zephyr appeared. The Senshi had been waiting for them to call again, but were quite surprised when they saw Terry and Ami walk in, followed by a quite awestruck Rose.

"This place is... Huge."

Usagi walked to her and blinked. "I... It's good to finally meet you, miss Zephyr."

"And who might you be?" Rose asked, surprised by the blonde girl's overly friendly attitude.

"I'm Usagi, one of Terry's closest friends..."

Terry smiled. "She's also Sailor Moon."

Rose looked at Usagi and took a step back. "You..."

"What's wrong?" Usagi asked.

"N... Nothing," Rose stuttered. "It's just that... Terry told me a lot about what you've all been through, and... How much power you have."

"Don't worry," Usagi said, "I only use it on evil creatures, and you're not one."

"How can you tell?"

"Because I'd sense it if you were evil."

"I see..." Rose smiled, but inwards she was glad she really wasn't an evil being.

The Senshi, as they called themselves, weren't a bad group. She still dreaded what would happen if... No, none of them was looking at her in a hostile way. There were a few that had neutral looks, though, Ami included.

Hana, however, was frowning at her. "This is..."

"What's wrong, Hana?" Terry asked.

"Oh, nothing. My old skeptical self, I suppose. But as far as I can tell, this is your mother."

"It's incredible, I heard rumors about the Senshi, but I never thought I'd meet you."

"We're just ordinary humans," Mako said, "who can shoot elemental blasts on a whim."

Rose flinched. She could feel it, all the uncloaked energy flowing out of them. It was quite unsetting, really.

"Something wrong, mom?" Terry asked.

"I was just thinking about this... Isn't your life dangerous?"

"We've died already, some of us more than once," Terry admitted.

Rose gasped at that. "Died, but then how..."

Hotaru chuckled. "The expected reaction," she said. "Some of us can revive fallen comrades." She wasn't telling her anything else, there really was no need to.

"That's just..."

Ami wasn't really there, her mind kept on shouting at her that there was something wrong, that this woman couldn't be who she said she was... That Terry would be hurt greatly if she was right, and not in a physical way. She decided to tell him what she felt, and deal with the consequences later. "Terry, can we... Talk in private?"

Terry nodded. "What's wrong?"

Ami walked into the elevator, motioning him to follow her. "I'll tell you, but not here."

Rose flinched as the elevator's doors closed. Had that girl sensed her true nature? No, that wasn't possible.

* * *

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

Ami took a few seconds to answer, checking the cammeras in case the others were spying on her. Wait, when had she gone so paranoid? "Terry, are you sure that woman is your mother?"

Terry's face went from worry to shock. "I... No, I'm not."

"Is there any way to confirm it?"

Terry was now giving her a grim look, one she hadn't seen in him since the days when he was focused in avenging Hana. "I suppose there is."

"You don't look surprised that I told you this..."

Terry sighed. "Because I've been thinking the same myself. I knew I wasn't the only one when you scanned her, but if even Usagi and Hana say there's nothing to her, then... I want to believe she's back."

"Me too, Terry, but..."

Terry nodded. "I know. Better safe than sorry." He summoned a cellphone and dialed a number Ami didn't recognize. "Yes? Dad? Hah, you know you can't hide from me. Listen, there's something I want to ask you, about mom..."

* * *

Several meters under them, the room had gone silent, and all looks were on Rose. She knew it, Ami had figured it out. But these magicians, these Senshi, they were just what she had hoped for. If only she had more time, she could've looked for a different approach. But it was useless to dwell on that, she could only wait for the two to return.

And that they did. Terry's face was neutral, but she could see it a cold, almost furious spark behind his apparent poker face. "Terry, what's..."

"Mother, just answer one thing to me."

"Yes?"

"What's your maiden's name?"

Rose flinched at that. She searched for the answer, but none came. Terry was just as smart as she thought, he had figured out what was going on. "I..."

"You don't know, because you're not who you look like. You're not my mother. You..."

Rose was about to answer, but then saw Terry's form shining. "I... Terry, I'm sorry, but I didn't..."

"Shut up!" Terry snapped at her. "Mercury Guardian Power!"

Usagi was shocked. She could tell what was going on, and she didn't like where it was heading. Rose, or whoever this woman was, was just staring at the Dragon in shock. Usagi stood between Dragon Mercury and Rose, looking straight into his eyes. "Terry, wait."

"Out of the way!" the Dragon snapped as he summoned his sword. "And you, monster, show your true face!"

Rose's form shimmered, and turned into a cat-like humanoid creature, with red fur. "Terry, please, just listen to me..."

"You... You dare using my mother's memory, you really got me fooled, but..."

Usagi saw Ami walk besides her. "Ami?"

"Terry, snap out of it."

"Ami, how can you say that?" the Dragon snapped. "You don't know how this feels, how it hurts. The only thing stopping me from stabbing this creature through, is that you're both standing in the way."

Hotaru appeared right behind the others. "We know that."

"Not you too..."

"Would you kill a defenseless creature?" Hotaru asked. "Would you really do that?"

"She asked for it."

Ami frowned. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you..."

"No, you're not to blame here, she is."

The 'creature' sighed. "He's right. I used his mother's form to get close to this world's magicians. At the moment, it looked like a good choice, someone that could approach you and gather information. "

"So, you work for those aliens..." Dragon Mercury growled.

"If you listen to me, then you can kill me afterwards, if you want. "

The Dragon didn't understand what this monster was up to. "Right, but I'll hold you to your word."

"I don't 'work' for those aliens. I'm a slave to them, one they use as a spy when they find a race that they can't dominate easily. I've only been called for a mission five times in the last hundred years. "

"We should feel lucky, huh?" Kage muttered.

"I watched them kill race after race. My own race fell to them, I was one of the few that was taken as a slave. But I'm the only one left now."

"Stop trying to play the pity card. It won't work."

The creature sighed. "I'm not, but listen... I couldn't do a thing to stop them. I'm no fighter, and no race I ever met was a match for the Kh'sun. But you, you are different."

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked.

"The Kh'sun must've taken over thousands of worlds by now. And said worlds were nothing but a cold, dry rock once they left. But there's one system that was different, one where the Kh'sun encountered something they couldn't defeat."

"The First Senshi," Ami said, "The first Serenity destroyed their leader."

"That was one of their ships. There were three ships built to escape their dying world, and as far as I know, the other one is somewhere near the edge of this galaxy."

The Dragon growled at her. "That doesn't tell me anything that'll make me forgive you."

"I'm no warrior, but I know the Kh'sun fear you. You're the only race that ever managed to defeat them. I'll tell you everything I know about them."

"I might just kill you anyway," Dragon Mercury snapped.

"Terry, don't," Ami said. "Look at her. She's harmless."

"Harmless?" Dragon Mercury snapped. "You're only saying that because you weren't made a fool of..."

"Go ahead. Kill me."

The Dragon looked at the alien. "You shouldn't say that, I may just do it."

"If it helps you ease your pain, go ahead," the creature said. "I'm nothing but a slave. I didn't know just how strong your race was, but now I'm sure you can defeat them. I can't go back to them, not anymore, so Terry, if you want to do it, go ahead. I'll be better off dead than being a spy for those bastards."

Dragon Mercury glared at her for a few seconds, and everyone feared he would actually do what he said he would. Instead, he vanished his sword and turned around. "Guys, I'm going out. I need to clear my mind."

Usagi watched as Dragon Mercury stomped out of the base, with Ami following him, then turned to the alien. "You..."

"Go ahead. Please."

Usagi shook her head. "No, I'm not going to kill you, but what you did..."

"All I can say about it is, I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one who has to forgive you," Usagi noted, "but don't worry, he'll get over it. He just needs time."

"I hope he does. He's not someone I want as an enemy. None of you are."

Rei frowned. "But how did you know about Terry's mother..."

"Moreso, how did you know all that about him, but not Rose's last name?" Aiko, who had been silent through the whole mess, noted.

"That's quite simple, but I'm still surprised he guessed that. I read his mind and got all the info he had about his mother."

"But he never knew her maiden name," Hotaru guessed. "I never knew my mom's maiden name, either, and never bothered asking."

"I know he hates me right now, but... I'm really impressed. He's the first to find out what I was, not counting the Kh'sun."

"What's your name?" Usagi asked.

"Ky'ma. I think... Kyma would be easier to pronounce for you."

"Kyma, then... You said you would tell us everything you knew about your former masters, right?"

"And I will," Kyma said. "There's nothing I would love to see more than their main ship exploding in a million pieces."

* * *

**A/N:** The former version of this episode, in the old Cyber Moon, was one of the most difficult to write for me. And I like this Terry more than the old one, so it was even harder this time around. Oh, but don't worry, this will be far from the last time one of the characters goes through this kind of things. Or worse.


	165. Big Freaking Guns

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 165: Big Freaking Guns.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 26, 2008_

* * *

Ami stood near Terry, looking at him worriedly. She could read his body language, and it was right now telling her things she didn't like. "Terry..."

"I'm an idiot, huh? I really fell for it."

"I know you must hate her right now, but..."

"Hate her? No. I understand why she did what she did."

"Why did you leave, then?"

"Because I didn't trust myself, Ami. Because a part of me was more than eager to just stab her through and be done with it. I couldn't let that happen."

Ami put her arms around him and sighed. "I can't tell you I understand how you feel, but... I'm here for you."

"I know," Terry said with a smile. "Even though what she did hurts, I still feel sorry for her. Helping those aliens take over the world, not having any power to fight back..."

Ami suddenly winced and looked up. "Oh dear... They've arrived."

Terry looked up but saw nothing different. "Huh?"

"Sorry, I forgot you can't see computers the way I can... The two other ships, they're floating right over the first one.

"We could just take them down in one shot."

"Not a smart idea, the combined shockwave would most likely destroy at least thirty percent of the city. It could also kill us."

"Letting them shoot isn't going to be much better."

* * *

Inside the base, the others had been thinking the same. "We can't do that," Usagi said.

Kyma snorted. "The city's empty, isn't it? You can just rebuild afterwards."

"They're releasing airships... And some ground vehicles as well," Aiko said as she focused her scanners on the ships.

"It's just a distraction," Kyma noted. "Listen, I know the formation the three Carriers are in right now."

"Carriers? Is that really their name?"

Kyma looked at Brad and shrugged. "It's what it would translate into in your language. I doubt you can spell the original name. In any case, they're about to use the Terraformer."

"And that's bad?"

"It's a combined blast from the three ships. I've only seen it used twice, but the blast range is incredible. We just won't be able to escape in time. But the shields will be down moments before they release the blast, and that's when they can be taken down."

Usagi looked at the image of the ships over Tokyo, and flinched. "So, I have to shoot them down, or they'll kill us all."

Just then, Ami walked in, with Terry walking right behind her. "We have to stop them."

Kyma looked at Ami, and saw the girl wasn't showing any hostility towards her. Terry, on the other hand, just wasn't looking at her. "The blast range of that..."

"I know," Ami said, "and there's something you don't know about this city, which makes it all worse. We're standing on a large mana well. "

"I don't know what that is," Kyma admitted.

"A large mass of mana, of magic energy, is always under this city. There's two smaller ones in London and New York, too, but the main one's here. If those three ships shoot at the city, they may be able to drill their way in and release the mana."

Brad cursed under his breath. "We can't let that happen."

"Brad?" Minako knew if Brad looked so serious, then something was definitely wrong.

"Kyma, are there only Kh'sun in those three ships?"

"Of course not. They stay in the main ship, most of them, at least. Their leader comes and goes, but I'm sure if he's getting ready to use the Terraformer, then he must be watching the fireworks from his main ship right now."

"Then I can't do it. I can't shoot those ships down."

Brad growled. "Usagi, don't be so dense! Don't you get what will happen if they shoot?"

"Shouting at each other won't do any good," Ami said. "Usagi, I think I know what Brad means. Raw mana is very powerful. If it's hit by so much energy, then..."

Brad nodded. "Good guess, Ami. I once asked mom about what would happen if all the mana under London exploded. She said it could literally blast most of Europe to dust."

Aiko had been silent, mostly because she was running simulations of what the others were saying. "It's far worse than that in here. I'm only worked on estimates, but in the best case scenario, a blast of such power would erase Japan, half of China, and a few other countries around us."

"And worst case scenario is?" Terry asked, dreading the answer.

"If the well is as large as I estimated, then it might destroy the whole planet."

Usagi punched the wall and shouted out in anger. "I can't do that!"

"It's them or us," Rei said.

"That doesn't make it any easier, Rei. There's millions of innocents in those ships!"

Mamoru walked to Usagi's side. "We realize that, but Rei is right. "

"Moreso," Aiko added. "If the planet does explode, then those three ships will also be eliminated."

Usagi's eyes widened. "There has to be another way... I can't... I won't kill so many..."

"Innocents?" Kyma asked. "Trust me, they are possibly thinking the same way I do. They may see death as a blessing."

"It still doesn't make it right, I can't..."

"Then I will," ChibiUsa said.

"No, you..."

"I'm not a carbon copy of you," ChibiUsa noted, "and remember, innocents or not, they did attack us. They were just following orders, they might say, but I think they're actually used to it. They think that, as long as they don't disobey, then they'll be safe and well."

"That's not..."

ChibiUsa looked at Kyma. "That's not how _you_ feel? But you never talked about it with other slaves, did you?"

"Of course not. If I was overheard, I would've been punished. But I can't say you're wrong. We were all just following orders, and I know I'm responsible for many deaths myself."

ChibiUsa looked at Usagi. "Mom, I know you don't want to do this, so just let me do it instead."

Usagi grimaced. Was there really no other way out of this?

Aiko cursed out loud. "I fear it's not a matter of choosing."

"Huh?"

"I've been running simulations of several scenarios, and... Neither Moon nor ChibiMoon have enough power to blast those ships through. "

Usagi fell to her knees. "Wha... Then what will we do?"

Pluto appeared just then. "The only way to destroy the three ships is a Planet Attack, but using them both as triggers."

Usagi looked down for a few seconds, then stood up, her face neutral. "Let's do it."

"Why the change of heart?" Rei asked.

"I still don't want to do it, Rei, but... No matter how much I hate the idea, if what everyone's saying is true, then those aliens will be dead anyway. Only thing that will change if I shoot first, is that we will still be alive."

"Possibly," Aiko noticed.

"Possibly?" Terry muttered.

"Yes. I can't calculate how strong the blast from those three ships' explosion will be, but if you're caught in the shockwave, you may not make it out of it."

Usagi looked at her friends, and didn't need to ask them what they thought. "Let's go, I'm sure we'll get through this just like we did many times in the past."

"I'm tagging along," Kyma said.

"Huh? I thought you were defenseless?"

"I'm a morpher. I could be you if I wanted to," Kyma said.

"You could?" Usagi said in shock.

"Yes, but the more power the item I'm emulating has, the less I'll be able to copy it. I don't think I could copy you for more than a couple seconds."

"Good to know," Terry commented.

"I can still turn into some interesting things, though, and help keeping the alien ships busy."

Ami saw Terry look away and frowned. No, he still wasn't ready to forgive this alien girl.

* * *

Things outside looked worse than the last time. There were thousands of ships, and also what looked like tanks, only with twin cannons. As the Senshi looked up, they saw the large ship closer to them had a greenish hue. "They're getting ready to shoot!" Kyma said.

"Hey, where's the army?" Dragon Venus asked.

"I told them to stay out of this," Pluto said. "The blast range could hurt us badly, a normal human would just get killed."

Moon turned to look at a certain group of her friends. "Guys..."

Yukiko frowned. "I wanted to watch the fireworks."

"Not funny," Moon said. "Get out of the city, please."

Ail was the first to nod. "I don't really think we could withstand a blast like that."

Nova sighed. "Don't you guys die here, got it?"

Moon smiled as Nova vanished, taking the rest of the 'sidekicks' along. "We won't."

"So, how will we do this?" Dragon Mars asked.

"We concentrate," Pluto said, "and Mars gives us protection from the fighter ships."

"Can she do that?" Venus asked, then blinked and looked around. The whole area around them was covered by a fiery dome. "Nevermind."

Moon looked up, seeing a small window open in the dome. "Got it. ChibiUsa?"

"I'm ready too."

"Let's do it, then," Pluto said.

The other Senshi focused for a few seconds, then shot their attacks, putting as much of their energy as they could into them. Moon and ChibiMoon took the blasts, and they both looked up at the spaceship. The green hue had grown, which meant they were just about to shoot.

Not that they would let the aliens do it. "Guardian Planet Attack!"

* * *

"Khrall, the Terraformer failed!"

"What?" Khrall shouted, losing his temper for a few moments.

"The magicians... They shot the three ships down."

"That's suicidal," Khrall noted. "Are they still alive?"

"We can't tell, sir, there's a lot of residual magic energy in the air."

"Send in the Cursed."

"At once, sir."

Khrall snorted as the soldier left. Yes, he had to admit these magicians were stronger than he had estimated. But the Cursed, unlike everything else the Kh'sun had built, were created with only one thing in mind: They were designed to hunt down and eliminate any magic-user they faced. The primitive designs had been greatly improved in the last few thousand years, and they had been proven effective against any magician they found so far.

Still, Khrall knew this was the planet where one of their ships had fallen. Even the Cursed could fail, but he was ready for such a situation, too. His race wouldn't be defeated again. He would kill these magicians with his bare hands if he had to.

* * *

Nova turned in the direction of the city as the sky lit up. They were miles away from Tokyo now, and even then, they could feel a breeze picking up as the light slowly dimmed. When it finally died down, all she could see was smoke rising from where the Senshi were, and no signs of the three spaceships.

They had done it, they had stopped the 'Terraformer,' but... Were they still alive after that blast?

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, the Senshi just can't fight without wrecking Tokyo anymore.

_SolarWinds:_ Nope, no more Dragons. For this generation, at least.

_MidnightRayne13:_ Yes, I didn't create that as a mystery, but as a different way for the Senshi to meet a new character. As for Ami making Terry happy again... Of course that'll happen, but I'll just skip over it.


	166. Toy Robots

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 166: Toy Robots.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 28, 2008_

* * *

As soon as she opened her eyes, she almost regretted it. Last she remembered, she had shot at those three ships, and the explosion that followed knocked her off. She could feel all her muscles telling her the blast hadn't let her unscratched.

"Usagi, are you okay?"

Moon tried to stand up and grimaced. "Not really. How's everyone else?"

Saturn sighed. "I don't know."

Moon looked around and paled. The question wasn't quite 'how' but 'where' the others were. "How..."

"The blast was strong enough to knock everyone away," Saturn explained as she kneeled besides Moon. "Here, let me heal you."

Moon stood up. "No time for..." she immediately fell on her knees. "Ugh."

"I'm worried too," Saturn noted, "but you won't be able to go looking for the others like this."

Suddenly, there was a muffled shout coming from under what had once been a building. A pink blast shot up from it, and ChibiMoon crawled out.

"You look as if a building had fallen on you," Saturn joked.

"If you weren't so cute, and I wasn't so beaten up, I'd kick you for that," ChibiMoon muttered.

Moon stood up, and this time managed to steady herself. "Get her healed, we have to look for the others."

"Rei should be around," ChibiMoon noted. "She's missing a very good chance to use her old 'she's being a leader' line."

"I see your lousy sense of humor wasn't affected by that blast," Saturn noted.

* * *

He opened his eyes, and saw the last thing he really wanted to see right now. "You..."

"Name's Kyma," the 'catgirl' said, not looking at him. "Mercury told me to stay here, she went to look for the others."

"The others?" Dragon Mercury tried to sit up and yelped in pain. "Fuck."

"You're quite beaten up, don't try to move."

"Oh great, I gotta trust my safety to you?"

Kyma turned to look at him, and he saw pain in her eyes. "Look, I can't hope you'll forget what I did, and all I can say is I'm sorry. But treating me like trash won't bring her back."

The Dragon snorted at that. "I know that all too well. But seriously, what could you do to help me? You said you weren't a fighter."

Kyma's arm turned into a large blade. "I'm not, but I'll fight if I have to."

"You didn't try to stop me when..." Dragon Mercury frowned. "Why?"

"Because it wouldn't help my case at all. Because I knew I deserved your wrath. And because... I know I haven't known you for long, but I've looked into your mind. I know you're many things, but a murderer isn't one of them."

"A part of me wanted to... Still wants to kill you."

"I can understand that."

"Oh, he's awake."

The Dragon turned to the side (finding that even that little movement hurt too much,) and saw Mercury standing there, scanning the area. "Ami..."

"We got separated from the others in that explosion, and the residual energy is not letting me scan the area."

"I feel useless," he muttered.

"I don't think you are," Kyma noted. "You should've seen how Mercury was when I woke her up. She realized you weren't around and quite freaked out."

Mercury blushed. "That's not..."

"How did _you_ live through that blast?"

"I turned into a solid block of the strongest metal I ever saw. And even then, the blast still sent me rolling back."

Mercury groaned and looked around. "Oh no..."

"What's wrong?"

"I can sense a... Robot, and near us."

"Can't be... Khrall sent the Cursed here?"

"Cursed?" Mercury paled. That name sounded eerily familiar to her. "What exactly are those..." Her question wasn't quite needed, she realized, as she saw a metallic lizard rushing straight at her from the side.

* * *

"Hey kid, wake up already."

Dragon Moon stirred and groaned. His head hurt, heck, his _everything_ hurt. "Brad, Kage... Where are the others?"

Dragon Sun shrugged. "We don't know. Our communicators don't work, most likely because there's a lot of residual energy left after that blast."

Dragons Mars and Earth walked to them. "Hey, where are the girls?"

"No idea," Dragon venus noted. "We should go look for them, right?"

Dragon Earth nodded. "The sooner we get together, the sooner we'll figure out what to do next."

Just then, a group of lizard-like robots walked around a corner and stared at them. "Targets found," one of them said in a monotone.

"Hey, it's a group of robo-Hotaru," Dragon Venus joked, then sighed. "forget it, it's not funny unless she's around."

"It's not funny, period," Dragon Sun commented. "But what are those things?"

"Eliminate targets," the robots all said at once and started shooting energy blasts at them.

"I don't care what they are, but how many pieces I can cut them into, " Dragon Venus said as he charged at the robots.

* * *

Mars was quite sure she heard a noise when she woke up. Yes, there it was again. Sounds of metal on metal, which meant a battle was near.

She limped in the direction the sound were coming from, cursing at her luck, since she had a painful wound in her right leg. Nothing deadly, as long as she dind't just let it bleed forever.

As she got to where the battle was, she couldn't help but gasp. Several metal-skinned lizards were there, fighting Jupiter and Venus. Jupiter was raining punches on these creatures, but their armor plating seemed unbreakable. Venus, too, was helping, but the creatures weren't too affected by her flurry of kicks and punches.

"Fire Tornado!"

Mars' attack hit one of the creature, but all it managed to do was drawing attention to her. "New target acquired," one of the creatures droned.

Venus saw some of the robots heading for her friend and flinched. This was useless, no matter how many times they hit, their armors weren't even scratched. And her chain and laser blasts were useless, too...

Wait, that was it. Light, when spread, was one thing, but focused in a laser beam, it could be deadly. So what if...

Jupiter was trying to beat one of the robots down, but stopped as she saw Venus punching straight through another creature's chest. "How the fuck..."

Venus stopped and rubbed her hand. "Ow... Mako, the key is to focus your strength in one single punch, rather than a dozen."

The robot Jupiter had been fighting noticed her distraction, and tried to tackle her down. Jupiter, however, simply punched out, and the creature's head went flying off into the distance. "Oh, I see... "

Mars growled at the three robots coming her way. "So that's the trick, huh?" Before her enemies could strike, she had already used her good leg to pierce through their chests, one after the other. "They don't look like much of a trouble."

Jupiter smiled as she punched another robot in half, then turned to Venus, who was just done taking care of the last one. "You're a genius sometimes, you know?"

"Being around Ami and Terry for so long, I just had to pick some of their tech talk and fighting tips."

"True that..."

Mars frowned. "If we're done here, let's go. We have to find the others."

"They'll be okay."

"We can't know that," Mars said. "Whatever those robots are, I bet they sent many more to get us."

* * *

Dragon Mars frowned. "Those were easy foes."

"I have to agree," Dragon Venus admitted. "No offense intended, but if even you could kill one of those..."

"None taken," Dragon Mars said, "I'm well aware of my power difference."

Dragon Venus was about to say something, but then froze as something came into view. He growled and shook his head. "Not again!"

Dragon Moon looked at the charred remains of what had once been the Tokyo Tower, and sighed. "The Universe's got something against that building."

* * *

Saturn spotted something and frowned. "What are those things?"

ChibiMoon summoned her sword. "Enemies."

Saturn nodded. "I guessed that... But they're not organic, my magic can't beat them."

"Mercury told me about these morons, in the future. If you focus all your strength in hitting one point, then..." she rushed to the nearest robot, stabbing it through with her sword, "they are easy to defeat."

Saturn saw some of the creatures approaching her, and punched through one of them. By the time she pulled her hand off the 'dead' robot, Moon and ChibiMoon had managed to defeat all the others. "Seriously, these things are a joke."

* * *

"Khrall, the Cursed are being decimated."

"Damn it, isn't there anything that can stop these mages?"

"Send in the Zealots."

Khrall turned to the tall alien. One of his Khtei, of his strongest warriors. "Khtei, is the prototype ready?"

"We never had a chance to test it in battle. I would say this is just the right time to do so."

Khrall nodded and turned to the soldier in front of the console. "Do as he says."

"At once, Khrall."

* * *

Mercury looked around and sighed. "That's all of them."

Dragon Mercury nodded. He was feeling better, he could at least sit now. But still, he hadn't been able to help Mercury in this fight.

Kyma, however, had really helped. She had told them what the weakness of those "Cursed" creatures was, saving Mercury a few seconds of scanning. And, also, she had fought along with her, stabbing through a few of the robots before the fight was done.

What she had done before... Was becoming less and less important to him. She seemed eager to help, eager to protect this world, which was alien to her. But it was still too early for him to know if she was actually doing this to help them, or she was playing along and waiting to backstab them.

Mercury suddenly looked around and frowned. "Another one?"

Kyma saw a half-wrecked building shake and then fall down, as a large creature walked through it as if it just wasn't there. "No... They've finished them up?"

Mercury paled as she scanned the creature. "What is that?"

"Zhee'lot," Kyma muttered.

"Zealot?" Dragon Mercury mused. "Funny name."

"These cyborgs were created to fight entire armies," Kyma noted. "No offense, but we've better run away and find the others..."

Mercury frowned. "No, I can handle this."

"I'll he--" Dragon Mercury started to stand up, but then fell back down. "Fuck..."

"It's too dangerous," Kyma said.

"Trust me, I can defeat it," Mercury countered.

"I wish you'd trust _me_ too," Kyma snapped.

"Any weakness you know of?"

Kyma shook her head. "No, those monsters were prototypes, kept in secret from us."

"Then how do you know?"

"I'm a spy. They couldn't stop me from knowing, even if they tried. "

Mercury nodded and turned to the creature. "No weak points... Maybe it's got the same ones the others had." She rushed to the creature, summoning the Mercury sword on the way, and stabbed through the creature.

Or, actually, tried to. The sword slid across the robot's chest, not even leaving a scratch behind. Before Mercury could react, the Zealot punched her straight in the face, knocking her straight to the ground. "Target's elimination imminent," it said in a monotone as it raised its arm, hand lighting up.

"Ami!"

Mercury was barely conscious, but she heard the shout and opened her eyes. The Zealot had already shot, but... Someone had shielded her. Was it Terry? No, it was... "Kyma, why..."

"I said I'd rather die than become a slave, but... I don't want to... Not yet... I..."

Mercury was aware of the energy pike her scanners were showing her. Realization came as she looked up from Kyma's now still form, and saw Dragon Mercury was up and pointing his sword at the robot.

No, not Dragon Mercury. "Terry, no!"

Dragon Saturn smiled. "Sorry, but I have to do this." He looked at the Zealot and frowned. "You'll pay for that."

"New target data... Power levels beyond the scale."

"You think?" the Dragon mocked, then saw the robot aiming its hand at him. "Sorry, but that won't do. Winter's Requiem!"

Mercury didn't like him using that dual power, but even then, she had to admit his attacks in that form were always amazing. And this one was no exception. At least a dozen ghosts fled up from the ground right under the robot, and it was encased in ice. The ghosts then shot back down, gathering inside the ice, which lit up for a second before exploding.

The robot was no more, true, but Mercury worried about Dragon Saturn... He looked at her for a second, but then his eyes focused in something else. "Terry?"

Dragon Saturn kneeled near the fallen alien and groaned. "I can't let her die..."

"But you're too weak, if you do this, you could..." Mercury looked at the Dragon, and fell silent. Yes, she knew what he meant. He didn't have to tell her, she knew him all too well. And despite the risk he was about to take, she just couldn't stop him.

The Dragon put a hand on Kyma's forehead and concentrated. For several seconds, nothing happened, but then he smiled. "Come on, wake up."

Kyma took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "What? How..."

"Saturn told you, some of us can revive others."

Kyma looked at Dragon Saturn confused. "But why revive me?"

The Dragon sighed. "I'm sorry, no time to explain right n..."

Mercury flinched as Dragon Saturn fell face-first on the ground. "Damn it..."

"Is he okay?"

"He'll live, don't worry." But she really hoped she didn't have to go kick him out of his mind again.

"He's like that because of me..." Kyma muttered with a bit of guilt showing in her voice.

"I'm alive because of you," Mercury said. "And if I know him like I hope I do, you don't have to worry about Terry not trusting you anymore."

"Hope you're right."

Aiko appeared near them. "Ack, what happened to him?"

"He used his Saturn powers when he was already beaten down," Mercury said. "Is the base okay?"

"No," Aiko simply said. "I just got myself back online... I just 'woke up,' to use a better term, and found everything was gone."

"Good thing you moved your program out of that computer, then," Mercury said with a sigh.

Aiko looked around. "I'm detecting several strong creatures, fighting the others."

Mercury frowned and looked at the 'catgirl.' "Kyma, stay here with him. Tell him what's going on if... _When_ he wakes up."

Aiko looked at the alien girl as she followed Mercury "Mom, you think it's okay to leave them both behind?"

"Don't worry, she's trustworthy," Mercury said as the two left the area.

Kyma smiled as she heard those words. Now if only the sleeping guy would say that too... No, it was most likely wishful thinking on her part.

* * *

**A/N:** The Cursed weren't a real challenge, but these Zealot bugs, on the other hand, are quite dangerous. Makes you wonder what the aliens will use next, huh?

Fun little detail: Dragon Saturn powered up and used a new attack, but I didn't show his new Mercury attack yet.

_SailorStar9: To use the cliche, "okay, I won't tell you."_


	167. Into The Lizard's Den

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 167: Into The Lizard's Den.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: June 30, 2008_

* * *

"It's been one hour since the explosion. No news from the Senshi yet?"

Seia shook her head. "Not yet, sir. And the civilians are growing restless."

"It's not like we can send them back to their houses without knowing if..." Kino stopped and looked up. "What the heck is that?"

Tomoe also looked up, though he was more interested than shocked. It was a good thing they had conviced him to go out of the base for once. "That seems to be their mothership, sir."

Kino looked to the sides, and paled. "And here I thought their other ships were huge."

"Hope they're not planning to make this one explode too," Seia muttered.

"It seems to be big enough to cover all of Tokyo," Tomoe said, "so I can only agree to that."

* * *

The Senshi had also noticed the "small" trouble that had just appeared over their heads. But most of them were still busy with the big trouble the Zealots were for them.

Dragons Mars and Moon weren't a match for that creature, that had become evident after it had knocked them away effortlessly. Its armor was also quite hard, and their swords couldn't quite cut through.

It also dodged their attacks, so it was quite unlikely that they would hit it with ranged blasts.

Dragon Moon saw the other Dragons get punched away again and glared at the creature. "Enough. Werewolf's Call!"

The others watched in awe. "Another summon, huh?" Dragon Venus mused.

Dragon Mars frowned. Even though the werewolf was attacking the robot, it was still useless, as the evil creature still moved too fast for them to get. It eventually knocked the wolf away, and turned to them. "Damn, is that thing invincible?"

The robot extended its left arm, a small cannon popping out of it, and shot several energy blasts at them. They were all tired from the battling of the last few hours, so dodging wasn't really all that easy.

Dragon Earth stood up, ignoring the pain in his chest. "Stand still, " he muttered. "Rock Rose Hold!"

The robot growled at that, and tried to rise its arm to shoot again, but the rose wasn't letting it move. "Mission failed. Aborting."

"Mars Twilight Power!"

Dragon Earth had been about to shot his own attack, but the one other Dragon that was still standing beat him to it. "You learn fast."

Dragon Mars nodded. "Let's see if he likes my newest trick. Mars Fire Snake!"

Yes, the summon was a snake, but it wasn't just a normal one. First off, its whole body was made of fire, and also, it was as big as a truck. The snake wrapped around its target, crushing it for a few seconds before biting its shoulder.

Dragon Earth frowned. No, that wasn't enough for this creature. "Earth Sword Burst!"

As soon as the rocks hit it, the robot exploded. Dragon Mars smiled at that then noticed Dragon Earth was kneeling on the ground. "You okay?"

"I'll live," Dragon Earth said, "but I'm out of energy now."

Dragon Venus stood up and looked around. "Oh, you took care of it?"

Dragon Mars nodded. "Now let's keep on searching."

"We'll take hours like this," Dragon Venus said. "Let me try something else... Beholder!"

The others gasped as a large eyeball appeared right in front of Dragon Venus. "What's that thing?"

"One trick I never bothered using in combat," the Dragon said, keeping his eyes closed. The eye floated away at a quite impressive speed. "Hmmm... Nothing there..."

"Oh, I see," Dragon Sun said, "you can see what the eye's looking at, right?"

"Not only that, but it also has a few miles of visual range."

Dragon Moon looked up. "What will we do about that one?"

"Got them," Dragon Venus said, "most of the girls are fighting a group of robots, several miles to the east."

Dragon Earth nodded. "Okay, let's go help them, then we can figure out what to do about the big bad ship up there."

"No need for that."

"You?" Dragon Venus muttered. "Where were you while we were fighting?"

"No time for that right now. Let's go."

* * *

"Heartbreaker!"

Moon sighed as the creature exploded. "That's one down, but I bet there's more of them out there."

"You're right."

Saturn turned to see Mercury, Aiko and Kyma walking to them. An unconcious Dragon Mercury was carried by Mercury's airboard. "What happened to him?"

"He used his Saturn power to destroy a Zealot."

"Zealot, huh? Another dumb name."

Kyma looked at Moon and ChibiMoon uneasily. She could feel their energy, and it was too much for her to handle.

ChibiMoon noticed that and sighed. "Calm down, we're not going to shoot you."

"I... Sorry, it's hard not to be intimidated by your power."

"Oh, you can sense it?" Saturn asked.

Kyma nodded. "Only in a very short range."

Aiko looked up. "Hmm... I can't get a scan of the city with that thing blocking the way."

"We need to find the others, though," Moon said.

"I know," Aiko said, and several dozen flies shot out of her body.

Mercury couldn't help but gasp. "Aiko, what's..."

"I can keep these cammeras with me that way."

Mercury nodded, but it still was strange to see Aiko using a trick she'd only seen in another universe before.

Kyma looked up and growled. "I hoped they'd take the hint and leave. "

"Got any data on that ship that can help us?" Mercury asked. She was trying to scan the ship, or even to sense something about it, but it apparently had shielding strong enough to block both.

Kyma nodded. "The main reactor is in the center of that ship. But also..."

"There's several million creatures in there, right?" Moon said.

"Yes, and most are Kh'sun."

"No way I'm going to shoot that thing," ChibiMoon muttered.

"Wasn't thinking about doing that," Moon said, "but I don't see any other way to..."

"Maybe going up there, getting their ship far enough from the Earth, and then destroying it?" Mercury said.

"Sounds like a plan," Saturn said, "except I doubt even our teleport would get us back here."

Pluto appeared right then, with the rest of the Senshi around her. "I can take care of teleporting us back home."

Mercury nodded. "Then, if I can get up there and find their control room, we'll end this mess for good."

"I like the plan and all," Moon said, "but we're all tired and beaten up. We can't just go there and hope to fight millions of those creatures."

"You wouldn't have a high chance of doing that, even if you were in top shape," Kyma noticed.

"Thanks for the support," Mars muttered.

"I'm serious. The Kh'sun know their own ship, they might have more of those Zealot things around, and the Khrall himself isn't a pushover."

"We'll be in their sandbox, so to speak," Dragon Sun said.

Pluto sighed. "Then, you all must recover from this battle."

"But there's no time," Jupiter said, "those aliens could attack again while we're recovering."

Pluto snorted at that. "You're forgetting time is my element," as she said that, the whole group vanished.

* * *

"General, we're finally able to scan the city again."

Kino nodded. "What do you see, Tomoe?"

"The Senshi are gathering where Juuban used to be," Tomoe said, then gasped. "Wait, they've all vanished!"

"Vanished? Did they go into that ship?"

"No, they just..." Tomoe frowned. "And now they're back. But they... Hmph, surely a trick of the lady in green."

"I don't follow," Kino said.

"The Senshi were beaten and out of energy when they left, but then, five seconds later, they come back fully healed and with their energy recharged."

"... How is that possible?"

"I can guess Pluto took them somewhere 'out of time' and then brought them back when they were up to the battle ahead."

"Can we do something about that huge spaceship?" Seia asked.

"Sadly, no. Its shielding is amazingly strong, their weaponry would erase the city in seconds... Moreso, I hope the Senshi have a way to get that ship out of our skies without destroying it."

Seia flinched. "Things just keep on getting crappier for us, huh?"

Kino snorted. "For us? I wouldn't really want to be in their place right now."

"And they're gone again," Tomoe said. "Guess it's time for another of their final battles."

"Where are the Senshi?"

Kino cursed under his breath. The man walking to them was the last person he wanted to see right now. "Mayor, there's no need to worry, they're already taking care of this problem."

"What are they going to do, blast the rest of the city to dust?"

"They've saved this planet more times than I can remember," Seia said, "don't talk about them as if they were the enemy."

"General Kino, tell your lap dog to stay out of this."

"I would, but she's actually my best soldier, and I'm not about to tell her to shut up when she's right."

Hino growled at him, but then shook his head. "No, you're right. I may not like the way they do it, but they do get the job done."

As Hino walked away, Seia sighed. "I really hope he's not stupid enough to make enemies out of the Senshi."

"I know of one who would love a reason to fry him," Tomoe noted, "and it's not my daughter."

* * *

Mercury looked around. The corridor they had appeared on was wide, and of a dull grey color. There were no lights, wires or anything else visible, just the same dull color everywhere. However, she could sense the ship's main computer now. She knew exactly where to go. "Straight up this corridor, and we'll turn left at the first crossing," she said.

"How do you..." Kyma started.

"Thought I told you... I can feel computers."

"Incoming!" Saturn, who had her visor down, said. And it was true, seconds later, the corridor flooded with soldiers on both sides.

"So much for doing this the easy way," Dragon Moon muttered.

"Good, let's do it the fun way," Earth said.

* * *

Khtei looked at his leader, who was now wearing a cristalline, green armor. "Are you sure about it?"

"I'll stop them from getting to the reactor room."

"I've sent troops to stop them."

"If the Zealots failed, then I doubt our soldiers will win that battle."

Khrall looked at the second Khtei, who was also there. A female Kh'sun, and one very skilled in tactics. "Then I shall wait for them here."

"They won't destroy the ship. Not while it's flying over their city. "

"Then why are they here?"

"They may try to get to the bridge and get this ship away from their world."

"We can't let that happen, then," Khrall said. "Send our remaining Zealots to guard the bridge."

"Understood," the first Khtei said and left the room.

* * *

**A/N:** The aliens are definitely compensating for something. And I suppose some of you may be wondering right now... Where are the Mooncats? That's something to be unveiled in a 'few' episodes.

_SolarWinds:_ He might, he might not. That's one of the things I'm not spoiling yet.

_Khajimer:_ Middle ground as in there's still half a series to go before that happens? Yeah.

Joking, but there's still five arcs to go for the Chronicles book, and one thing I can spoil about it is, the final battle of this book will also be the birth of Crystal Tokyo.

Then it'll be time for those boring, unimportant thousand years ChibiUsa always complained about. Which are actually neither boring nor unimportant.


	168. Invading The Invaders

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 15: Invasion.**

**Episode 168: Invading The Invaders.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 2, 2008_

* * *

Soldiers kept pouring in from both sides of the corridor, making any advance literally impossible for the Senshi.

Jupiter blasted a couple soldiers to dust, but there were plenty more to replace them. "This is useless!"

"I know that," Moon said, "but what else can we do?"

Mars frowned. "What about... This?" she concentrated, and her shield appeared around them. The soldiers outside all gave surprised gasps as their beams were reflected.

Mercury nodded. "Okay, I've got a plan. Pluto, can you phase us behind them?"

Pluto nodded. "Can be done."

Kyma frowned. "Someone needs to get to the reactor."

"Okay, Dragons, go with Mercury to the bridge. The rest of us will wait here until Pluto comes back, then we'll head for the reactor. "

"Don't destroy it until I tell you it's safe," Mercury noted.

"But with two groups, won't it be impossible for Pluto to..."

Pluto smiled at Venus. "Again, you're forgetting time's my domain. Unfortunately, I can't help you fight if I'm to teleport you all back to Earth once this is done."

"Stop the chatter, I'm running out of power," Mars muttered.

Pluto nodded. "I'll come back to get you out of this mess."

* * *

"Impossible..."

"What's wrong?"

The female Khtei looked at the monitors and growled. "The mages, they didn't bother fighting our troops for long. They simply teleported out of their reach."

"So, where are they heading for?"

"Both here and the bridge."

"Okay... Go to the bridge, then."

"But Khrall..."

"They won't kill me, and I won't let them get to the reactor. But as long as we're floating over their city, they won't destroy the ship. You said that yourself, didn't you?"

"Then I shall defend the bridge with my life, Khrall."

* * *

Hana looked up at the ship and groaned. "I wish I could get up there and help."

"We'd only get killed. Again," Umino said.

"But Shingo's up there, he could get hurt, or worse..."

"Naru's there too," Umino noted, "but their enemies are growing stronger, and we just stay at the same level..."

Hana sighed. "Right. I could probably outpower even Moon, you know?"

"Huh? Never saw you using that much power."

"Yeah, that's because if I let my psi powers out like that, I can't stop it on my own."

Yukiko was also looking up. "They've split in two groups. Apparently going for the reactor and for the bridge at the same time."

"... How do you know that?"

Yukiko smiled. "I cast a spell over some of the Senshi before we run away from the city. It lets me see what they're seeing."

"Crafty."

"So, how are things looking?"

Yukiko flinched. "Pretty bad."

* * *

Moon's group reached the reactor room, but found someone waiting for them right outside. "I see you humans are as strong as the first ship's captain log says."

"From his armor and his attitude, I bet he's the final boss," ChibiMoon mused.

"How can you even tell it's a 'he'?" Venus muttered.

"Silence!" Khrall snapped.

"Silence this," Mars snapped back. "Fire Tornado!"

Khrall just stood there, and the attack was reflected back at the Senshi, who dove out of the way. "Hmph, you stupid little humans... "

Saturn scanned the creature. "That armor seems to be resistant to all magic attacks."

"That's bull... Heartbreaker!" ChibiMoon shot her attack at Khrall, but the heart trapped her instead. "Hey, what the heck..."

"Listen to your elders next time, Chibi," Saturn muttered as ChibiMoon tried to punch her way out of her own attack.

Venus smirked. "Okay, so he's immune to magic, but what about raw strength?" The blonde vanished, and Khrall stood there, looking bored, as Venus hit him. Seconds later, Venus appeared next to Saturn. "Okay, that doesn't work, either."

Jupiter charged next, putting all her might in one single blow to the head. Khrall didn't even stagger back from the blow, and clutched a very surprised Jupiter by the neck.

"There's definitely something about villains and throats," Nemesis commented.

Khrall tossed Jupiter away and laughed. "None of you will pass, as long as I'm here."

"Magic doesn't work, speed doesn't work, brawling doesn't work... What can we do?"

Moon looked at Mars and flinched. "I don't know... Anyone's got any ideas?"

Khrall stopped laughing and reached out his arms. Twin cannons popped out of his arm plating, and he grinned. "My turn, humans."

* * *

The other group had found similar problems. Two aliens, plus a half dozen Zealots, were there.

And they had formed a literal wall in front of the bridge, making it impossible for the Dragons to get through. "What now?"

Mercury frowned. "Just keep them busy while I get the ship moving. "

Dragon Venus blinked at her. "What? But you can't get through them. "

"She doesn't need to," Dragon Mercury mused. "Okay guys, let's show these lizards what we're made of!"

"So, we let'em rip us apart so they can see our stuffing?" Dragon Sun joked.

Mercury stood back, concentrating. She felt the computer, yes, but it was 'speaking' in a language strange to her. Fortunately, that's where her other skill helped. She mentally tried to make the ship move away, but then cursed.

Dragon Mercury heard that and risked looking back at her. "Ami?"

"They have a security lock there. The password's incredibly complex, I don't think I can break through it, and guessing it may take hours. "

"Can't you get Aiko to help?"

"No, the ship's shield is blocking our comms. We can't call anyone on the outside right now."

Dragon Mercury frowned as he thought of a way out of the mess they were in. He looked at Mercury, who was still concentrating, then noticed something... Something he had almost forgotten about. "The teleporters."

"What about them?" Mercury asked.

"Give me yours, I've got a plan."

Mercury nodded and took her 'watch' out, a bit upset that she hadn't noticed she still had that cursed thing on her wrist. "Here. What are you planning?"

"Remember that last world we landed in?"

Mercury didn't quite understand what he meant, but she did remember that last world, with the unbelievably powerful Senshi in it. That somehow clicked and she was suddenly quite sure she knew his plan. "But we have to be out of this ship before that."

Dragon Mercury nodded. "I know. Let me tell Pluto about it."

* * *

Pluto summoned her comm and frowned. "What's the delay?"

"We can't make the ship move, but I thought we could make it 'move' with something I have. Any luck with the reactor?"

"No, we've found their leader here, and he's not even affected by Moon's blasts."

"Okay then, pull back and be ready to teleport us out when I tell you."

"Hope your plan works."

"What, aren't you the one who can see the future?"

Pluto ignored that and turned to look at the others. They weren't even scratching that creature, and she would help them, but she needed to save her energy for getting them all out of the ship. "Girls, we need to get away from here."

"Huh?" Moon was confused. "What's wrong?"

"The Mercuries have a plan, we may not need to blow their reactor out after all."

Moon nodded. "You heard Pluto, let's get out of here!"

Khrall laughed as he saw the Senshi start to back away. "Heh... Cowardly humans, did you realize you can't win this?"

Just then, a screen appeared floating in front of Khrall. The female Khtei was there, but she seemed quite worried. "Khrall, two of these Senshi have managed to get through us. They've planted some sort of bomb in the controls, and we don't know how to disarm it."

Khrall frowned. Why a bomb there... It would do them no good, they could just rebuild their computers once these mages were dealt with. Something he intended to do right away. "Stupid mages, die!"

Moon felt the blast hiss by inches away from her head. Luckily, this alien had lousy aim... Or, she realized as she looked at Lilith, luck was a hundred percent on their side. "You missed. My turn."

"It won't work," Mars noted.

"It will," Lilith said.

Moon smiled. "Crystal Retribution!"

Khrall laughed as the blast shot at him, but then frowned. His armor hadn't reflected it back at Moon, instead the beam had been merely redirected, straight to... "Oh _Si'hur_..."

Mars blinked as she heard an explosion inside the reactor room. "Wait, you didn't..."

"No," Lilith said, "it would've been bad luck for us if the reactor exploded."

Khrall forgot about the Senshi, and rushed into the room. One of the computers that kept the core at a stable temperature was destroyed, so the reactor only had a few minutes to go. "Damn those Senshi, I'll..." He turned back and realized the Senshi weren't there anymore. "Hmph, I'll deal with them later."

* * *

The Senshi were back in Tokyo, and were all looking up at the ship. "Okay, now what?"

Dragon Mercury smiled and dropped his watch to the ground. "Ami, can you press the button for me?"

"Technically speaking, I can," Mercury said and looked at the watch. A second later, the watch was gone, and, she noticed, so was the shadow that had taken over the city.

"It's gone!" Jupiter said.

Moon looked up. Yeah, the ship was gone, but how?

Mercury guessed what her friends were pondering, and smiled. "We left one teleporter inside the ship, and I managed to link it to their computer."

"So, they're elsewhere in the universe, then?" Earth asked.

"They're not in this universe anymore," Dragon Mercury said, "but don't worry, we sent them to a place where... Well, if they try to mess with the ones in that universe, they'll regret it."

* * *

Khrall snorted. Stupid mages, their efforts were in vain. He frowned as the Khtei run in. "What's the problem, Khtei?"

"Khrall, take a look outside!"

Khrall summoned another screen, one which showed the outside of their ship. The Earth was supposed to be there, but he couldn't see it. All that was there was an irregular asteroid field. He turned to the Khtei, anger creeping into his voice "What did they..."

"The device they planted wasn't a bomb. It apparently teleported us away," the Khtei said, "but the strange thing is, the computer insists this is the same exact point we were in. We should still be floating over Tokyo."

"Is it malfunctioning, then?"

"We're not sure, it's just..." the Khtei looked at the screen and paled. "What's that thing?"

Khrall turned back to the screen and also paled. The last thing he saw was an impossibly large, bright pink energy beam, speeding straight to them. Then everything around him exploded.

* * *

One hour after the battle, the Senshi were gathering outside the city. "Where will we gather now?"

Dragon Mercury shrugged. "Don't ask me, I've got to wait for my house to be rebuilt, and then start working on the base..."

"Maybe you could kill two with one stone," Aiko said.

"What?"

"I'll show you my ideas later, dad. For now, we've got evil entities approaching."

Hino walked to them right then. "I hope you're aware the material damage caused by your little war..."

Mars stood in front of him, and if her glare had been backed by magic powers, he would've been fried on the spot. "Our little war was to save this world, and if we had let those aliens shoot their beam that one time, you wouldn't have an Earth to stand on, mister Mayor."

"Who's the leader?"

"I am," Moon said, "and most of us lost our homes in that explosion, sir. Is there anything we can do to show you we're not evil?"

"Start by not blasting my city up anymore."

"That's an useless promise," Mercury noted, "given our enemies seem to be steadily growing in power with each new wave we face."

"Maybe I should just pass the bill to you."

"Maybe you should leave before an accident happens," Mars snapped.

"Being angry all the time isn't good for your health, Rei."

"I'm only angry when you're around, Mayor, and I already told you to call me Mars."

Hino decided to let the matter drop and smiled. "In any case, what I came here to tell you is, that I hope the Senshi will be around to take care of any future invasions of this kind."

"What, not blaming us for it anymore?" Mars said.

"I may not be all too happy about the city being blasted up to the sky, but I do realize these aliens were intending to do a lot more damage."

"Good to hear you're a rational being about some things, father," Mars said.

Hino turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps and turned to the Senshi. "Just so you know, I do already know who you all are. But don't worry, such information is safe with me."

Mars saw the man leave and frowned. "I told him not to..."

"It's okay, Rei," Moon said, "I don't think he'll bother using that against us."

"If he does, though..." Mars started.

"You're serious about that, aren't you?" Moon said, looking at her friend worriedly.

"I am, and I don't care what you or anyone else thinks about it, if he does anything to harm any of you, I'm going to make sure it's his last mistake."

"Steering away from that oh-so-happy issue," Saturn said, "where's Kyma?"

_"I'm right here"_

Everyone looked around, and Mercury was the first to notice something out of place. "Hmmm, that water puddle wasn't there a minute ago."

The puddle shivered and changed, swiftly turned into Kyma. "I just didn't want that guy to see me."

"You need to get yourself a human form," Dragon Mercury noted.

"Yes, I should." Kyma focused, and a few seconds later, her form changed again. She still looked mostly the same, only she was seemingly a hundred percent human. "What do you think, guys?"

The Dragons all decided not to say what they thought. Which, considering Kyma had just turned into a red-head bombshell, was a good move to avoid a slaughter.

"How old are you anyway?" Venus asked.

"I don't really know," Kyma said, "my... Race, well, we're eternal beings, meaning we won't die of aging like other races do. In fact, until we were invaded by the Kh'sun, we thought all beings in the universe would also be eternal."

"You look good for an eternal being," Jupiter said, then saw Earth glaring at her. "Karin, don't nag, you were looking too."

"Can't blame her," Uranus commented.

Mercury found it quite ironic that, for once, Terry was one of the few in the group that wasn't staring. "Yes, that form will be fine. "

Moon was, meanwhile, looking at the city. While she didn't like Hino blaming them for the damage, she still wondered if she could've found another way to solve it. A way to defend her world that didn't involve killing so many living beings.

"The universe doesn't always work the way we would want it to, huh?" ChibiMoon said, guessing her thoughts.

"I suppose I'm used to it by now, but I don't have to like it."

"Let's just hope our next battle will be easier." Though she knew that was just wishful thinking.

* * *

**A/N:** Bet you thought I had forgotten about the teleporters Terry and Ami still had. It's not hard to guess who took care of the Khtei, I hope.

What's next? More unexpected visitors.


	169. Sailor Clone

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 16: Dark Empire.**

**Episode 169: Sailor Clones**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 8, 2008_

* * *

Only one month had passed since the invasion, but life in Tokyo was mostly back to normal. The city was still being rebuilt, but thanks to donations from several 'unknown' benefactors, the city's budget hadn't been hit too hard.

Ami looked at the now rebuilt base. She wasn't still too sure about it, but most of the others had agreed. Senshi hadn't been urban legends for quite some time, and they had stopped walking to the 'dojo' anyway. Against all odds, the fact people now knew where the Senshi had their base hadn't caused a legion of fans to be around the building at all times. Apparently, people was used to the idea of having Senshi in the city, and also, they were quite aware of the power they had. If anything, the still partially wrecked city was a quite good reminder of that fact.

"Having fun?"

Ami turned away from the computer. "Yes, I am. The new computer's almost finished, but I still have to work out some bugs."

Rei frowned. "You think this is smart? The enemy will find us easily. "

"The last few seemed to know all along," Haruka noted, "but I have to agree, making our location public could make enemies strike here more often."

"The bright side to that would be," Naru noted, "that they would stop wrecking the Tokyo Tower."

"Wishful thinking."

Ami checked the cammeras. They were all working correctly, as expected. She looked at one that was actually showing an external view of the building they were in now, and smiled. Only a few floors total, but made entirely of the one element that had proven itself strong enough to withstand standard magic blasts time and again. Terry had been tempted to make the tower black, but then someone suggested to put a giant, flaming eye on top of it to fit the theme, so he had instead decided for a plain white color.

The building was a bit boring to look at, indeed. No windows, so people couldn't really tell when they were in or not, unless they saw one of them fly in. Still, the fact it was there was making their popularity rise even higher than before. Aiko's idea had been good, after all, despite how crazy it sounded to Ami at first.

"So, is the base okay for training?"

Ami turned to Mako. "Sure. Even if you managed to blast one of the walls open, it would regenerate fast."

Haruka snorted. "A self-regenerating building? If it starts walking or talking, I'm out of here."

"Yes, that would be a bit weird," A monotone voice said from all around them.

"Wha..."

Aiko appeared near her. "Careful what you wish for."

"Oh, it was you," Haruka muttered.

* * *

"Do you like our city?"

Kyma nodded at Usagi. They were in one of the lowest floors, so she could, for once, be her real self instead of the human form she had taken. At first it had bothered her, staying in one form for too long, but she was getting used to it. "I've explored all of it, it's a nice city, and I bet it'd be nicer if it was in one piece."

Usagi smiled. Kyma had one major advantage over other living beings, even over the Senshi. Kyma fed only on energy. Any kind of energy, be it solar, magic, or others Usagi couldn't even name. She didn't need to eat or drink anything, or even sleep. She remembered Rei had asked Kyma if she could drain humans too, to which Kyma had nodded, but added that she would rather not, for life energy was 'too tasteless' for her.

"Did you hear the name the fans gave to this building?"

That took Usagi out of her musings. "Huh? They named it?" Truth to be told, they hadn't bothered with a name themselves, just referred to it as 'the tower.'

Kyma smiled. "They call it the 'S Tower.'"

Usagi cringed. "That's... Uhm... Nice."

The alien girl laughed. "I know, I also thought it was quite dumb. "

Aiko appeared in the room. "Usagi, I'm detecting _something_ out there, near the place where the mansion used to be."

"Something?" Usagi asked. "Can't tell what?"

"Go up to the top floor, I'll explain you there."

* * *

And thus, a few minutes later, the Senshi were gathered in the top floor of their tower. "So, what's the big deal?" Shingo asked.

Ami frowned. "Strange as it may sound, Aiko is detecting something through the tower's scanners, but she can't tell what it is."

"An unknown entity, then. Not too strange," Michiru noted.

Aiko nodded. "If it was unknown. But the computer's telling me it's not... But if I try to get more details, it freezes on me."

"We should go and see for ourselves," Usagi said.

"That seems like the best option," Aiko noted, "but be careful, I'm sensing massive energy in that creature, whatever it is."

"Let's just go, kick that creature down, then get back here to slack off," Minako said. "Uhm, I mean, to train."

"Yeah, we know you meant that," Rei said with a smirk.

* * *

Nova backflipped, barely missing the grenade blast. Yes, her suit was able to resist a blast like that, but she had found out in the past that it could dazzle her if she just let it hit. Her enemy got ready to throw another grenade at her, but it was knocked off his hands by an energy beam. "About time you got here."

"Sorry, I can't just teleport around like you, you know?"

Nova smirked at Game Master. "Maybe you should ask for a suit upgrade, then?"

"Using what, one of those teleporters? No way I'm going to risk ending up in Sailor Carebear land."

Nova flinched at that. Yes, that was a very bad mental image, and it could very well be real, somewhere in the multiverse.

"If you two are just going to keep on chatting, then I'm..."

Before the grenadier could escape, he was paralyzed by Nova. "You're going to jail."

"Eeeh... You kids don't let us do our job anymore," The man snapped.

"That's the idea, and stealing and bullying isn't a job."

Game Master flinched as the thief was pinned to a wall, and then wrapped in heavy-looking chains. "Done here?"

"Yeah, why?"

"There's a fire a few miles north of here. Apparently, someone was testing a _very_ realistic cosplay of Sailor Mars..."

"Ugh. Some fans really scare me."

"From what I hear on the radio, it was a guy, too."

"Yep, they _really_ scare me sometimes."

* * *

"Where are they?"

"I'm detecting several... Many entities moving our way. Their power is as we expected."

"How long until they get here?"

"About two minutes."

The other figure nodded, and both started looking around. This was the place where the mansion should be, but something had apparently happened in this world too. A chill went down their spines as they both realized the same: They might have reached this world too late, and the readings they were getting were of enemies, not Senshi.

They realized that wasn't the case, however, when they saw the Senshi (way more than they ever remembered seeing,) flying their way. "Heck, I want one of those," the black-haired figure noted.

The other figure didn't answer, she was too busy looking at the two Mercuries. "They..."

"I know."

Moon looked at the two figures down on the ground and gasped. "That's... Impossible."

"I'm seeing double," Dragon Sun joked.

The Senshi all floated down, and looked at the two figures. They were exactly like Mars and Mercury, but the suits were all 'wrong,' they had wings on their backs, and a star-shaped brooch where their front bow should be. The shoulder pads were shaped like small wings, too, and the few that could sense their energy knew they were beyond Guardian level.

"Who are you?"

The fake Mars looked at her counterpart. "You look older than me, but apparently not wiser. I'm you, isn't that obvious?"

"Why you..." Mars muttered, but Moon stood in front of her. "Usagi?"

"Let them explain themselves, Rei."

"Just like we remember her, huh?" the fake Mars mused.

The second Mercury didn't answer, she was scanning Moon. "Her power level is below us. They won't do."

"Explain yourselves, now."

The second Mercury looked at Dragon Mercury and snorted. "Trying to bully us isn't wise, Terry."

The Dragon noticed something about the 'clones' and growled. "No way..."

"Oh, these?" the other Mars said pointing at her wrist watch. "I guess we should thank you for helping us."

Mercury's brain was, as usual, fast enough to put all the clues together. "They're from the dark world... The first one we visited. The devastated Tokyo."

"That's correct," the other Mercury said, "and unfortunately, we were too late to stop you from leaving."

"I don't care how they got here," Jupiter noted, "but why."

"Why? It's simple. We need your help... Well, we need help from Senshi that are in Eternal level or above. But maybe a group like yours will still work."

"What year is it here?" the second Mars asked.

"Nineteen ninety-seven," Moon said.

"Almost three years more than our world..." the second Mercury noted and then started chuckling. "See, I told you youma weren't invincible."

"Maybe their youma weren't," the other Mars said.

"What happened in your world?" Dragon Mercury asked. "What did that to the city?"

"Saturn did that," the other Mars said, "but she's gone."

"Okay, let's get back to our base," Moon said, "we can't just stay here and talk."

"Base?" the other Mars noted. "You have a base?"

"Oh, I get it," Venus said, "you're from back when we were fighting against the Dark Kingdom."

The other Mercury looked at her somberly. "We're still fighting against them. And we're the only ones left."

"Let's go to this base of yours, then we'll tell you how things went in our world," the other Mars said.

* * *

Ikuko was out doing some shopping, but for some reason, her mind wasn't into it at all. She was worried about something, as if she knew something was about to happen. Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but with the Senshi around, she knew it was all too possible that a new war was about to start.

She looked up as she heard a familiar voice, then blinked and stood there, unmoving. Seeing the Senshi, all of them, flying around as a group was strange enough, but... Two of them had wings now? She'd have to ask Usagi about it next time she saw her.

* * *

**A/N:** I know some people wondered when these two were going to be back... Now you know. And don't worry, things will be a lot less confusing once they're done with their story.

_NightmareSyndrom:_ It's like the lottery, some people play it over and over hoping they'll win.


	170. Apocalypse Then

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 16: Dark Empire.**

**Episode 170: Apocalypse Then.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 4, 2008_

* * *

Moon looked at the two alternates. In her mind, she had tagged them as "Mercury-beta" and "Mars-beta" just to stop herself from being too confused. But they weren't quite like the Mars and Mercury she knew. No, they were different. Not only because of the suits or their power, but their eyes... They seemed hopeless, almost lifeless, as if they had nothing to fight for anymore. "We're safe here, so what happened in your world?"

Mercury-beta nodded. "I need to know what happened here, first. How did you defeat Beryl?"

"Beryl?" Mars said. "Metallia took over her body, but we overpowered her, somehow..."

"Yes, if we had a Sailor Moon back then, we could've won."

"Just what went wrong?" Venus asked.

"Everything," Mars-beta said, "every damn thing went wrong."

"I'll start from when things started looking bad, and get to the point where everything went to hell. We were quite naive back then. Too damn sure we would beat the youma in the end. But we never saw it coming. It all started shortly after Venus arrived, we detected the youma Generals all around the city."

"And you killed most of them?"

"No, we walked straight into their trap. They had allied with a human scientist, a genetics specialist."

"Onara," Dragon Mercury said, "he's still out there, somewhere, but his robots are a joke."

"Were they a joke back then?"

The Dragon ignored Mars' glare, but knew the girl had a point. "Yes, I suppose they were quite hard to fight back then."

Mercury-beta nodded. "Now imagine this scenario... Helped by the youma, this man built many of those cyborgs. Each of them as strong as a Senshi. And they were all sent out along with the Generals."

* * *

_The Senshi were outnumbered, and, as much as she hated admitting it, also outwitted this time. The generals had only been a decoy, and had left as soon as the Senshi reached each of the areas. Each far enough from each other. And each had a half dozen of those cyborgs._

_"Fire Soul."_

_Mercury staggered back and flinched. The same power level as them. The same attacks. It was just impossible to win, even..._

_"Mercury Twilight power! Ice Geiser!"_

_"Supreme Thunder."_

_... Even though they upgraded. "Terry, wait!"_

_"What? We can't let these things trash the place."_

_"They're not here for that, they're here to get us."_

_"So what are you saying?"_

_"We should... Regroup."_

_Dragon Mercury sighed. Even with his new power, he knew it would be useless to fight, he could maybe destroy one of these creatures before running out of energy. "Yes, let's go."_

* * *

_Minutes later, the Senshi were all gathering, and pondering what the enemy was planning. "These cyborgs, they didn't follow us?"_

_"It's easier to kill you if you're all in one place."_

_The group saw a figure standing in front of them. A figure that hadn't been there a moment ago. A figure that stirred memories that had been asleep for thousands of years. "Beryl..." Moon said._

_"I see you remember me, princess."_

_"I do now... What do you want?"_

_"To destroy you all, isn't that obvious?" Beryl said as her Generals appeared besides her._

_Mercury frowned. "Their power... It's increasing!"_

_Beryl snorted, and a black aura appeared around her, making it seem as if she was standing in a black pyre. "Thanks to an idea suggested by one of my children, I was able to gather enough energy..."_

_"You awakened Metallia?"_

_Beryl laughed at Mercury. "Yes, but I'm not using her power to defeat you. I don't need to, brats."_

_The energy wave Beryl shot next was easily dodged by the Senshi, but the Generals had anticipated that, and shot them while they were still jumping. As they fell to the ground, Jadeite laughed. "And to think I had so much trouble fighting them..."_

_"We were using the wrong approach," Kunzite noticed, "even I had problems with that weakling V."_

_Moon stood up, despite the pain. "You're not going to win."_

_Beryl snorted. "Look at you, girl, you're barely able to move. It's time for you to say goodbye."_

_Moon saw the blast coming her way, but Beryl was right, she couldn't move fast enough to dodge. Something got in the way, however, and she was knocked down to the ground by it. She realized who it was and paled. "Tuxedo Kamen?" The man didn't answer, and she saw he had a large burnt mark on the back of his tuxedo. "No..."_

_"Useless human prince... Guess he was in a hurry to die."_

_Moon wasn't listening to her enemy's boasting. No, she was being hit by a literal wave of memories. Tuxedo Kamen, no Endymion... He had sacrificed himself to save her. Again. But now she knew who she really was, now she knew how to defeat this evil woman._

_"Beryl!"_

_Queen Beryl was taken aback by Moon's outburst. No, not Sailor Moon, her suit had changed... And she was holding something in her hands now. Something Beryl had dreaded for eons. "The Ginzuishou..."_

_"Die!"_

_The awakened Princess Serenity shot a white energy beam at Beryl, but five figures appeared in its path, forming a shield that stopped it. Beryl was surprised to see them, but then laughed. "You girls never listen to me."_

_"No way we're going to miss this, mom. Unlike our younger siblings, we aren't going to let the Generals get all the fun."_

_Mercury was barely conscious, but as she looked around, she saw most of the others were trying to stand up. Just like the princess, none of them was giving up, no matter how strong Beryl was now._

_Aurite looked at the Senshi and smiled coldly. "Poor kids, they don't know when they're beaten."_

_The princess wasn't done yet. She shot an energy wave that knocked the five newcomers out of the way, then charged straight for Beryl. "You're not going to win!"_

_Beryl phased away, then right behind her foe. "You're wrong about that, Princess. Dead wrong."_

_"Usagi!"_

_Mercury was shocked, and gasped as she saw a wave of attacks zoom by. Everyone shot at Beryl, but the witch just shrugged and turned around to look at them. She had the Ginzuishou in her hands, and was laughing coldly. "No..."_

_"It's over, Senshi. Give up now, and I may consider making you my slaves!"_

_An energy blast hit Beryl from the side, managing to make her stagger. She looked to the side and saw three new Senshi there. "Who are you?"_

_The gold-suited woman ignored Beryl, instead turning to the Senshi. "Run, we'll keep her busy."_

_Mercury finally realized who this woman was. Despite being in a different form, she knew her. "Luna?"_

_"Run? She killed our friend!" Mars snarled. "We're not going to leave until she's dead!"_

_Beryl laughed. "You pitiful little..." She turned around as she sensed a familiar presence. "You're not needed here, Metallia."_

_The three ex-Mooncats gasped at that. Metallia, the one that had helped Beryl take over the Earth, was once again awakened. But if she was still weakened by her slumber, then there would be a chance to stop her._

_However, they saw the Generals standing in front of Beryl, protecting her. "You three must be the guardians," Kunzite said, "the last of your kind, aren't you? Too bad your kind will soon become extinct."_

_The black cloud behind Beryl laughed. "I'm not needed, you say? I am your Goddess, Beryl. You will..."_

_Beryl turned around to face Metallia. "I will, what?" Beryl snapped and showed her the Ginzuishou, chuckling as the cloud drew back in surprise. "I've killed the Princess, the Senshi are no longer a threat, so I don't need you. But you're a dangerous being indeed, so I'll have to take care of you as well."_

_"Take care of me?" Metallia snarled furiously, then saw Beryl had her eyes closed. "What are you..." she felt something tugging at her and realized what the youma queen was doing. "No! You stupid youma, I created you, and I can..."_

_Beryl laughed as Metallia was absorbed by the Ginzuishou, which turned black. "No, you can't."_

_Mercury saw the three Mooncats backing away, but didn't know why. But then, Beryl turned to face them, and she immediately knew what had happened to Metallia. "She..."_

_"She's got Metallia's powers, the Ginzuishou, the Generals... We're screwed."_

_She turned to look at Dragon Mercury. "Don't say that, we can still..."_

_"How? Usagi's gone," Mars said. "And Beryl is stronger than ever."_

* * *

"I'm wondering the same thing," Dragon Mercury noted. "How did you win that battle?"

"We didn't," Mars-beta said.

"Then how are you two..."

"Just shut up and listen," Mercury-beta said angrily.

* * *

_ Beryl looked at the Senshi in a condescending way. "My offer's still up. If you surrender now, I'll let you live, as my slaves." The answer was, of course, a barrage of energy blasts. Beryl smiled coldly at them as she let the fact that their attacks didn't affect her sink in. "Very well, then, I'll let my soldiers take care of you. " As she said that, the robots they had been fighting before Beryl showed up appeared, and they all charged straight for the Senshi, backed up by the Generals and the five DD girls._

* * *

Mercury-beta cringed. "That battle was... Short and one-sided. I suppose most of our friends had lost hope after Usagi's death. I know I had."

Mars-beta nodded. "But then, we got some unexpected reinforcements. Too bad they came a little too late."

* * *

_ Mars couldn't believe this was happening. It had to be a nightmare. No, the bodies of her friends, scattered all around the area, were all too real, no matter how much she wished this was just a dream. "Ami, snap out of it!"_

_True, Mercury hadn't moved since she saw Dragon Mercury fall. Mars knew why, and she really felt sorry about her, but if they didn't do anything, then they would also be dead. But what could they possibly do?_

_The Generals were laughing at them. "Only two left... So, who wants to take care of them?" Kunzite asked._

_Jadeite smiled. "I'll get Mars, she ruined my first few plans after all."_

_Suddenly, five more figures appeared near the Senshi. "Beryl... I won't forgive this."_

_Beryl snorted. "The time Senshi in person, I guess I should feel honored."_

_"Shut up!" Pluto snapped and shot an energy blast at Beryl._

_Beryl stood there, unphased. "What was that? Was it supposed to freeze me in time? Send me to the next month? Hurt?"_

_"That's..."_

_"Impossible?" Beryl completed with a laugh. "Nothing's impossible with this much power, you little..."_

_Pluto saw the other four about to attack and shook her head. "She's mine, take care of the Generals."_

_"Such confidence in your own abilities..." Beryl mused. "Are you that delusional? All these years at the limbo made you insane?"_

_"No, but I guess all these years surrounded by freaks of nature did it for you."_

_Beryl laughed. "I may be insane, but I'm also invincible."_

_Pluto glared at the evil queen, a white aura appearing around her. "You're not. Chrono Break!"_

_Mercury didn't see any attack, but Beryl's screams as it hit her meant the attack had to be quite powerful. This was Sailor Pluto, the Time Senshi, she remembered her now, as well as most of the other Senshi._

_Beryl panted as the attack passed. "You... Stupid bitch, I'm going to rip you apart!"_

_Pluto was shocked. Her attack, her strongest attack, one that had taken millenia of training, and it had only managed to hurt Beryl a little? She turned to the other Senshi and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any power left to..."_

_The blast that hit before she could finish that sentence was strong enough to drill through several buildings. Mercury saw the four other Senshi looking at the spot where Pluto had last been, and she could see the rage in their eyes._

_"Beryl!"_

_Two of them, Uranus and Neptune from what she remembered of her past life, attacked Beryl as one. The other two, meanwhile, targeted the Generals, to keep them from interferring. One of them was Sailor Saturn, and the other... From his suit, she guessed it was Dragon Sun, but she didn't remember one being around in the past._

_Beryl was knocked back by the relentless flurry of kicks and punches the two Senshi were shooting at her. Maybe that was her flaw, melee attacks? No, Mercury's hopes were shattered as Beryl punched both Senshi away, laughing._

_"What the hell..."_

_The queen snorted. "Pitiful little runts, you think you can defeat someone of my level? Let this be your last lesson, do not mess with something you can't defeat."_

_Mars saw Beryl blasting the four away. Three of them didn't get back up, but Saturn... Saturn, the Senshi of Death. There were many rumors she remembered about those in her position, even that one of them, the very first one, had been the one who turned the planet Lilith into the asteroid belt that now stood between Mars and Jupiter._

_Mercury was scanning Saturn. Her power... It was too far up in the scale to bother trying to measure it. She remembered the legends, the book she had read in her past life... The ultimate attack, as it was called, and a forbidden one. "If she uses that..."_

_Saturn seemed to overhear her, and smiled coldly. "The Princess is dead. If we let this freak win, then the Earth will be doomed anyway. I'd rather destroy it than hand it over to the youma. Death Reborn..."_

_Beryl rushed in, managing to grab Saturn's glaive before she could swing it down. "Not today, kid."_

_Saturn's smile didn't falter. "... Revolution!"_

_And then everything went white._

* * *

"So, what happened next?"

Mercury-beta sighed. "I... When we woke up, everyone else was gone... The city, it was completely wrecked. I guess Saturn knew Beryl would try to stop her, she never planned to destroy the Earth. Beryl fell for her bluff, but it didn't pay off."

"It didn't?"

Mars-beta smiled sadly at Moon's question. "As I looked around, a part of me was sad about all my friends, but also... I hoped Beryl and her goons had been destroyed by the explosion. I wished it was all over, but it wasn't. The nightmare had just begun."

* * *

**A/N:** I know you're hating me for this one cliffhanger, but the tale of the alternate world got a bit longer than I had thought. In case you're wondering, yeah, the devastated Tokyo Ami and Terry saw was a result of Saturn's attack. It's always the silent ones...

And yeah, it was the alternate ChibiMoon who took care of the Kh'sun mothership. Considering all the dimensions the two Mercuries visited, it could've been worse, like a giant, fiery, nine-tailed fox, or a giant, robotic Sailor Moon wih a sword. Or the Sailor Borgs. Can't forget those evil things.


	171. Stalemate

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 16: Dark Empire.**

**Episode 171: Stalemate.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 7, 2008_

* * *

Saturn was shocked. She wondered if she would... No, it was just like she used to be, before meeting the others. And it was quite unnerving for her, to know she could have such power. Specially considering how hard it was to control the power level she had right now.

Moon herself was pale. What they were telling her... Beryl taking over the world like that, getting a hold of her crystal and using Metallia's power to kill everyone else... It was something out of her worse nightmares, something she had, despite her usual bubbly behavior, dreaded. Something that, when fighting Galaxia, she had experienced. She could understand how these two felt. But she also dreaded what they were here for. She was almost sure she knew what their intention was, and she also knew what her answer would be to their request.

Mars-beta looked at her friend. "Want me to tell the next bit?"

"No, I can do it," Mercury-beta said, sparing Mercury a glance which was a bit too hateful.

Mercury just couldn't keep it for herself, her counterpart had been glaring at her since they had first met them. "Why are you glaring at me? What's your problem?"

"My problem?" Mercury-beta asked. "You are. From what I can see, you have everything I lost. I won't lie to you, I am not happy to see I could've ended with Terry if he hadn't... I hate you, because you are what I could've been if Beryl had been defeated. I hate this world, because..."

"Because what?" Moon said, starting to not like the attitude of the alternates. "Because we had it easy? Trust me, nothing was easy for us. We've had to fight through many wars, I was forced to kill millions of living beings for the sake of this world. Don't blame us for what destiny did to your universe."

Mercury sighed. Much despite herself, she knew the girl's hatred wasn't intentional. "Moon's right. We've died too, we've watched our friends die, we've seen this city wrecked many times..."

"Wait," Mercury-beta said, "you said you died?"

"Yes, and..."

"And what? Did your friends gather the seven Dragon Balls and ask Sheng Long to bring you back?"

Saturn scowled at that. "I didn't know I was the Dragon of Wishes. "

"If we have to believe Beryl could've gotten smart overnight and defeat us," Dragon Mercury said, "I suppose you'll have to believe that yes, we've all died at least once, and we've all been revived. "

Mercury-beta growled. "Just let us finish our story."

Mars-beta sighed. "As we told you, we thought that was the end..."

* * *

_ "Everyone..."_

_Mars looked around. Yes, she was shocked, and quite angry, but unlike her friend, she wasn't going to just kneel there and let it all break her down. "Ami, we have to get out of here."_

_"It's no use... Even Pluto was killed. Even our princess..."_

_"Snap out of it, damn it."_

_Mercury looked up at her friend, her eyes seemed empty. "Don't you get it? Everyone's dead. They won."_

_Mars growled at that. "They didn't win. Not yet. Not while I'm here. "_

_"Oh, but we did, dear Mars."_

_Mars froze as she heard that. Jadeite... The bastard was alive? No, not only him, but all the Generals. That meant Beryl was also alive. Saturn's last gamble hadn't paid off, and the youma... Maybe Mercury was right, maybe it was all over. No! It couldn't be. She wouldn't let them win. "Ami, stand up. We can't let them defeat us."_

_"It's all over..."_

_"Ami, stop being a wuss! Even Usagi was better than that. What do you think she'd think if she saw you like that? What do you think Terry would think?"_

_Mercury looked down. Usagi, Terry, everyone, they were dead... But letting the youma kill her wouldn't bring them back. Nothing would. There was only one thing to do now. She stood up and glared at the Generals. "As long as there's Senshi defending this world, youma will never win."_

_Kunzite was about to laugh her off, but then he felt it. He knew the others had felt it too. These two Senshi, their power was..._

_"Mars Fire Power!"_

_"Mercury Snow Power!"_

_The Generals stepped back. It was impossible, for them to get that much power in a matter of seconds, their bodies should've been burnt out. But no, the two Senshi were unharmed, though they had very visible auras around them. A bluish aura around Mercury, which seemed to be freezing the ground on her wake, and a fiery, red aura around Mars, which scorched the already wasted area around her. "Generals, get back to--"_

_Even before Kunzite shouted that, the two Senshi had already started gathering mana for their attacks. The order came too late, and that mistake was quite deadly for them._

_"Mars..." the Fire Senshi's arms were aflame, and she glared at the Generals one last time before slamming them both on the ground. "Hellraiser!"_

_"Mercury..." as for her friend, she didn't even bother glaring. She simply formed a large ice ball and threw it at the Generals, knowing all too well what the result of this combined attack would be. "... Tsunami Glacier!"_

_To anyone looking at the scene, the show that followed would've been both amazing and frightening. Mars' blast hit first, as a massive column of fire which rose from under the Generals, wrapping them all in flames. And, if any of them was alive after that, death came in the shape of a building-sized ice pillar, which froze their blood and flesh down to near absolute zero._

_Mars panted and then blinked in surprise. "Did we get them?"_

_Mercury was scanning the ice, idly noticing her new computer-like glove. "Yes. And our power is..."_

_"I know, I felt it."_

_"We had only around a thousand in Twilight form," Mercury continued, not minding the interruption, "but now our power is in the dozen millions range."_

_"Good, we can go kick Beryl's ass now," Mars said, "and then find a way to bring our friends back."_

_"Once we have the Ginzuishou, I will figure it out," Mercury said._

_Mars smiled. Her friend was back, at last. "Ami, sorry about shouting at you, but..."_

_"You were right. Senshi don't just give up hope like that. We can still win."_

* * *

"Or so we thought," Mercury-beta said.

"Hey, what about the Senshi who weren't Senshi yet?"

Mars-beta looked at Lilith. "I suppose they died when Saturn blew the city up. And back then, we didn't really know there were more Senshi around, and frankly, we didn't have time."

Mercury-beta nodded. "Our battle didn't go unnoticed, and Beryl was really furious for what we had done. The feeling was mutual, though, and we were going to show her what our new powers could do."

* * *

_ Mercury growled. To face this bitch now, she really couldn't complain. She really wanted to show this youma her new power. "Beryl, it's time for you to pay."_

_"You little brats killed my soldiers. I'm not going to let this go unpunished," Beryl snapped._

_Mars frowned. She was tired of this woman's boasting. "Mars Hellraiser!"_

_Beryl stood there, letting the attack hit, and laughed. "You weaklings, here's a show of real power!" she shot a large blast of energy at the two Senshi, but then gasped in shock. The blast had been deflected by a wall of fire? "What is..."_

_"You can't defeat us, Beryl," Mercury snapped. "Tsunami Glacier!"_

_Mars saw Beryl encased in a wall of ice, and looked at Mercury hopefully. "Did we..."_

_Mercury shook her head. "She's still alive."_

_Beryl's blast came from inside the ice, and Mars didn't have enough time to react. The blast hit Mercury dead on, but to everyone's surprise, she only staggered back._

_"No way..." Mars said._

_Beryl blasted out of the ice and looked at Mercury in shock. "How can you... I've got the power of the Ginzuishou, you shouldn't be... "_

_"Evil cannot use that crystal to its fullest," Mercury said, "and we're as strong as you, Beryl."_

_The queen considered her options. Two against one, she couldn't hurt them, they couldn't hurt her. It was a clear stalemate, and calling for reinforcements would only be a waste of energy. "I see... I'll let you live for now, but sooner or later, you'll let your guards down, and then, it will all be over."_

_Mercury smiled as she looked at the spot where Beryl had been a second earlier. "What an idiot..."_

_"Huh?"_

_"I've tracked her down, I know exactly where her base is... We could teleport there and kill..."_

_Mars frowned. "Mercury, being so reckless could kill us. We don't know how many youma there are in there, we need to plan things better."_

_Mercury looked at her friend for a second then nodded. "Yes, I mustn't let anger take over my mind."_

* * *

"And that was the start of it. Beryl sent several hunting squads against us, but after a while she realized it was useless. From what we know, though, she's got hundreds, even thousands of youma ready to defend her, so charging head-on into her palace would be a very unhealthy idea."

Moon looked at Mercury-beta, her face unreadable. "So, why did you come here?"

"We know attacking Beryl alone would get us killed. But with this many Senshi backing us up, we would have a chance to win. Beryl won't be expecting a dozen Senshi to show up when there should only be two left. With your help, we can defeat them."

Mars-beta nodded. "That was the reason why we followed your two Mercuries here. We can't do this alone, we need help."

"So, you're asking us to risk our lives to save your own universe, to go against a foe you, who are way above our power, cannot defeat. Is that right?"

Mercury-beta nodded. "That's true. So, what's your answer?"

Moon answered with four words, four words that cut the air like a knife and surprised everyone. "The answer is no."

* * *

**A/N:** _MidnightRayne13:_ Nope, they're Eternal... Which was also the level Pluto was at. But these two, however are close to Holy level, which makes them stronger than Pluto.

However... In the previous power levels, the new power was always ten times stronger than the one before. In the case of Eternal Senshi, their power is a hundred times more than it was in Guardian. Same goes for Holy when compared to Eternal... So Moon's answer is quite a given, if two Eternal Senshi can't defeat Beryl, what difference will be a bunch of Guardian Senshi make?

Will that be her final answer, or will something change her mind, though? Guess you'll find out soon.


	172. Crossed Paths

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 16: Dark Empire.**

**Episode 172: Crossed Paths.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 8, 2008_

* * *

The answer had taken the two alternates off-guard, and Mercury-beta was too desperate to care about manners anymore. She rushed at Moon, grabbing her by the collar and glared at her. "What do you mean 'no, ' you idiot?"

"Ami, wait..." Mars-beta said. Before she or anyone else could move, however, something hit Mercury-beta, knocking her away. "What..."

"Leave my mother alone, bitch."

"Mother?" Mercury-beta asked, then gasped as she scanned the girl. "Her power's still within Guardian range, but it's gone up..."

"I don't like it when people plays bully," ChibiMoon snapped. "If you really want us to help you, picking a fight with us isn't the way to go."

Moon looked at the alternate Mercury and frowned. "She's right. Now listen, would you do the same for us, if the situation was reversed? Would you send your friends to die in another world?"

"But maybe she's right," Venus said, "maybe all of us, working together..."

"You didn't hear their story, did you?" Saturn noted. "They're a hundred times stronger than us... Than those of us in Guardian form. A thousand times stronger than the rest. If the two of them can't defeat Beryl, then what hope do we have of doing it?"

"..." Mercury-beta stared at Saturn, then laughed. It was a humorless, tired laughter. "They got us... I told you it wouldn't work."

"What else can we do?" Mars-beta asked. "Knock them all out and drag them there?"

"You could stay in this world," Moon said. "Of course, not as Rei Hino or Ami Mizuno, since those exist in here, but you could get new identities, and start a new life..."

"That wouldn't work," Mercury-beta said. "I doubt we could do that, seriously," she said looking at Dragon Mercury, sadness creeping into her face for a moment before she turned to normal. "But your answer just killed the last bit of hope we had. We can't stay here, but going back? We'll eventually get killed. Beryl's got thousands of followers and we've got nothing."

"There's still hope."

Everyone turned to see the only Senshi missing in the room was now standing there. "Pluto?" Moon said surprised. "What do you mean?"

Pluto looked at the two alternates and sighed. "I've looked into many possible futures, and I've also seen the world you come from. I know your future is now bound to ours."

Mercury-beta frowned. "If they don't help us, there's no future for us."

Pluto nodded. "That's true, Beryl will eventually eliminate you both. But the problem for us is that, once she gets you, she'll learn of your trip here, and see a whole new Earth for her to conquer."

"We'll kick her ass then and there," Dragon Venus said.

"By the time she gets here, she'll be too strong for us to defeat. "

"Been there..." Mars noted.

"No, you don't get it. Learn from what happened in their world. Beryl can kill Moon, and then she'll have two Ginzuishou. With that kind of power, there'll be nothing we can do to defeat her."

"If we go there, it'll be the same," ChibiUsa said.

"No, it won't," Pluto said. "I can't guarantee none of you will die there, but in the best case scenario, all of you will come back from there alive."

Moon looked at Pluto, her face still unreadable. "So it's either going there and risking our lives, or stay here and wait for her to get back."

"What if we were to stay here?" Mars-beta asked.

"You said it yourselves, you wouldn't stand living in this world for long."

Moon growled, then looked at Mercury-beta. "You know, I don't like your attitude, I don't like being dragged into yet another war against the youma, and I still think you should just stay here."

"So it's still a no?" Mercury-beta muttered.

"I'll go," Moon said, "but my friends are staying."

Mars groaned. "Usako, you should know that kind of things just isn't going to happen."

"I can't let you go there alone," Dragon Earths agreed, "and I don't think any of us could just sit and wait while you go face Beryl."

Moon looked at her friends. "I... Okay, if that's what you guys want..."

Mercury-beta looked at the Senshi. In a way, it was a chance to fight along with her friends again. But a part of her mind was telling her that bringing them to her own world wouldn't change a thing, that it was hopeless. Days ago, she would've listened to that part of her mind, but right now, she told it to shut up.

"So, you're coming with us?"

Moon nodded. "We'll help you."

"I'm tagging along, too," Pluto said. "You'll need my help."

"Can we wait until tomorrow?" Moon asked.

"Why?" Mercury-beta asked, surprised by the request.

"I want to tell my parents about... About where I'm going. About what could happen."

"Nothing will..." Mars started, then sighed. "No, I guess you're right."

Mercury-beta looked at Moon for a few seconds then lowered her head. "Our Usagi never got the chance to..." she stopped for a few seconds, trying to control her emotions, and then nodded. "Okay, you can do that. It's not like we can force you to come with us."

"You can stay here for the night," Mercury said, "Aiko will be around in case you need anything."

Mercury-beta looked at Aiko, whom she hadn't noticed until now, and frowned. "And who is this Aiko person?"

"A sentient computer program, and also my daughter," Mercury said with a straight face.

"... Right. I should stop asking questions, else my brain will explode."

* * *

Usagi looked out the window and sighed. She couldn't sleep. It had been easier than she thought to tell her parents about this, but... Even though they seemed calm and accepting, she knew they were worried sick about it. And she, herself, couldn't say she was any better. Something crossed her mind, something that usually wouldn't bother her. She hadn't seen Luna, or any of the mooncats, for several days.

"Can't sleep, huh?"

Usagi looked at ChibiUsa, who was sleeping in the one other bed of the room. "Do you think we'll get through this?"

"I don't know, mom. And I've got a very bad feeling about this whole thing."

"But you trust Pluto."

ChibiUsa took a few seconds to answer. "I don't really know anymore, I'm still upset with how the future Pluto kept a lot of secrets from me. But I trust your judgement, mom, and that's why I'm going."

"Maybe you should've stayed at Hotaru's house tonight."

ChibiUsa chuckled. "I wouldn't be sleeping there either."

Usagi blushed. "Uhm, if you say so... By the way, have you seen the Mooncats?"

"Not lately," ChibiMoon said, "and no, I don't know what they may be up to. Past the invasion and the trip of the two Mercuries, I never got any of your future selves to tell me anything about this era."

"Maybe because you'd eventually see it for yourself," Usagi mused.

* * *

Next morning, the group had gathered again inside their tower. "Everyone ready?" Pluto asked.

The others nodded. Moon looked around and smiled. "We'll be back soon."

"One thing to consider," Pluto said to the alternates, "is that if we travel normally, Beryl will know we're there before we can attack. "

"How..."

"Remember, I said I'd seen your world. Your Pluto may be dead, but Beryl never figured out where she... Where I spend most of my time. It's a place from which we can plan our next move without worrying about detection."

"I was wondering, what happened with... You know, mankind?"

"Youma are far too strong for human armies now," Mars-beta commented. "We've been all around the Earth, and everywhere we go, there's slave camps and youma cities built where human capitals used to be. In less than one year, mankind's already fallen to them."

"Why didn't they build something like that in Tokyo?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"We don't know, most likely Beryl wants to keep it that way as a reminder to the rest of the youma of just how powerful she is now. "

Mercury-beta looked around and frowned. "I didn't bother asking before, but what's with this tower?"

"Senshi aren't just an urban legend," Moon explained, "not after our last few battles. People knows we exist, everywhere, and they... Most of them know we're here to protect them."

"So this tower reminds them that you're here and you're watching over them," Mercury-beta said. "It must've costed a lot of money."

"Define a lot of money?" Dragon Mercury said.

Pluto coughed a bit too loud. "If we're done with the chatter..."

Moon looked at the others, who nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

"What is this place?" Mercury-beta asked, looking around.

Pluto shrugged. "It's got several names, depending on who you ask. I never gave it a name, myself."

ChibiMoon leaned on one of the crystal-like walls and frowned. "I want to check on something..." she muttered, then rushed down the 'tunnel' before anyone could stop her.

"What is she..." Moon started.

Pluto groaned. "Damn that girl. Don't worry, she'll be okay."

"So, you can go anywhere from here?" Mars-beta asked.

Pluto nodded, and a 'hole' appeared in one of the walls, showing a city with thousands of youma in it... And also thousands of humans, all following orders obediently. "I can also see what's going on everywhere from here."

"Who needs Uncle Sam when we have Aunt Setsuna?" Dragon Venus joked.

"Beryl is still in the Dark Kingdom," Mars-beta noted.

"I know, but going there would be... Unwise," Pluto explained. "We'll be better off fighting them from Tokyo."

"Then why bother coming here?" Mars-beta asked.

"Because we need to plan," Mercury-beta said, "we need to make our victory as certain as possible."

ChibiMoon walked back to them, apparently coming out of the large gate at the end of the corridor, but without it opening. "Just as I thought."

"Where did you go?" Moon asked.

"The future. There's no Crystal Tokyo there, that's all I'm going to say."

"Crystal Tokyo?" Mars-beta said.

"Nothing you should be worrying about," Pluto said icily. "So now, what's your plan?"

* * *

Back in the other universe, four familiar figures crawled out of the sewers, and looked around. "That place stinks."

Luna frowned. "I know, daughter, but it has to be there, somewhere. "

"Maybe we should ask the Senshi for help," Artemis noted.

"Chasing a ghost?" Diana muttered.

"It's no ghost, I know it's there," Luna said.

* * *

It was still weak, yes, but it had grown in power with each passing battle. It had no name, no shape, no mind. It was just a force, a raw, unchecked force that had grown strong enough now to feed on more than leftovers from those battles. Soon, it would be able to attack those who had created it. To feed on the Senshi and their emotions.

To utterly destroy them. But it was mere instinct driving it to do so. Instinct that had so far been happy enough with surviving, but now wanted more. It wanted to hunt.

Maybe it was time to stop hiding, yes. Time to confront the beings it had sensed roaming around its hiding place. Time to start feeding. Time to hunt.

* * *

**A/N:** What is 'it' you ask? Something that'll give Senshi hell pretty soon.


	173. Army Of Darkness

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 16: Dark Empire.**

**Episode 173: Army Of Darkness.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 9, 2008_

* * *

Beryl looked at the youma kneeling in front of her, and frowned. "What is it? I hope you're not bothering me for some insignificant matter. You know what happens to those who bother me."

The youma knew it all too well, he'd seen Beryl vaporize one or two messengers that had brought up issues she wasn't interested in. Fortunately for him, the matter at hand was very important. "Empress, our sensors in Tokyo detected the two Senshi's return... But they bring along a whole army of Senshi."

"I see..." Beryl said, standing up from the throne. "Those are indeed important news," she added, which gave the youma messenger a bit of hope, "but they're not good news."

Life's just not fair, the creature thought before being blasted to dust.

* * *

"Hmph, it's taking them long enough," Jupiter commented.

"Beryl will surely send normal youma first, or her cyborgs," Mercury-beta said, "if we beat them, there's a high chance her spawns will come forth next."

"So she'll be hiding," Dragon Mars said.

"She'll be waiting, tiring us slowly," Mars-beta said, "and then strike when she knows we're weakened."

"Then you two, and the two Moons, shouldn't get into the fight until Beryl shows up," Mercury said.

Mercury-beta frowned. "But that's..."

"Don't underestimate us," Mercury warned.

"I'm not, you're overestimating your own power," the other said with a glare.

"Keep that up, and I'm leaving."

"Hah. As if we needed a weak version of myself around."

That was quite enough to make Mercury lose her temper, but someone beat her to it. In a blink, Dragon Mercury was pinning Mercury-beta to a wall, his sword on her throat. "We've gone through hell too, but know what? I think you should keep on blaming us. Blame us for becoming a cold-hearted bitch, that'll sure make everything better. "

"Terry..."

The Dragon turned to Mercury. "She's not you, Ami. She may look like you, but she's not a Senshi, just a revenge-fueled shell of one."

Mercury-beta snorted at that, and punched the Dragon away. "Yes, I'm not her, I'm what she would be if she was a real warrior."

Mercury glared at her counterpart, mentally summoning her sword. "That's enough, you..."

Moon stood between the two. "Yes, that's enough. Stop it now, we need to focus."

"Tell your pet to be quiet, then," Mercury-beta snapped as Mercury walked away.

Moon looked at the alternate Senshi for a second, then slapped her. "It's not our fault your friends are dead, and we're not doing this for you. Heck, if you hadn't followed us here, we wouldn't be here. "

Mercury-beta looked at Moon for a second, then growled. "You... You hurt me? How is that possible?"

"You really forgot," Moon said. "I don't think you will be able to defeat Beryl, not until you remember what being a Senshi is about. "

Mars-beta helped her friend up as Moon walked away. "Way to go, Ami. "

"Shut up."

"I'm serious. We don't need them as enemies."

"We're your allies, but you're pushing it," Moon said turning back to them.

"Sorry to interrupt your fun, but they're here," Saturn said pointing north. As the others looked in that direction, they could see a horde of youma coming their way.

"Why can't these be like the youma back home?" Dragon Venus muttered.

"Because those aren't evil anymore, but these already took over the world?" Dragon Sun mused.

Mercury-beta overheard that and gasped. Youma not evil? What the hell did that mean? She'd have to ask these

* * *

"Oh, you are awake."

The woman looked around, sensing several souls in the area. She sat up and growled. She was sitting on some kind of makeshift bed, and her body wasn't as hurt as she would think it should be after the beating she got. "Where am I?"

"Do not worry. We are not going to harm you, in fact we are the reason you are still alive."

"I thank you for that, then."

Onara walked into lit area around the makeshift bed and smiled. "All we ask in return, is that you help us defeating the Senshi."

"Hmph. I work on my own."

"And you see where that brought you," another voice, this one female, said.

Black Lady snorted. "The Senshi got lucky, that's all."

"Yeah, that was my excuse, too," Rubeus said walking out of the shadows.

"Hmm, I see... Fallen enemies of the Senshi, all united for a common goal. How cute."

"The way I see it, you can either obey me, or go out there and fight the Senshi alone," the woman known as A said as she also walked into the light.

Black Lady blinked. She was sure she had never seen this one. Golden hair, golden skin, even her eyes matched the pattern. "Who the heck are you?"

"Name's A, but the Senshi knew me as Aurite."

"I'm surprised the Senshi don't know you're around."

"They do know there's someone out there, but they have no idea it's us."

"I hope you know asking me to follow orders is useless."

"I was told so, yes," Aurite noted, "but I think you'll like what I'm planning."

"Okay, I'm listening."

* * *

He wasn't sure how many youma he had killed, but he lost count at around fifty, and that was several minutes ago. His suit wasn't blue anymore, it was stained with blood of several colors, and none of it was his.

And he wasn't the only one fighting, either. Everywhere around him, his friends were taking down youma as fast as him, or even faster. But just like with the spaceships they fought before, there were always more of them to fight.

ChibiMoon, Moon and the two alternates weren't fighting, following Mercury's advice. True, if they wanted to defeat Beryl, they would need at least those four in top shape. Pluto, surprisingly, had been fighting along with them, and if he was nearing a hundred kills right now, she could be nearing one thousand.

He heard a shout, and turned to the side. He could see Dragon Mars was down, and Mars was wrapped in fire. Enemies never learnt that it wasn't wise to piss off a Senshi. And Mars was far from being the exception to that rule. Soon enough, the girl had transformed, and prepared to show off her Guardian level attack.

"Mars' Hell..." The size of the flame now floating in front of Mars was quite unsetting, and the youma in the area around her had started to make a swift retreat. But she wasn't about to let them go after they hurt Yuu. "... Firebird!"

The creature that shot out of the flame was twice as big as her old Fire Soul Bird, and looked many times more dangerous than it. It fled at almost ground level, its flames turning any youma that was too unfortunate to be in its pat into cinder. Mars was apparently too focused in the bird, and one daring youma silently approached her from behind. Dragon Mercury was about to shout a warning, but he saw Mars was smiling.

And, a second later, the area around Mars was surrounded by her trademark fiery dome. When the dome vanished, though, there were no traces of the attacker, and Mars shrugged as she once again focused on the bird that was burning dozens of monsters to ashes.

Saturn, who had just gotten there, frowned. "Everyone's getting new pets but me."

"Just heal him, quick," Mars said.

"Yes, that's what I planned to do."

* * *

Jupiter was quite unphased by the youma numbers. She just kept on moving, punching and kicking at the monsters without stopping to look back. She didn't need to, with her current strength, she could punch or kick through these youma like they were made of butter.

Of course, what her suit was covered in wasn't exactly butter. She found it fun to see how many colors youma blood had. She slapped a monster away and looked for another target...

And that's when she saw it, Earth was being crowded by the youma. While Earth wasn't a weakling, she also didn't have the improved strength Jupiter had. "Karin!"

"Jungle Wrath!" Earth used her attack to blast a few youma dead, but it still wasn't enough. She was again swarmed, and this time the youma started trying to slash her down. With so many of them around, it was just a matter of time before she got hit.

Not that Jupiter was letting that happen. "Stay away from her. Jupiter Guardian Power!" The youma felt the energy spike, and forgot about Earth. They all stared in wonder at the literal wall of lightning that surrounded Jupiter while her transformation took place.

"Mako..."

Jupiter's transformation ended, and she smiled at Earth before turning serious "Karin, just stand still now."

"Huh?" Earth was confused. What was Jupiter planning?

Jupiter smiled as she rose her hand, a strange-looking orb in her hand. "Jupiter Magnetic... Core!"

As the orb was tossed her way, Earth realized what it was. Electricity and magnetism were linked, yeah, but if this attack was laced with magic, would it be able to pull metal out of a wide area? No, her guess was wrong. The orb wasn't meant to attract metals, but... She stared in awe as youma fled right into the orb, which grew in size with each youma it trapped inside.

Jupiter smiled as the orb dragged in all youma in a quite large area, but then kneeled on the ground, and the orb vanished. "Damn... "

"Are you okay?" Earth asked walking to her.

"Yeah, just... New attack, tired, the usual."

Earth smiled. "I know what you mean." She looked around and flinched. It was a good thing that attack apparently affected only evil creatures... "Try to recover, I'll protect you."

Jupiter smiled back at her. "Thanks."

"No, thanks to you, those bugs almost get me."

* * *

"Damn it, I wish I could be fighting too."

Mars-beta turned to look at ChibiMoon with an amused look. "You sure you're her daughter?"

ChibiMoon growled. "I've already told you two not to..."

"Sorry, it's just that our Usagi was so... Not eager to fight, and... "

"And so I am," Moon said, "but I'm usually the only one who can defeat the enemy."

Mercury-beta looked at her for a second and opened her mouth to speak, but then shook her head and turned back to the battle.

Mars-beta scowled. "Too bad we won't get her back."

Moon sighed. "With the Ginzuishou, you just might."

That caught Mercury-beta's interest. "What do you mean?"

"Luna told me, some time ago, that once I got to the right level, I would be able to revive others. Maybe it's the Ginzuishou itself that grants me that power, but so far I haven't been able to use that skill."

Mercury-beta blinked. "Maybe with our power level..."

"First, we have to get Beryl. We have to make her pay for what she did."

"Wrong. First you'll have to get past us."

Moon looked to the side, and frowned. "The DD Girls..."

"Morganite and Goshenite, too," ChibiMoon said. "Think we should... "

Saturn appeared near her. "No, save your power for the bitch queen, we'll take care of the bitch princesses."

"All seven of them," Mars noted as she walked to them.

"Hey!" Morganite snapped.

Moon smiled. Her friends had the tactical advantage here... They had already fought them in the past, but Beryl's children hadn't faced them before in this world. "Good luck, girls."

Mars smirked. "Yeah, you just slack off until the big bad boss arrives."

Moon knew Mars meant no offence, but sometimes she did have a quite strange way of showing respect.

* * *

Aurite looked at Black Lady. "So, what do you think?"

"I like your plan, yes, but there's one little problem."

"And that is..."

Black Lady smiled, her hands suddenly wrapped in black fire. "I will put your plans into action, but not as your underling."

Aurite laughed. "Oh darkness, I saw that coming. If a beating is what you want, a beating is what you'll get."

"And here I forgot the popcorn," Rubeus commented. The other members of their alliance just looked at him, shrugged and turned back to the fight as it started.

* * *

**A/N:** Jupiter's new attack's really... Sucky.

And I hope 'A's true identity wasn't a surprise at all.

_SailorStar9:_ Yep, that's exactly what 'it' is.

_SolarWinds:_ Way back? I don't think I introduced it that long ago... Then again, I kinda lost track of episode numbers by now. Heck, by my first draft, this fic should only have seven episodes left. But right now, we're far from the ending.

Also, after this arc's done, I'm going to take a short break from Chronicles, but not from writing. I want to work on some of my other projects, and my so-called original works that never really got too far.

Maybe I'll write a bit of Crystal and Aeons too. There's no much left to spoil anyhow.


	174. Beryl's Best

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 16: Dark Empire.**

**Episode 174: Beryl's Best.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 12, 2008_

* * *

Dragon Sun frowned. "What kind of name is 'DD Girls' anyhow?"

Dragon Mercury snorted. "I still think it's their bra size."

"Focus," Dragon Earth noted, "these are Beryl's spawns, I don't think they'll be as weak as the ones we fought before."

Mercury-beta frowned. Were these Senshi really strong enough to take on this? Youma were still showing up constantly, and now beryl's spawns too, it would be...

Moon seemed to guess her thoughts and shook her head. "Ami, you have to trust them. I know your Usagi was like me, so I know she would agree. If we fight now, then Beryl will attack us when we're tired, and that's just what she wants."

Mercury-beta snorted. What did this girl know of... No, she had already alienated even Terry by thinking that way... She realized she would've alienated this world's Terry too with such an attitude. They were right, acting like she had to them wouldn't solve a thing. She didn't know what they'd been through in their world, she didn't know if they had already faced enemies stronger than Beryl, but she could guess they had. Moreso, they had shown a fighting skill that she would've never guessed possible. "How is it possible... I mean, Rei or Mako, I would understand, but everyone..."

"As we said, you're underestimating us," ChibiMoon said. "They've been training for years now. Even Moon's quite good at melee."

"Now that's... Amazing," Mars-beta commented.

"It is, isn't it?" Moon mused. "I guess I... After a while, I realized I was starting to lag behind, that it didn't matter how strong my magic was, I wasn't much of a help when it came to fighting enemies in close range."

Mars-beta smiled sadly. "Yeah, our Usagi was pretty useless for that. "

"Ours isn't," ChibiMoon said. "My mother's a great warrior."

"Just how... You say you're her daughter? How can that be?"

ChibiMoon nodded at Mercury-beta. "It involves an alien invasion and time travelling, but basically, I showed up in her era after the Dark Kingdom was dealt with."

"But you're the same age as her," Mars-beta noted.

"No, I'm three years younger," ChibiMoon said. "It'd take a long time to explain it all, and you wouldn't believe it anyhow."

"No, I believe you," Mercury-beta said, "I just wanted to know why you're here and not in the future."

"That's... Something I'd rather not talk about," ChibiMoon said.

"But..." Mercury-beta said, but then noticed Moon's stare.

"Something happened that forced her to come back to stay," Moon said, "that's all you need to know."

"Right," Mercury-beta muttered. Turning back to the fight, she could see the Senshi were still fighting, but she could tell their energy was going down steadily. If Beryl didn't show up soon, they'd be forced to rush in and help.

* * *

The battle was still raging, and the Senshi knew Beryl's strategy was partially working. They were running out of energy, and quite fast, and the bosses were just waiting for the right time to strike.

"This is no good. Maybe those alternates were right."

Lilith looked at Earth and frowned. "Karin, don't give up. We can beat them." She sounded more sure of it than she really was, as her weapons and her luck hadn't stopped the youma from scoring a shallow wound on her right leg.

Earth scanned the area. Where was Jupiter? There. She was near them, yes, but after her magnetic stunt, youma had singled her out. "Mako..."

Lilith frowned as she saw Dragon Sun was being used as a punching bag nearby. "Damn, this... I've had enough of these youma!"

Earth saw Lilith's body shine and smiled. Yes, she was also quite sick of this battle already. It was time to show youma what Senshi could do when cornered. "Earth Guardian Power!"

"Lilith Guardian Power!"

Lilith rushed to where Dragon Sun was as soon as she upgraded. She tossed the dice at the crowd of youma attacking him, and smiled. "Double six, lucky."

Dragon Sun used the distraction of the youma (who were wondering just what the heck those dice were,) to leap out of the crowd. "I never saw you get a double six before."

"I never got one in battle."

"What's it do?" Dragon Sun asked.

"Just this," Lilith said. "Ultimate Karma."

As she said that, the dice exploded, but not in a blast of fire, ice, electricity, or anything else, but as a combined blast of all elements. As the explosion passed, Dragon Sun could see most youma in the area were dust in the wind. He turned to Lilith, however, and paled. "Chie?"

Lilith was lying on the ground, but managed to smile at him weakly. "I'm... Okay, just... Too tired."

Dragon Sun picked her up and sighed. "I'll get you out of here."

"I... Sorry."

Dragon Sun looked at Lilith, who was now unconscious, and smiled. "Sorry for what, for saving me?"

* * *

Earth, meanwhile, had been targeted by the youma in her immediate area as soon as she transformed. She wasn't planning to fight them all in melee, but still, them getting close to her would make things a lot more easier. She leapt up, dodging the youma that were charging at her, and her crystal appeared, lighting up as she fell. "Fissure Trap!"

She punched the ground hard, causing a small crack to appear, then leapt up and to her airboard. The crack grew until it was several meters long, then widened to a large hole, causing all the youma in its range to fall down. Earth looked down at the youma trying to crawl out of the deep hole she had created, then shook her head. "Sorry, you were bad boys, so you're grounded." As she said that, the hole closed up, crushing all the creatures inside.

"That was a bad pun. You shouldn't be around Terry and Brad so much.

Earth turned to see Mako sitting on her own airboard. She was panting, and she had a few thin blood lines in her chest, arms and legs. "Damn, Mako, what happened?"

"There's too many of those critters, and I'm out of power after my own stunt."

Taking a look around, Earth located Lilith... Dragon Sun was carrying her in his arms as he floated to them. "Damn, Chie..."

Dragon Sun shrugged. "She's just unconscious, she saved my useless self..."

"You're not useless," Earth said. "Chie wouldn't be dating you if you were."

"Point taken."

Jupiter was meanwhile looking around. "Everyone..."

Earth looked down and flinched. The DD Girls were fighting one Senshi each, and apparently winning. "That's not possible, how can they..."

"They're using Metallia's power, and the power of the Ginzuishou too, " Dragon Sun said, "at least that's what I can guess."

"We have to help them," Jupiter said standing up.

"You're in no condition to fight," Earth chided.

"I may not be able to use magic, but I can do something else," Jupiter said.

Lilith woke up and noticed where she was. "Uhm... Hi." She said looking up at the Dragon with a blush.

"You had me worried for a while," Dragon Sun said.

Lilith smiled. "You can put me down now."

"I don't mind carrying you around, though."

Lilith's blush deepened. "Kage..."

"Gotcha." Dragon Sun muttered.

Lilith summoned her own board and leapt to it. "So, what did I miss?"

"The DD Girls are apparently way stronger than we remember," Jupiter said. "We should split and go help the others."

"Sounds fun," Earth said. True, she couldn't summon another magic attack right now, but that left her with only her favorite way of fighting.

* * *

Aurite simply couldn't believe this. Black Lady, what was she? The gold-haired youma had spent years training, secretly gathering energy, researching... All that just to have some upstart evil clone take over? No, that wasn't going to happen. Not while she was alive.

Black Lady smiled. Yes, their fight had been quite intense, and they had pretty much wrecked the area, but she knew what the outcome would be from the start. "Are you ready to give up?"

Onara and the others watched the fight from a distance, and could see it was about to end. Both Aurite and Black Lady were visibly tired, and both had scored many hits on each other. However, Aurite was the only one bleeding. "Good thing they moved their fight outside the base. I would hate having to rebuild it all from zero."

Aurite snarled. "Giving up? I'd rather die than give up my leadership!" She gathered all the energy she could spare into one small yet incredibly powerful energy ball, which she then tossed at Black Lady.

Black Lady, however, grabbed the ball as it reached her and smiled. "It's over, Aurite," she said as the energy ball exploded in a shower of sparks.

"No, that's..." She looked at Black Lady, who was walking to her, and frowned. "Damn it... I admit defeat, kill me and be done with it. "

"Kill you?" Black Lady snorted. "And what good would that do to me? You're far more useful as a soldier than as cinder in a jar."

"If you keep me alive, then I'll..."

"You will what? The way I see it, you can either become my soldier, or go and fight the Senshi alone."

Aurite growled as she realized the situation had really reversed. "I see, then... I will be one of your soldiers."

"Good. Anyone else wants to fight me for the position?"

The others shrugged. "As long as I get to kill a few Senshi," Rubeus said, "I don't mind who the boss is."

Kaorinite nodded. "I just want to kill Uranus and Neptune, really. "

"And I want to get revenge for my former boss," Vulture added.

Black Lady nodded and turned to Onara. "I want to see all the data you have about the Runes Aurite spoke of."

"Let us go back inside, then," Onara said.

* * *

**A/N:** _SolarWinds:_ I think I've already mentioned that, Karin should be pronounced 'Kah-reen.' Then again, English isn't my native language, and to me Karin is pronounced just as it reads.

Sequel... I don't have any sequel to Cyber Moon planned, but the saga's still far from it's ending.

About pets... Don't boy/girlfriends count? Just kidding. Not all the Senshi will get a 'pet' attack.

_SolarWinds:_ Oh, the two 'she' you mentioned are two different characters, but there's no mystery around them. First one, the 'she' mentioned by the Hunters, was ChibiMoon. They knew she was going to come back to the present, and wanted to kill the Senshi before she got there. And for the second 'she,' that was ol'good Beryl overestimating herself while inside Yuki's mind.

This new enemy lurking around is, in a way, stronger than Beryl herself, and that's all I'm going to say about it.

_SailorStar9:_ Bet others are wondering the same. Power levels are as follows, from weaker to stronger: Normal, Twilight, Star, Cosmic, Guardian, Eternal, Holy and Aeon. That last level won't be seen in Chronicles, but an attack of that level was already shown.

As for how powerful the Holy level attacks are, well, they're a hundred times stronger than those of an Eternal level.


	175. Dark Empress

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 16: Dark Empire.**

**Episode 175: Dark Empress.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 14, 2008_

* * *

Dragon Earth used his sword to deflect an energy blast, then tried to slash his foe down. Cerax, however, floated up and away from him, and laughed.

"You Senshi are so weak..."

"Heave ho!"

Dragon Earth turned to the side and saw Dragon Mercury, who was just done knocking Arax into Cerax, smiling. "Heave ho?"

"The 'ho' part, mostly."

Meters away from them, Mars was fighting Darax. She was out of magic, yes, but she could still kick this girl's rear. Even without her shield. "Tired yet?"

Darax, who had floated away from her, snorted. "Not at all, but you can't hit me from there, can you?"

"She can't, but I can."

Darax turned around to see a dish antenna speeding to her, with such a speed it made it impossible to dodge. "What the darkness..."

Mars watched as Jupiter run to the fallen youma, punching the top of the dish she was trapped under so hard it sunk into the ground. "Ookay, that's a new one."

Darax blasted the dish to dust, then laughed. "Pitiful humans, I'm going to..." She felt the pain and looked down to see a glaive shooting out of her chest. "Darkness, that hurts..."

Saturn picked up her glaive as Darax vanished. "They're easy to ambush."

Mars chuckled. "Nice trick."

"I was saving it for something like this," Saturn noted. "Everyone thinks glaives are just melee weapons, but with this one's shape, I can also use it as a spear."

"How come you're not tired yet?" Jupiter noted.

Saturn shrugged. "I've gotten better at draining critters. Wanna see?"

Jupiter looked around and noticed there were no youma near them. "Uhm, I'll pass."

"Same here."

"Ice Dragon!"

The three saw Arax and Cerax rush by, chased closely by a truck-sized icy dragon. "Terry's new pet, I bet," Jupiter noted.

The dragon caught up with Arax, and tackled her to the ground. Instead of attacking her, it simply vanished, the ice energy all going into Arax's body and freezing her instantly.

"That's one cool way to die," Saturn noted.

"She's making jokes, run for the hills!" Mars exclaimed.

"... If that was supposed to be funny, you've failed," Saturn commented.

* * *

Borax and Eirax were meanwhile fighting Nemesis, Dragon Moon and Dragon Mars. They had the upper hand, and the two Dragons were now out of power, so they only had to get rid of Nemesis.

"Let's play with this one, sister," Borax said.

Eirax frowned. "No. The other Senshi are busy now, but we should hurry up and kill this one."

Nemesis looked at the two youma, who were busy chatting, and flinched. "This is bad..." She heard a grunt and turned to Dragon Moon. "Don't strain yourself."

"But you can't beat them alone."

Nemesis smiled. "I was once stronger than even Moon herself," she noticed, "and I think I can still win my own battles." She turned to the two youma and growled. "Hey, you two!"

"What?" Borax snapped looking down at her.

"Just this... Nemesis Guardian Power!"

"Oh shit," Eirax muttered. "Kill her!" she snapped as she rushed at Nemesis.

"Eirax, wait!" Borax shouted. However, it was too late. "Damn..."

Eirax had felt a couple sharp stings on her sides as soon as she landed, and now she realized her error. Being so focused in killing Nemesis, she had failed to see the two Dragons were up. "You fucking... humans..."

Dragon Moon looked at Dragon Mars, who had stabbed Eirax at about the same time he did, and smiled. "Got her, huh?"

Dragon Mars nodded, idly noticing Eirax was vanishing. "Now let's get out of the way."

"Sounds good."

Borax let out a battle scream and rushed at the two Dragons. However, something stopped her, not something physical, but... Nemesis' eyes, they were pure darkness! "You... What are you..."

"Those like you, who let darkness control them, will always fall before me, who controls darkness," Nemesis snapped.

"Hahahaha! That was cute," Borax snapped, trying too hard to not look scared to the bone, which she quite was.

"Cute? I'll show you cute," Nemesis said. "Nightmare..." As she said that, several figures appeared around Borax, all looking identical to her. "Illusion!" the figures all shouted in unison, then all rushed at Borax.

Which? Which one was the real one? Borax suddenly laughed. She knew what the trick was, and she was going to get Nemesis off guard. "Die!" She shot a ring of energy all around her, causing all the figures to vanish. "What?"

"No," Nemesis said from above her. "You die."

Dragon Moon flinched as Nemesis fell from above, impaling Borax with her spear. The dark energy that had formed all the clones was sucked in by the spear, and then exploded out, not letting any trace of Borax around. "Shit, I want to get to that level already," he muttered.

Nemesis picked up her spear and leaned on it. "Damn, I'm really out of energy now."

"We did our part," Dragon Mars said, "let's trust the others."

* * *

Cerax looked around and frowned. Something was hitting her, something she couldn't see, but what? She felt another hit to the head, then to the chest, and she fell on her knees. "Who are you?"

Venus stopped meters away from her and smiled. "I'm Bat-- No, I mean, I'm Sailor Venus, your doom."

Cerax laughed weakly. "My doom? Right then, go ahead and finish me off."

"Inferno."

Venus frowned as Cerax was burnt to ashes. "Damn, Brad, I had her under control."

"Eeeh... Oops?"

Venus stroke a pose. "For stealing my kill, I will punish you!"

"Is that a promise?" Dragon Venus teased.

"... Damn, you even ruin my threats, you silly."

"Oh come on, we both knew what you meant," Dragon Venus added.

Venus looked around and chuckled. "We'll see about that... When we get back home."

* * *

Morganite and Goshenite were, thus far, the hardest foes to defeat. Youma around the area were slowly growing sparse, apparently Beryl's army wasn't infinite, so the Senshi were mostly recovering their strength for the incoming fight against Beryl.

Uranus and Neptune had taken on Morganite, while Dragon Sun and Lilith took on Goshenite. While together, Beryl's kids were nearly invincible, but once split, they could be beaten.

That would be the case, however, if the Senshi weren't fresh out of power.

Morganite had just punched Neptune away, and parried Uranus' sword slash with one of his arm spikes "You little bitch, don't you see you can't defeat me?"

Uranus leapt away and panted. True, they were losing this fight, but they had a way to solve it. They had really fallen behind, if even Lilith was one level above them now... But not anymore. "It's time to..."

"... Start taking this seriously," Neptune completed, standing up.

"Uranus Guardian Power."

"Neptune Guardian Power."

Goshenite heard that just as she deflected one of Dragon Sun's attacks. "Damn, brother..."

Dragon Sun rushed at her. "You have to get through us first!"

Goshenite snorted and shot a blast at Dragon Sun. The blast missed him, however, and she frowned. "What the..."

Lilith smiled. "Gotcha," she said as Dragon Sun stabbed through the evil woman.

"Lucky... Bitch..."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Lilith mused.

Back with Morganite, things weren't looking good. He knew the two had grown stronger, and if he let them attack... No, he had to get them before that. He started running to them, but wasn't fast enough, and their transformation ended before he could get them. "Damn you Senshi..."

"Tornado Hold!" Uranus' attack wasn't really meant for damage, but still, the raging winds wrapped around Morganite, lifting him up and effectively immobilizing him. "Your turn," Uranus said as she struggled to keep the tornado up.

Neptune smiled. "Here goes... Aqua Whirlpool!" She shot a jet of water, which mixed with the tornado, creating a vortex of water and wind. However, while the wind wasn't touching Morganite, the water was, shooting off the tornado like thin liquid blades, cutting into his skin again and again. "Can't keep this up for much..."

"Sun Guardian Power!"

Morganite heard that and frowned. The pain caused by the water jumping at him constantly didn't even let him focus enough to think, much less to phase out of the tornado. But he didn't know the pain was almost over, though not in the way he would like it to.

"Sun Gravity Crusher!"

The youma didn't even feel the ball of gravity hit him. He didn't have enough time to feel any pain before the gravity inside said ball crushed him to an almost microscopic spot of matter.

Neptune kneeled on the ground and sighed. "Nasty way to die."

Uranus nodded in agreement. "Now what's left besides Beryl?"

Just as she said that, a horde of Omegas appeared all around the area. "Haruka..."

"Oops," Uranus muttered.

* * *

"Damn it," Moon said, "everyone's out of power. We can't..."

"I'll take care of that," Pluto said appearing near them, along with the rest of the Senshi. "Chrono Break!"

Mercury-beta saw the blast hit one of the Omega, and then they all vanished. "Just what the hell..."

"Exactly," Pluto mused. "I've sent them all to the center of the Sun. " She was now leaning on her staff for support, as she had used most of her power for that blast. "The rest's up to you," she said turning to the two alternates and the Double Moon.

* * *

Beryl had been watching the battle, but now she realized she could lose this war after all. Her own troops were depleted, her Omega now destroyed, her own children killed by those Senshi...

She could pull youma out from the many settlements around the Earth, but what good would that do? No, she would end this war for good. But before that, she would literally kill two birds with one stone.

* * *

Luna looked around and panted. "Damn... That thing is..."

"It's good we got you back," Artemis said. He wasn't looking too healthy right now, true, but it was a miracle any of them was alive after fighting _that thing_.

Diana crawled to them. "We have to... We have to warn them. If they come back, that thing will surely attack them."

Shade was leaning on a wall near the three, and sighed. "For now, we need to recover."

"But if we stay here..."

Luna shook her head. "Daughter, it won't attack us again. It'll look for new targets."

"I hope that theory's right," Diana muttered, "because I don't feel like fighting it again.

* * *

Beryl appeared meters away from the group, and laughed. "You kids... I must admit you were stronger than I thought, but you also played along with what I planned."

Mars-beta growled. "Beryl, we're going to kill you."

"I doubt it," Beryl said calmly. "Not after I get a second crystal." She shot a thin dark beam and chuckled.

Moon thought, for a second, that the blast was meant for her, but then heard a gasp to her side. She turned to look at her daugther, who was now kneeling on the ground, blood pouring out of wounds in both her front and back, and screamed.

"An eye for an eye, Princess," Beryl said, then noticed something. The crystal, the one she knew the pink-haired brat had, was now being held by someone else.

"Indeed, an eye for an eye," Saturn said coldly just as the Ginzuishou in her hands lit up.

* * *

**A/N:** Useless little fact: Chronicles is now over four hundred thousand words. It definitely grew more than I first expected it to.

Can Saturn use the Ginzuishou's power? Not to its fullest, just like Beryl... But it'll still be one damn good fight.

And what is the 'it' the Mooncats mention? Don't be impatient, soon you'll find out. And so will the Senshi. It'll be fun... For 'it.'

_SolarWinds:_ Lilith is a name that shows up in many legends, but one of them was that of a second Moon for the Earth. I however took the scientific theory of there once being a planet where the asteroid belt is now, and used it in Genesis, giving the planet that name.

'Ironic' as it is, Lilith is the Senshi of Luck, but her planet was the unluckiest of them all.


	176. Twilight Future

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 16: Dark Empire.**

**Episode 176: Twilight Future.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 14, 2008_

* * *

Beryl looked at Saturn and laughed. "Little girl, one like you already tried to destroy me."

"She was lacking something," Saturn said, "and I don't mean just power. You gave me a reason to destroy you. Saturn Guardian Power!"

The few youma still alive in the battlefield immediately realized what that meant, and all rushed to attack Saturn as one. Beryl smiled at that. "This will be fun."

Saturn finished her transformation and smiled back, coldly. "It sure will. Death Legion!"

To everyone's surprise, wraiths started shooting out of Saturn's glaive. It wasn't the kind of creature that surprised them, but the numbers. There were easily a hundred of these ghosts, all homing into one of the youma, and all succeeded in their attack. "This can't..." Beryl started as her youma were all killed in one single strike. "You bitch..."

Mercury-beta looked at Moon. "Moon, we need your help."

Moon was looking at her daugher's still body. "I... I can't..."

Dragon Mercury walked to them. "Usagi, get a hold of yourself."

"He's right," Mars-beta said, "we need you to defeat Beryl."

Dragon Mercury nodded. "And I'll take care of this. Saturn Guardian..."

Mercury put a hand on his shoulder. "Terry, you're too weak, you could..."

Dragon Mercury ignored that. "You know I have to."

"I'll do that myself," Saturn shouted.

"Right," Dragon Mercuy muttered.

Moon stood up. "I... I can't defeat Beryl. I can feel how much power she has..."

"Maybe if you got to our level..." Mercury-beta said.

"I can't do that, either," Moon said. "But maybe..."

Saturn walked to Beryl, her wraiths all swirling around her. "It's time to die, youma."

Beryl laughed and her black Ginzuishou lit up. "I don't think so."

Saturn smiled and pointed her glaive at the evil queen. The wraiths all shot in that direction, tackling Beryl as one. "Die already, monster."

_'Hotaru, stop it.'_

Saturn frowned. That voice... But it couldn't be... "ChibiUsa?"

_'If you try to kill Beryl, you'll die too.'_

Saturn flinched. The wraiths had drained quite a lot of power from the youma, but it paled compared to the power Beryl had. It didn't matter whether the voice in her head was really ChibiUsa or not, it was right, she couldn't beat this foe. "Damn it..." She dismissed her attack and teleported to where the others were. "Moon, I'm sorry."

Moon smiled. "It's okay, Hotaru. I think only two of us can defeat her."

Mercury-beta frowned. "But we already tried, and we failed. We couldn't avenge our friends, and now..."

"Vengeance is a powerful weapon, but sometimes you have to remember what your mission really is."

Mars-beta frowned at Saturn's words. "We're the protectors of this world."

Moon nodded. Saturn was focused in bringing ChibiMoon back, so she could worry about something else. "But something I've learnt after all these years is that sometimes you can't do it alone, that's the reason we're a team. I may not be able to defeat Beryl myself, but I can give you a part of my energy."

Mars looked as the two alternates were hit by white energy beams, then noticed something. "Beryl isn't moving."

Mercury was scanning the evil queen. "Saturn's attack drained her badly, and she's trying to recover."

Mercury-beta chuckled. "Too bad she won't have a chance."

Mars-beta looked at her friend and nodded. "Yeah, it's time for this war to end."

"What do they..." Jupiter started.

"Mars Holy Power!"

"Mercury Holy Power!"

Beryl paled. It couldn't be, she had stalled these two for years, she almost had them, and now... All because of that Moon bitch. "You two can't defeat me!"

"Funny last words," Mercury-beta snapped. Her suit was much like the one Mercury had seen the alternate ChibiMoon using, only blue. "Mercury Endless Winter!"

Before Beryl could react, a blizzard started, all around her, and the air itself became so cold it cut her skin, the snow circling her only making it worse. But that was just a part of the real pain to come.

"Mars Inferno Demon!"

For a moment, everyone thought Mars had missed. But then, they saw a large fire construct, coming out of the ground under Beryl, and crushing her with it's arms. The demon seemed unaffected by the cold, and gave out a deep laughter before exploding.

And the explosion itself was strong enough to knock everyone down. As they stood up, however, they saw Beryl was no more, and the black, dull Ginzuishou was all that had been left behind. "We did it," Mercury-beta said.

"Yes, we..." Mars-beta started, then both of them fell unconscious.

Saturn looked at them. "They're just resting." She then noticed her 'patient' was stirring and smiled. "Chibi..."

ChibiMoon sat up and blinked. "Wha... Ugh, now I know how that feels."

Saturn kissed her softly and then chuckled. "Too bad you missed the beating I gave that witch."

Moon limped to them. "That woman got us with our guards down."

Saturn smiled. "Here."

ChibiMoon looked at the Ginzuishou. Her Ginzuishou. Why was Saturn... "What, you mean you..."

"I wasn't really thinking," Saturn admitted, "but it worked out in the end."

"What do we do about the sleeping ones?" Dragon Mercury asked?

"Let them rest. We all need some rest before going back home," Pluto commented.

"Let's go to the Twilight Zone, then," Dragon Venus said.

Pluto cringed. "And so the nicknaming begins."

* * *

Mars looked at the army in front of them. "They really do think they can beat us."

Mercury nodded. "I thought once Beryl was gone, they would surrender, but I guess youma are just too used to fighting humans."

Mars thought back about all that had happened last month. The Senshi from the other dimension had left, as they had done what they promised, helping them defeat Beryl. Minutes after they were gone, too, Mercury realized the teleporters were gone, and so were the blueprints she had found. Apparently, while Moon had started trusting them, Pluto was no taking any risks about it.

There were still dozens of youma colonies and capitals to retake. They had to rebuild their world from the ashes left by the youma, and from there see what the future would bring. And, of course, Mercury wasn't giving up hope, she was researching on the Ginzuishou whenever she could. If there was a way to bring her friends back, she was going to find it.

Their story didn't have a happy ending. At least, not yet. But they wouldn't give up hope, they would bring peace again to their world. It was just a matter of time.

"Senshi, this is your last chance to surrender to our mighty lord Xeonite! What is your answer?"

Xeonite, Mars mused. What a stupid name, even for a youma. "Here's our answer, youma. Inferno Demon!"

Mercury saw the faces of all the youma assembled. The demon had attacked only their leader, and had the desired effect on the others. As the 'army' run away as fast as their legs let them, she couldn't help but chuckle. "Sometimes I wish there was something to fight that was worth our time."

Mars frowned. "Ami, ever heard the saying 'careful what you wish for?'"

"Yes, but I'm not superstitious."

* * *

Back in the other world, meanwhile, the group had pretty much recovered. Only two days had passed for them since they got back, but some of them had the feeling something wasn't right, that something was out there, waiting to strike.

"Is everything okay, Rei?" Usagi asked.

Rei looked back to Usagi, then shrugged. "No, it's nothing."

"It's never 'nothing' with you, Rei."

"I know," Rei said, "but... I don't know what exactly it is..."

Usagi looked back at the university buildings and sighed. "I'll tell you what I feel. It's something evil, but almost too weak to be sensed... And it's all around us."

"I'll go ask the sacred fire," Rei said, "maybe it can give me the answers we're looking for."

Usagi nodded. "Okay, I'm... I'm going to go look for Luna and the others."

"They still hadn't shown up?"

"No, and Minako's really worried sick about that. She may be already running around the city looking for Artemis."

"I'd be worried too if Phobos and Deimos vanished like that," Rei admitted.

Usagi shrugged. "I'm sure they're okay, but..."

Rei smiled. "You're still going to search, just in case."

"Right... If you find anything about what we're sensing, give us a call."

"Sure." Rei watched her friend run off, then started walking away, herself. For some reason, it felt almost as if the feeling got stronger the closer she got to the temple. No, that had to be her mind playing tricks on her... It had to be.

Or, she dreaded, maybe whatever it was had realized she could feel it, and was waiting for her. With that thought in her mind, Rei forgot about walking, and dashed towards her home as fast as she could without calling the passerby's attention.

* * *

"So, what do we do now?"

"It's not smart to attack right now," Black Lady said, "even I could be attacked by that thing."

"It is powerful, indeed. I am afraid not even the Senshi will be able to stop its attacks."

"Then let it attack," Rubeus said at the two. "Let it kill a few Senshi. We have nothing to lose, really."

"It could even become strong enough to kill Moon."

"Or us," Aurite said.

Black Lady snorted "No, if I'm right about its nature, then its own hunger for power will be its perdition. It will fail for the same reason we failed before, so to speak."

"Let us hope you are right, then, Black Lady," Onara said.

* * *

It wasn't a creature of thought, it just acted on instinct, and said instincts had led it here. Yes, here, meters above, on the surface, lived one of the creatures that had helped creating it. These creatures kept on using something that was its opposite, something that it knew was stronger than it... But it also knew what had sparked its creation. It would seek these beings and attack them, and cause pain and suffering to them... Pain and suffering that would feed it, make it stronger until it was ready to take over the whole planet.

Until it took revenge on those who created it... At least on those who were still alive.

Until it was ready to feed on the whole Earth.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, that's enough of dimensional journeys... For now. I may or may not go back to that dark world as a separate work and show whether or not everything works out in the end for them.

Hope someone did notice Onara's peculiar way of speaking, too.

And I know most of you are wondering what 'it' is, and you'll find out in the next episode.


	177. Mars Attacks!

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 17: Enemy Within.**

**Episode 177: Mars Attacks!**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 22, 2008_

* * *

Moon was worried, she wouldn't deny it. She knew Luna and the other cats usually went out to investigate, but this time... She feared that presence she was feeling was related to their sudden disappearance.

She stopped on a rooftop and looked around. Even far from Minato, she still felt it. There _was_ something out there, but she couldn't locate it. Maybe she should check on Rei and see if she had found... No, she had to keep on looking for Luna and the other mooncats.

"Moon!"

Stopping suddenly, Sailor Moon looked down to the ground. There they were! As she floated down, though, she realized something was wrong. "Oh no! Luna, what happened to you?"

"Can't explain right now," Luna said, "the others can barely move, they need more help than I do."

"Where are they?"

Luna pointed to a sewer cap. "Down there."

"Eww, and what were you doing..."

"I said there's no time to explain!" Luna snapped, then flinched. "Usagi, I'm sorry, but..."

Moon nodded and opened the sewer entrance. She looked at Luna again before jumping in. Something had happened, something that was really bad, if Luna was so edgy.

* * *

Other members of the group, meanwhile, were taking a more scientific approach on the matter, but it was also not giving them any clues.

"Damn," Ami said as she looked at the data displayed in her visor.

"No luck, huh?"

She turned to Terry. "No. There's too much mana down there, I can't scan the area."

"It could be worse than that," Terry noted. "Remember what happens to our comms when there's too much mana around."

"Yes, that's something to consider, however... Oh shit."

"What?" Terry knew Ami, and if she was cussing, there had to be something really bad going on.

"There's something attacking the shrine, but I can't get a reading, the area's flooded with mana. We have to call the others, and fast!"

* * *

Minutes earlier, Rei had been sitting in front of the fire. After clearing her mind, she asked her question. What was out there, what was the nature of the new enemy?

Only one vision came to her. The planets, all of the planets of the solar system, turned black, in turns. And the first one to turn black was... "No!" she stood up and looked around. "It's here!"

Yuichiro saw her run out of the room and frowned. She was pale, it was obvious whatever she saw in the fire wasn't nice. "Rei, what's wrong?"

"Yuu, get away from here, it's after me, it..."

"Rei, what are you talking about? What is after you?" He was really worried now, it wasn't like Rei to be panicked like this... Though, he noticed, her face had changed a second ago. "Rei?"

"Should've run when I told you to," Rei said, her voice icy cold. "Mars Guardian Power!"

"Wait, Rei, what's..."

"Mars Flaring Anger!"

The attack knocked Yuu through the temple's wall, and he bounced once outside before stopping. "Why..."

Mars walked out through the hole and looked down at Yuichiro. "Hmph... Weakling, you could've lasted for more than one minute."

Just then, Moon run up the stairs, and saw her friend standing over an unconsious Yuichiro. "Rei, what are you doing?"

"Rei's not here, idiot," Mars snapped.

Moon paled. Just as Luna had told her... "What... What did you..."

Mars looked at Yuichiro for a second, then started walking to her friend. "I warned him to get away, but he wouldn't listen, so I had to kill him."

Moon's face changed from shock to anger. "You... Monster!"

Mars smiled as her 'friend' run to her. "So, you want to be next."

* * *

ChibiUsa and Hotaru were sitting near the pond at the park, enjoying the day. But they both realized fun was over when they felt something in their minds.

ChibiUsa summoned her comm and frowned. "Luna? Where have you..."

"No time for that," Luna interrupted. "Everyone, go to the shrine. Mars has gone berserk and Moon is trying to fight her."

"What do you mean Mars..." ChibiUsa heard Mako's voice through the comm.

"No time!" Luna snapped. "Just go there, I'll tell you everything I know after we deal with this."

ChibiUsa put the comm away and looked at Hotaru. "I guess the date's over."

Hotaru nodded. "Let's get there fast."

ChibiUsa blinked. "What do you..." A moment later, they were both gone.

* * *

"Flaring Anger!"

Moon staggered back. "Rei, why..."

"Stupid little girl, you should be fighting back instead of asking stupid questions. Why? Because I can."

"That's... Rei, you're not like this."

"I told you, Rei isn't here anymore."

"Rei, please, I don't want to hurt you."

"Good, that'll make it easier for me. Hell Firebird!"

Saturn and ChibiMoon appeared in the temple grounds just in time to see Moon being attacked by the giant phoenix. "Mom!"

"Wraith's Curse."

That got the bird's attention. ChibiMoon went to check on her mother as Saturn kept Mars busy. "Mom, are you okay?"

"I..." Moon started, then looked in Mars' direction. "Monster!"

Mars smiled. "What, are you ready to fight now?"

Moon summoned her sword. "You bet."

Mars laughed. "That?" she also summoned her sword. "I suppose running this blade through your heart will be as fun as burning you to a crisp."

"Wait, Moon..."

Moon turned to Saturn. "Revive Yuu, I'll take care of this."

* * *

"Mars is what?"

"Apparently, she's attacking her own allies at the shrine."

Hino frowned. "That's just... Not like her."

"Sir?"

"Nevermind. Tell me when the crisis is over, and... Is the army aware of this?"

"They were the ones who warned us about it."

"And they're not going to interfere, right?"

"That's what they said, sir. Want me to tell them to..."

"No," Hino turned to his secretary and shook his head to make his point clear. "Sending soldiers to fight them would be useless, all we'd do is make the situation worse for the ones trying to fight her. "

* * *

The rest of the team had, by now, reached the shrine. They found the four mooncats waiting there, and everyone noticed how beaten up they were.

"Artemis, what the hell..."

"Listen, there's no time to explain right now," Artemis said, "but Mars's being controlled by evil."

"What do we do? We can't hurt her."

"You'll have to," Diana said, "she has to be weakened before your healing magic works in her."

Luna looked up. "Damn it... Neptune, Mercury, put those fires out before the whole place burns down."

"On it," Neptune said and run in along with Mercury.

Jupiter frowned. "What can we do?"

"Moon and ChibiMoon are there, and also Saturn," Shade said, "but I can bet they'll need help."

* * *

Moon backflipped, barely missing the sword. She was getting tired, but she didn't want to hurt her friend. Luna had told her that was the only way, but... She just couldn't. "Rei, stop at once!"

Mars laughed. "Aww, but we're having fun. Fire Tornado!"

"Pink Sugar Heart Crusher!"

"Chibi!"

ChibiMoon looked at Moon as Mars was caught under the heart. "Mom, focus! We have to knock her off before..."

Moon shook her head. "No, I can't!"

"You have to," ChibiMoon said. "Do you think I want to hurt her?"

There was a muffled shout and the heart was blasted skyhigh. Mars stood up, looking at them with a cold glare. "Why you stupid..."

"Planet Attack!"

Mars was knocked back by the large energy blast, and the two Moons turned to see Venus standing there, with the rest of the team right behind her. Venus gave them a victory 'V' before falling to her knees. "Fuck, that hurt..."

"Moon, use your healing power in Mars," Luna instructed.

Moon rushed to Mars' side. It had been a while since she last used this kind of techniques, and she had a new one to try. "Crystal Stardust."

A beam of light shot from Moon's hands to Mars, and the fire Senshi opened her eyes after a few seconds, paling as she saw Yuichiro had been revived. "Yuu..."

"Rei, I..."

"No!" Mars shouted and backed away. "Sorry, I need to be alone," she said and dashed into the temple.

Moon frowned. "Rei..." She couldn't imagine how she felt, really couldn't, but she couldn't see her like that, either.

"I guess she needs time to think about it, we should let her be for the time being," Luna said.

"I can't just leave this like that," Moon snapped before walking after her friend.

"I understand how Rei feels," Nemesis said, "and it's not something I'd like to repeat, myself."

"Okay, kitties, explain exactly what's going on here," Venus said as she tried to stand up, and failed. "Damn, I need to practice that attack."

Yuichiro frowned. "Moon's right, I can't just let Rei get through this alone."

"So, what's going on with Mars?"

Luna sighed. "This started while you were in that other world. I sensed something in the sewers, but I wasn't sure what it was, so I... We decided to investigate on our own."

"And what was it?"

Artemis looked around and noticed a crowd was forming. "I think we should talk about this in our base."

"Agreed," Venus said, finally managing to stand up. "How does Moon manage to use this thing..."

"That's why we don't use it often," Luna noted. She looked at the temple. "I'll go check on Mars, too. We'll be back to the tower once she recovers."

"_If_ she recovers," Dragon Mercury said as Luna walked away. Nemesis nodded at that.

ChibiMoon noticed the others looking at her. "What? No, I didn't know about this one. I already said I hadn't been told much about this era past the Hunters."

"Just checking," Venus said, then flinched "Ow."

"You okay?" Dragon Venus asked.

"I feel like a dozen Senshi shot at me," Venus joked, still wincing.

* * *

Pluto frowned. It had begun, just as she had seen it. She wanted to help them, but the best way of doing that was not helping. If she went out of her post now, if that thing got a hold of her, then she could likely be the cause of their doom.

"Sorry, Princess, but this time you're on your own..."

* * *

**A/N:** _SolarWinds:_ As far as I'm concerned, Pluto's still a planet, and as far as the Universe of my fic goes, the tenth planet, Eris, is what the Senshi and their enemies call Nemesis. Also, Eris took nobody's place, as it was also demoted to "dwarf planet" shortly after its discovery. And I still don't get how, if a dwarf star is still a star, Pluto and Eris 'aren't planets.'

In short, the whole issue of Pluto not being a planet, to me, is a ball of scientific bullshit that's gonna be rolling down the hill for quite some time before someone tells them to shut the heck up about it.

As for the rest of the questions you made, they will be answered in the next episode.


	178. Spoils Of War

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 17: Enemy Within.**

**Episode 178: Spoils Of War.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 16, 2008_

* * *

"So, what is it we're facing this time?" Venus asked as soon as they reached the tower.

"Simply put, it's dark mana," Artemis said.

"Dark mana?" Mercury asked curiously.

Dragon Venus frowned, it was yet another thing he had heard from his mother. "Residual energy from the mana evil creatures used."

"It's not just that," Artemis noted, "it's just like what happened during the Black Moon wars, but this time..."

Shade continued. "This time it will only target magic beings, if our theory is correct."

"Why didn't you warn us about this before?" Venus asked suspicioulsy.

"Don't give us that look," Artemis muttered. "We were caught by it just like Mars was, but fortunately it can only use one of us at a time. Still, by the time all four of us had our turn at being turned evil, we were all in too much pain to move."

"Can't we just go down there and blast this Dark Mana thing dead?" Earth asked.

"It's not a living being," Diana noted, "and you do remember what was said about mana and how explosive it is, right?"

Earth flinched. "Uhm, yeah."

Jupiter snorted. "Let's try not destroying the city again."

"Agreed," Artemis said. "So there's one way to fight it, it's not easy and I know you will be against it, but..."

"We let that force take over us one by one, and then return us back to normal," Mercury guessed.

"But won't that thing get back into us again?" Lilith asked.

"No, for some reason..." Artemis said, "see, I was the first one turned evil by it, and after I was knocked down and healed, that thing tried to get at me again, but couldn't. It also did the same with the others, but again it was useless."

"After we're healed, we develop some kind of immunity to it," Dragon Mercury guessed. "Can't we just use our healing powers now?"

"They won't work," Diana noted, "not if there's nothing to heal."

"So you mean we'll have to wait for that thing to control us, one by one, until there's none left?" Venus asked.

"That pretty much sums it up."

"That's awesome," Venus said humorlessly.

Mercury had been busy typing in her computer. Aiko, who had just listened silently, was also apparently busy looking at the tower's main monitor. "There they go again," Dragon Venus mused.

"Got it," Mercury said, "the dark mana is spread all through the city's sewer system, so it could attack anytime, anywhere. Also, from what I can tell, it was created when we first started fighting the youma, and each battle after that, each evil creature that showed up, made it stronger."

"But that's not all," Aiko noted, "this force feeds on suffering, anger, pain, all those negative feelings."

"I bet it had a picnic on Mars' despair," Earth said with a frown.

"Something else," Diana said, "don't let it get to you."

"What do you mean?" ChibiMoon asked.

"That thing controls everything in its host. The one you fought earlier wasn't really Mars, just her body. So don't let what someone controlled by it says or does get to you."

"I see," Saturn said, "but maybe, we'll have to kill the host to stop it."

"Hotaru!" ChibiMoon paled. "You can't mean that!"

"I thought you were different to your mother."

"I am, but what you're implying..."

"I don't like it either," Saturn admitted, "but think about it, if Moon herself is taken..."

"If that happens, I'll get her," ChibiMoon said.

"Hmm, that explains why Pluto isn't here," Dragon Sun noted.

ChibiMoon groaned. "True, it would be bad for us if she got into this fight."

"Comparing all the data I have on her, I would guess she's up to at least Eternal level," Mercury said, "so yes, beating her would be really hard, if not downright impossible."

* * *

Rei knew there was someone else there, and right now, she didn't want the interruption. "I thought I said I wanted to be alone," she said coldly, between sobs.

"Rei, I won't leave you to suffer alone," Usagi said, walking to her friend, and noticing just how bad she looked. "You need your friends' support, you need..."

"What?" Rei said furiously as she stood up. "What do you _know_ about what I need right now? About how I feel? Just shut up and leave, airhead."

Usagi winced. Rei hadn't used that kind of nicknames in her for quite some time, and the way she'd said it... No, it was just the grief speaking, she knew deep inside Rei didn't mean it. "Listen, I know it must be terrible, yes, you killed Yuu, but you were being controlled and--" She stopped as Rei slapped her. "Rei..."

"Just leave already!" Rei snapped, fighting back her tears.

"I always thought you were strong, but maybe it was all an act."

"What?"

"Yes, you always looked stronger than me, you know... Never fearing the enemy, never running away from a battle... Or from your problems. What's done is done, Rei, you have to move on."

"You don't know how it feels."

"Keeping it inside won't help," Usagi said. "Just... Please, I'm here for you, I want to help you."

"I'd love to hear it, too."

Rei held her breath as she heard that voice. "Yuu... How long have you been--"

"Enough to know you're scared and almost panicking, but I want to know what happened, from your point of view."

Rei took a deep breath and tried to calm down. After a minute, she looked at Yuichiro. "I tried to get answers from the sacred fire, and what I saw was an image of all the planets... They turned black, one by one, and the first one was Mars. Just as I saw that, I felt it, something was coming to get me."

"And that's when I saw you run out," Yuichiro said.

"Yes. I tried to fight it, I felt it slowly taking over, but that was a losing battle. It finally took control of my body, but I still tried to fight... Until... Until I saw myself shooting at you, until I saw you lying on the ground and..." Rei closed her eyes, tears again rolling down her cheeks. "After that, I just couldn't take it anymore. I didn't fight, I was just watching... And cursing myself for being so weak. If I hadn't been so..."

"Rei, stop being a wuss."

Usagi turned to see the black mooncat there, and gasped. "Luna?"

"Rei, you can't stop it from taking over, and you can't kick it out of your body. Yes, what happened was a terrible thing, but it wasn't your fault."

"I... I need some time to recover from all this, so..."

Usagi smiled. "Of course, we'll leave you alone now. Just don't let the grief eat at you, Rei."

Rei nodded and watched her friend and Luna leave. Yuichiro also turned to leave, but she walked to him and leaned on his back. "Yuu... Please stay with me."

Yuichiro frowned. "Are you sure..."

"Yes, I am. I need you by my side right now."

Yuichiro turned back and saw Rei was smiling, despite the tears still rolling down her face. He would ask the mooncats about what was really going on later, but for the time being, he knew Rei needed him, and that made him forget about everything else.

"I'll never leave you, Miss Rei," he said, knowing all too well the effect that nickname had.

Rei scowled at him for a second before her smile returned. "Thanks. "

* * *

"Maybe it'd be safer if we all stay here."

Artemis looked up at Minako. She seemed to be oddly serious after what had happened to Rei the day before. "That would be good, but pretty much impossible."

"Why?"

"You see, you guys have lives outside your Senshi duties. College and other things you just can't abandon," Artemis explained, "and we don't know how long it will be before someone else is targeted."

"But we can't just go walking around the city either," Minako said.

"Mina, what is it exactly that has you so edgy?"

"You really need to ask?" Minako mused. "And here I thought I was the dense one."

"Mina..." Artemins chided.

"No, I'm serious. Remember what my skill is."

Artemis flinched. "Yes, I hadn't thought about that."

"If I turn evil, I'd rather have someone near that can stop me, and not a lot of room to run."

"Art is right," ChibiUsa said. She was fighting Hotaru, but had also paid attention to the others. "We can't just sit around and wait to explode."

Hotaru tried to trip ChibiUsa, but it backfired and she ended up falling face-first on the ground. "Okay, enough of that," she muttered and walked out of the training platform. "You know, as much as your power would be dangerous, I don't think it would be that hard to beat. I'm more worried about Moon and ChibiMoon."

Minako frowned. "I would think ChibiMoon should be an easy..."

"Easy?" Hotaru chuckled. "Not counting her ability to freeze someone in place, which would make fighting her one on one useless, she also has the Luna-P, and... She's second in power to Moon, as far as I know."

Minako flinched. "Oh, I didn't consider that."

The monitor suddenly lit up, and Warwitch's face appeared in it. "Senshi, there's an emergency in Nagano."

"What's going on?" Minako asked. And when had the cats given _her_ a communicator? "Ail and Ann are... Draining civilians."

"Oh crap," Minako muttered. "We'll be there as fast as we can."

* * *

"Sir, two of the alien allies of the Senshi are attacking!"

"What the... First Mars and now this?"

Tomoe nodded. "It's strange, but I detect some sort of energy in them."

"Let the Senshi take care of it," Kino said, "but get me one of them, I want an explanation for this mess."

* * *

Mars was, meanwhile, visiting someone she really wouldn't talk to unless it was important. "Do you understand now?"

Hino nodded. "Yes, I believe you, Re--Mars. Just try to stop your friends from causing too much damage."

"You don't need to ask," Mars said.

"And Rei..."

Mars frowned. "What?"

"I know you can't... Forgive me for what I did all these years, or forget about it, but I..."

"What, you want to start anew, from zero, want to be the father I didn't have through my childhood?" Mars snorted. "Sorry, but..."

Hino cringed. "Yeah, I suppose this old man took too long to stop being an idiot."

Mars looked at him, trying to see if it was all an act. No, he wouldn't really win anything, not anything material, from this. Still, he was right, she couldn't forgive nor forget. _'What's done is done, you have to move on.'_

Hino saw Mars turn to leave and sank on his chair. "Yes, I should've expected that reaction from you."

Mars stopped right in front of the door, but didn't turn back to look at him. "I'll think about it, father," she said before walking out of the office.

* * *

Naru and Umino were at the jewelry, meanwhile. It had been a slow day, so there weren't any customers right now. "So, Umino, have you finally decided on a career?"

"Of course, I'll be a game programmer," Umino said proudly.

"Go figures," Naru muttered, then saw Umino hold his head. "Hey, are you okay?"

Umino growled. "Naru, it's the... It's targeting me!"

Naru saw Umino's face change from worry to an almost unnatural calm. "Umino?"

"Not anymore," Umino said. "Game on!"

"Wait." Naru said.

"What?"

"I don't wnat to wreck this place, so let's go outside... And let me transform, too."

"Fair enough," Game Master said, "you will still be defeated by me. "

Naru knew those were empty threats. Game Master was far weaker than her, but that was also something to be worried about. She had to stop him from hurting innocents, but she also had to be careful not to... She shook her head and frowned, now was not the time to be thinking about that. As Game Master walked out of the jewelry, she ducked behind the counter, ready to transform.

* * *

**A/N:** I think this is the first time I show Rei being so... Human. Had to happen sooner or later.

_SailorStar9:_ Yeah, _that_ Eris. I can see a tidal wave of half-assed Mary-Sue Senshi named Eris coming in a near future, sadly.


	179. Dark Heart

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 17: Enemy Within.**

**Episode 179: Dark Heart.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 22, 2008_

* * *

By the time the Senshi got to where the aliens were, they saw things were looking hectic. "Civilians knocked out everywhere," ChibiMoon noted. "We can't use our attacks like this."

Ann charged up, shooting a man-sized energy blast at the Senshi. They dodged, but then saw the blast was heading for a group of victims. "Damn it." Venus 'vanished,' stopping right in front of the blast, and taking the hit.

ChibiMoon scowled. "They're really asking for a beating."

Ail shot another energy blast, but Saturn reflected it with her glaive. As the two aliens fell off the sky, she snorted. "We're out of their league."

Warwitch came floating to them. "They're connected to the dark mana, they have almost infinite energy in their hands."

The 'twins' floated up again, and ChibiMoon scowled. "So we have to finish this fast or we'll run out of power."

Saturn saw their two foes charging up for a very large, combined energy ball. "Oh, that one's going to hurt."

"Wink Chain Barrage!" The attack came out of nowhere, hitting the energy ball several times and causing it to explode. As the explosion knocked the two aliens down to the ground, Venus appeared near the others, panting. "Get them before they wake up."

While ChibiMoon leapt down to heal the others, Saturn summoned her communicator. "Naru, what's wrong?"

"Game Master is attacking me," Nemesis said, "I need some help."

"But Game Master is... A joke," Saturn said.

Dragon Mercury's face appeared next. "That's only because his suit has limited power... Right now he's got near unlimited energy, so... Well, you should know what kind of attacks are used in videogames. "

Warwitch nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Nemesis dodged a large energy beam, then flinched as it hit a car, totalling it. "Damn it, stop destroying private property."

"Stop moving and let me hit you, then," Game Master said.

"Not a chance. Nightmare Illusion!"

Game Master was suddenly surrounded by many clones of Nemesis. "Oh? Interesting, I never saw this one."

"I know," all the clones said in unison. "Now go to sleep."

"Hah, that's not going to work," the man said and shot a ring of lightning all around him. "What, where is..." he started then backflipped right in time to dodge the spear coming from above. "You missed."

"Not really," Nemesis said as she landed besides him. The energy of the clones that had been blasted by Game Master all shot into his body and knocked him out. "Okay, this went easier than..."

"Fooled you," Game Master snapped from the ground, then shot a lightning arc at Nemesis. "Do you know what happens to a Senshi when they're struck by lightning?"

Nemesis smiled, enduring the pain from the electric shock. "Yes, she gets pissed off."

"Your magic is useless against me," Game Master boasted.

Nemesis dashed forwards and punched the ex-villain right in the face, knocking him back a few meters, and he fell to the ground, out cold. "Yeah, but that's not all I can do. Shadow Heal!"

"We're late."

The darkness Senshi turned to see Saturn and ChibiMoon there. "Yeah, but just a few seconds late."

* * *

Later on, most of the group was gathering again. "So it apparently can take over more than one of us," Ami said, "we should be extra careful, then."

"I've taken care of the media, they shouldn't give us much trouble," Terry noted.

"Taken care? What, killed all the reporters in the city?" Mako asked.

"No, just had the military spread some information about this new war, that our new enemy's using clones of us to attack, and that those clones are as strong as the originals."

"Will they belive that, though?"

Rei walked in just then. "Father won't nag us for the time being."

"Good to know," Usagi said. "Now we just have to wait until we're all attacked."

Rei frowned. "How can you be so calm about it?"

"Because I trust everyone, I know if I turn evil, they'll do whatever they can to get me back."

Rei looked at Ami and Terry. "Or it could turn into what you two described."

"You need to be a little more optimistic."

"I'll stick with being realistic," Rei said. "Our trip to that other world should've taught you that, Usako."

"Cut it off, you two," Ami said. "Yes, there's a chance something like that could happen here, but dwelling on it won't help us."

"Where's Pinky, anyhow?" Terry asked.

"Said she was going to ask Pluto a few things."

"I thought Pluto couldn't risk coming here." Mako noted.

Usagi nodded. "I guess you guys don't know about that, but..."

* * *

ChibiUsa smiled. "Come on, I know you're here, Puu."

"What's the matter, Princess?" Pluto said appearing right behind her.

"This new enemy we're facing... Is there a faster way to deal with it?"

"Faster, yes, but also disastrous," Pluto admitted. "I think you already guessed why I'm not helping you."

"Your power would be too strong against us."

"Yes, and I can't risk that happening."

"So, you know the outcome of this fight already."

"I know most of them, yes."

"And I suppose you can't tell me a thing about this one."

"You suppose right."

"Guess Hotaru was right, coming here was useless."

"Not really," Pluto said, "I never get any visitors here. You're making an old woman happy just being here."

ChibiUsa smiled. "So, you can't at least tell me how we'll beat Sailor Moon?"

"And spoil the surprise?" Pluto said with a humorless smile. "I can tell you this much: Moon will be the one defeating this enemy, and you'll help her greatly."

"Hmph... I had guessed that already. Can't you tell us what the future will bring?"

"You've already seen most of that, or read about it in books. But I can't tell you a thing about what will happen before Crystal Tokyo is born."

* * *

Mako blinked in disbelief. "I didn't know that."

"So she can travel through time just like Pluto?" Minako asked.

"Not really," ChibiUsa said appearing near the blonde, and making her jump.

"So, how was your visit?" Hotaru asked.

"Not too enlightening," ChibiUsa admitted, "but I know our theory was right, Pluto can't come here unless we want to have to fight a Holy level dark Senshi."

"I'll pass," Rei muttered.

"Speaking of dark Senshi," Ami commented. "Nemesis is causing trouble in Edo."

Aiko looked at the map, where a second warning signal appeared. "And Kyma is near the tower."

Usagi sighed. "Okay, let's split up. I'll deal with Nemesis."

Terry nodded. "And I'll kick Kyma back to her senses."

* * *

Kino looked at Seia, who was keeping a straight face, through the monitor. "Are you serious?"

"Sir, I know what I'm seeing. There's a large ball of an unknown metal sitting here in Juuban."

"And it's not doing a thing?"

"No, though civilians are keeping away from it."

"Hmm... I just got reports of Nemesis attacking a police HQ. Maybe that ball is related to the Senshi going evil."

"Oh, I know what it is now," Seia said, "remember the Senshi have a morpher alien as a friend."

"That would explain it, yes, but why isn't she attacking?"

"Maybe she's waiting for the Senshi to show up."

* * *

Moon, Mars and Jupiter reached their target and saw things were looking bad. Nemesis was shooting darkness blasts at anyone who risked getting near her, but she was purposefully missing her mark. "Strange," Mars noted.

"Maybe she's waiting to kill someone she cares ab..." Jupiter started, then stopped and looked at Mars apologetically.

Mars sighed. "I know. Let's stop her before she hurts herself."

Nemesis snorted. "Good, now I'll be able to defeat you all."

"You and which army?" Jupiter snapped.

"Nightmare Illusion!"

"Next time, don't ask," Mars muttered as a dozen clones of Nemesis appeared around them.

The many Nemesis laughed in unison. "Stupid girls, you can't defeat me, no matter what you try to..."

Jupiter snorted. "Magnetic Core."

In a split second, all the Nemesis but one were gone, dragged in by the magnetic attack. Before Nemesis could recover, another Senshi was already taking care of the situation. "Crystal Retribution!"

Mars blinked as Nemesis was knocked through a wall, then turned to Jupiter as Moon healed their 'foe.' "How comes it only dragged the clones in, but not the real Nemesis?"

"I can 'tell' it what to pull in," Jupiter said, "otherwise it'd be useless in a populated area or when one of you is standing too close. "

"Our powers just keep getting freakier, huh?" Mars mused.

"Says the one with the automatic fire shield," Jupiter countered.

"Touche."

* * *

"You've gotta be kidding me," Dragon Mercury muttered.

"A huge ball of metal," Saturn said. "That's it?"

"Pink Sugar Heart Crusher!" ChibiMoon shot her attack, but the heart bounced off the metal ball, crushing a few parked cars as it landed. "Oops."

"Tsunami Freeze!"

The ball was unaffected by the cold attack. "Hmm... That metal is awesome," Dragon Mercury noted. "I wonder if I can get a sample of it to modify the Zero?"

The ball shrank then took a humanoid shape. "So, you want a piece of me?"

Saturn grimaced. "Lame sense of humor, just like Terry."

"Yes, I can be just like..." Kyma started, then her body changed to a copy of Dragon Mercury. "... Him."

"Thought she couldn't hold that kind of transformation for too long," ChibiMoon said.

"Yeah, but the dark mana's powering her up."

"Let's kick her rear," Saturn said.

"Wait," Dragon Mercury said. "Kyma, just how accurate is your copying?"

"While copying someone, I am them, I can use whatever power they can. "

"Great," Dragon Mercury smiled. "I challenge you to a fight, no powers, just swords, and let's see who wins."

The fake Dragon laughed. "If that's how you want it..."

Mercury flinched. "Are you sure about this?"

"It's the only chance I'll probably ever get to defeat myself in a fight," Dragon Mercury said.

And so, the two Dragons rushed at each other, and the fight begun. Each slash was countered, each kick was blocked, each movement read by the other before it was even started. It was an amazing battle to look at, true, at least for the first ten minutes.

Saturn yawned. "Okay, I'm bored."

"Don't interfere," Mercury said.

"But... Kyma's got more energy than him right now."

"I know that, but I know Terry, he'd rather lose the fight than have it stopped."

ChibiMoon smiled. "Yeah, that's how he was in the future, too."

The fight continued for a few more minutes, and both combatants looked quite exhausted. "I guess it's time to stop fooling around," the fake Dragon said. "Ice Dragon!"

"Ice Dragon!" Dragon Mercury countered with a frown, then noticed his rival was standing near a sewer cap. "You cheated, so the duel's off."

"Good, I was getting bored."

Dragon Mercury smiled and tossed one of his swords at the fake like a spear. "Fetch!"

The other dragon grabbed the sword and smiled. "That won't work!" he snapped turning around as he guessed what his foe's move was. However, he realized he'd guessed wrong a second too late. "What the..."

"Ice Dragon!" The icy construct came through the ground itself, grabbing the fake dragon and knocking it into a wall before exploding in a shower of ice.

"Wow, that was..."

Dragon Mercury walked to Mercury as ChibiMoon healed the now unconscious Kyma. "She knew all my moves while in that form, but... She should've also known I can improvise."

Saturn looked around. "So much for not wrecking the city again."

Dragon Mercury laughed. "Compared to our last major battle, this was a scratch."

* * *

**A/N:** Guess I could say Nemesis' newest attack is a "shadow clone" technique. But then I bet Naruto's ninja lawyers would kill me.

_SailorStar9:_ Since "Eris" is "Nemesis" here, I guess the answer's already there. Oh, and I'm not going to bother with a Sailor Eris either... Chaos would be a repeated power (luck pretty much messes with chaos and order already,) and I don't want those around (unless it's a Dragon.)


	180. Going Mental

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 17: Enemy Within.**

**Episode 180: Going Mental.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: July 24, 2008_

* * *

"Lady Apatite, our scouting revealed some of the Senshi are apparently going evil and fighting their own kin."

"Sending youma there would be suicidal, and I don't think humans would like it."

Apatite and Cuprite heard the reports and both knew what to do. "We won't take part in this battle."

"But if Sailor Moon were to turn..." the first youma noted.

"Then not even I would be able to fight back. Remember how much power she had when she was here."

Cuprite nodded. "We're not sending anyone to Tokyo, Barite."

Barite bowed and walked out of the room, along with the other youma that had gathered. It was bad, really bad, if only he could have convinced the two leaders to fight the Senshi again. To spark another conflict... To remind the youma of their true purpose. Of what their goddess had created them for.

Maybe it was time for a change in management. But he couldn't do that alone, he would have to look for those who thought like him, those who despised these two new leaders as much as him. They were stronger than the average youma, yes, much stronger, but once Barite had gathered his army, then the Dark Kingdom would return to its former glory.

* * *

"You've been awfully silent today."

Aiko turned from the screen and smiled. "I always am."

Terry nodded. "True, but today it's worse. Whatever's troubling you..."

Aiko sighed. "I don't think you can help with this, dad."

"Then I bet it's got nothing to do with computers. Still, I may be able to help."

"It's about... Uhm... Love."

"Oh," Terry flinched. "Have you fallen for someone?"

"I don't know. How can you tell?"

"It depends on the person, and it's not always at first sight. I took some time to realize how I felt about Ami." He paused for a few seconds then smiled. "Is it someone I know?"

Aiko blushed. "Y-yes."

Terry blinked. "Didn't know you could blush."

"Only difference I have with a real, living human is that I don't need to breathe or sleep, nor I do need food."

"Just like Kyma, huh?"

"Yeah."

Terry smiled. Okay, it wasn't her, then who could it be? "The person you like... Are they dating someone else?"

"Not that I know of," Aiko admitted.

"So, who is she?"

Aiko flinched. "How did you know it was female?"

"I didn't, Terry noted, "but now I do."

"Eeeh... Damn you."

Ami walked in right then. "What's wrong, Aiko?"

"Our little girl's fallen for someone."

"Who is it?" Ami asked.

"I'm not telling until I'm sure of my feelings."

"That's okay for me," Ami said and walked to the console. "I'm not going to ask again, then, until you decide to tell us."

Terry watched as Ami stood in front of the console, numbers rolling through the monitor even though she wasn't touching the computer. "I think it'll take me a while to get used to that."

"I'm able to sense computers from quite a distance," Ami said, "but not to manipulate them from that far."

"I bet practice will solve that," Terry said.

"Probably, but I have nobody to teach me how to do it."

"Thought you liked challenges?"

"I do," Ami said, "but they can sometimes be annoying."

Aiko looked at the monitor. "There's trouble out there."

Ami nodded. "It's Dragon Mars."

"Great," Dragon Mercury muttered. "At the temple again?"

"No, he's..." Aiko said as a map of Tokyo appeared in the monitor. "Outside the newly rebuilt Starlight Tower."

"I'm going to end up believing that place's cursed if this keeps up, " Ami muttered.

* * *

"Burn, bitch!"

Nova phased out of the way and growled. "Mars, you better put a leash on your pet."

"He's not himself," Mars noted. "But I guess I better knock him out. Fire Tornado!"

"Fire Snake!"

The attacks clashed, and Nova frowned. "You have to use something stronger than that."

"But... I can't."

Nova groaned. "No a good time to be a weakling."

"Shut up," Mars snapped. "He's already been revived by Hotaru and Terry. If he dies again, then..."

Nova flinched. She didn't know that, and could understand how Mars felt. "Then let me try something..."

Dragon Mars glared at the two girls. "If you're not going to attack, then I will." He tried to move, but couldn't. "What the..."

"You won't move until I want you to."

Dragon Mars smirked. "Oh, that's cute, but you're forgetting one little detail."

"What is..." Nova started, before she was hit from behind and knocked down to the ground.

"That," Dragon Mars snapped as he got free of Nova's psichic hold thanks to his airboard. He then rushed at Nova, summoning his sword as he went.

"Yuu!"

Dragon Mars blinked. His sword had been stopped, but... He saw Mars was grabbing the blade with her gloved hand, a thin line of blood running down the sword's edge, and also down her arm. "Damn you."

"Flaring Anger." Mars said, using her free hand to unleash her attack. As Dragon Mars hit the ground, she rushed to him. "Soul Ember."

The two Mercuries run in just as Mars started healing the unconscious Dragon. "Guess we're a bit late," Mercury said.

"No, you're just in time."

Dragon Mercury turned to Nova and flinched. He knew it from the way she was looking at them, she was the dark mana's next victim. "Damn, Hana..."

Nova laughed. "Time to die!"

Mercury was about to say something, but then an unseen force hit her, knocking the air out of her lungs, and sending her rolling back for almost one block.

* * *

Ikuko knew something was wrong as soon as she saw Usagi and Shingo scrambling for the door. "Usagi, what's..."

"No time, mom," Usagi said and rushed out of the house.

"Must be something really bad for her to behave like that."

"She didn't tell you about it?"

Ikuko looked down at Luna. "No. Can you tell me?"

Luna sighed. "I guess... You should know, in case things go as we fear they will."

* * *

Dragon Mercury recovered his senses and looked around. He could feel it, the unleashed psychic power all around them... It was easy to _see_ it too, as the steadily growing sphere of psichic energy was ripping buildings apart and melting the concrete under Nova as if it were butter hit by a rain of fire. "Hana, no..."

Mercury had already awakened too, he realized as he felt her hand on his shoulder. "Terry, don't."

"But she would never..."

"Remember what the cats said. She's not herself right now. She could hurt you, or worse."

The two Mars were half a block away from them. "Guys, get away from that."

"We can't let her do this," Dragon Mercury said, "you don't know just how strong she is."

"She's giving us quite a show," Mercury noted as she scanned her, then paled. "Fuck, this has to be wrong."

"What?" Mars asked. She knew pretty well that Ami cussing meant very bad news.

"The power of that sphere is well above ours, even Moon's... The good news is that it's eating up the dark mana's energy faster, too. "

"And the bad news?"

"The dark mana feeds on suffering, pain, anger..." Ami said, "so the more that sphere expands, the more energy it'll be getting."

Just then, Moon and Dragon Moon reached the area. "That looks really bad..." Moon said.

Dragon Moon flinched. "That's... I've seen that once, but it's different this time."

Dragon Mercury looked at him and smirked humorlessly. "Oh, so you've already seen her in that state..."

Moon flinched. "Nevermind that. How do we stop her?"

"Our normal attacks won't get to her," Mercury said, "only our Planet Attack would be strong enough, but there's a problem with that."

"Yeah, we don't have enough Senshi here to do that," Dragon Mars said.

"Not only that... Nova isn't a Senshi. A blast from a Planet Atack would surely kill her."

Moon stepped back. "No... I can't..."

"Maybe if I talk to her..." Dragon Moon sugested.

"No, that won't work," Mars said, "but I agree with Moon, killing her isn't an option."

Dragon Mercury growled. "It is if it's the only one we have."

Moon shook her head. "I can't do it!"

"I wasn't asking you to do it," Dragon Mercury said. "Saturn Guardian Power!"

The rest of the team arrived right then, and saw things were looking dire. "Shit, she's stronger than I thought," Venus noted.

Mercury paled. "Terry, don't do it!"

"I'm sorry, but someone has to..." the Dragon started, then grimaced as Mercury embraced him from behind. "... Ami, please..."

"I won't let you." Mercury said.

Dragon Moon frowned and looked at Saturn. "Can you heal someone from a distance?"

"Yes," Saturn said, "why do you ask?"

"Then get ready to heal me," the Dragon said and run to the psichic sphere, which now covered a two blocks area.

"Shingo!" Moon shouted.

"He's insane," Saturn said then frowned and concentrated, "but we'll have to follow his plan."

Dragon Moon felt the stinging pain from the psi storm around him. It was almost too much to bear, but he pressed on, helped by Saturn's healing. "Hana, stop this!"

"Go away, kid. Hana isn't here," Nova snapped.

"Maybe he can do it," Dragon Saturn said. "Here's some help, kid."

Dragon Moon was now only meters away from Nova. Even with both Saturns healing him, the pain was extreme. "I... Can't..."

Moon frowned as she sensed something. She looked down at her crystal and saw it was shining weakly. "How..."

"Of course!" Mercury said, "He's a Moon Senshi too, even if only you can use the crystal's power fully, he can still draw energy from it. "

Moon smiled. "Then I'll help him." As she said that, the Ginzuishou started shining brightly.

Dragon Moon felt the change almost immediately, the energy washing over him, making him forget about the pain. "Thanks, Usako," he said as he walked to Nova, not struggling anymore. "Hana, stop fooling around."

Nova growled. "Kid, you better get the heck out of here before I blast you to dust."

"Sorry, can't do that. Werewolf's Call!"

Nova blinked as nothing happened. "Hmph, what happens, don't have enough power to call your doggy?"

"I do," Dragon Moon said. Before Nova could ponder what he meant, his werewolf appeared right behind her, slamming her down to the ground and knocking her off. "Uhm, now what?"

Saturn appeared right next to him, noticing the psichic storm was gone. "Let me take care of that."

Moon walked to them, smiling. "I knew there was another way to solve this. That was a good plan, Shingo."

"Plan?" Dragon Moon mused. "Who said I had a plan?"

"Love beats everything," Venus commented. "Specially if a white werewolf helps it." She noticed said werewolf was looking at her. "Uhh... Creepy. Does it have a name?"

Dragon Moon chuckled as the werewolf vanished. "No, but I can give him one... Like Fido or Kaiser."

Saturn frowned. "Okay, she's fine now."

Nova stood up and looked around. "That was scary."

"Are you okay?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"I'll live. But were you really going to..."

Dragon Mercury looked down for a second, then groaned. "I don't think I could've done it even if I managed to get close to you."

"I thought so," Nova said with a smile.

"So, what was that about him already seeing you like that once..."

Dragon Moon blushed, and Nova chuckled. "None of your business, Terry."

"Which means it's just what I thought," Dragon Mercury mused.

Mars looked around at the wrecked buildings. "This was quite a dangerous fight."

Moon was also checking the damage, and paled as she realized something. "If Nova did this, imagine what will happen when..."

"It can't be helped," Nova said, "even my psichic skills were overpowered by that thing."

"Doesn't make it any easier on me, though," Moon said with a sigh.

"Doesn't make it any easier for any of us," Mars admitted, "but I guess we'll have to get through it somehow."

Moon turned to Mercury. "Can you find a pattern in that creature's attacks?"

"I could try, but I doubt..."

"We won't for sure know until we try," Dragon Mercury said.

Moon nodded. "If there's a pattern, I want to know it."

* * *

**A/N:** Still have to plan out the final arc of Chronicles, but I know for sure that the total episode count will be over two hundred and twenty.


	181. Days Of Thunder

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 17: Enemy Within.**

**Episode 181: Days Of Thunder.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 1st, 2008_

* * *

It could be said the Dark Mana was thankful for what it had gained the last few days. It wasn't just the extra energy it was fed, no. It wasn't even the chance to see one of those it hated die, even though it was just one of its weakest members.

No. it was something it knew, from the memories it saw in those Senshi it took over, that had happened before, with one entity. One entity that had started as nothing but a code, as a being of instinct, if one could call them that, and that had, thanks to its exposition to mana, gained self-awareness.

Dark Mana (it liked the name given to it by the Senshi,) was mana itself, but it had not gained its awareness until it started taking over the Senshi. Until it saw all those beautiful things humans were capable of. Fear, hate, despair, regret... All tasty and enticing for the Dark Mana.

But now that it was no longer just a being of instinct, its hatred for the Senshi had grown. It knew they could destroy it eventually. No, they _would_ destroy it, just like they had destroyed many foes in the past. So it would have to make sure they were all dealt with... And it had a plan for that, one they wouldn't be able to predict. A risky chance to take, yes, but if everything worked as it planned, then the Senshi would fall.

And the Dark Mana would take over the planet. For fear, hate, despair, anger, all were its food, and the idea of having a whole world as feeding grounds... If the Dark Mana had a mouth, it would've been smiling at the thought.

* * *

Two days had passed without any attacks, but the Senshi were still keeping their guards up. The enemy was still out there, they knew that much, and it could hit any of them.

"I really wish that thing would hurry and take over me."

Rei frowned. "Mina, you really don't know what you're saying."

"You say that because you don't have to worry about that anymore, Rei."

"Sure, because being kicked to the back of my own mind was fun and enjoyable..."

"Cut it off, both of you," Ami said sternly.

"Sorry," Both Rei and Minako said.

"What are you doing, anyhow?" Usagi asked, walking to the computer.

"Trying to find a pattern for the Dark Mana's attacks. But I've found none so far in the records."

"If it's an irrational being, then it will just hunt what it sees first," Usagi noted.

"Yes, but this 'creature' can see us all. If it were just a predator then it would attack Moon, as she's the largest mana beacon. It doesn't make sense to me."

"Maybe it knows we would all stop it?" Minako asked.

"But that..." Rei started.

"No, think about it. Did you act like a wild beast when you were taken over? Did Naru or Nova, even?"

"They acted quite wild," Usagi said, "but I see your point."

Ami scowled. "Of course... I hadn't considered that..."

Rei looked at the computer. Numbers, and lots of them, but she couldn't get half of what they meant. "What do you mean?"

"By taking over us, it may have acquired something it didn't still have. A conscious mind."

Aiko appeared in the room, right in time to hear that last bit. "But if it were conscious, then why would it still behave so randomly?"

"To confuse us," Ami said.

"So it's playing with its food?" Minako asked.

"Neat way to say it," Rei muttered.

* * *

Nova looked at the crowd and flinched. Yes, some of them feared her now. She could bet even the so-called die-hard fans of her heroine self would have doubts about her after that incident.

She couldn't blame them, though, as she had doubts about her own powers too, after seeing what it could do when unleashed. But still, she had to keep her cool about it. "What's wrong, no photos?"

No answer from the crowd. Usually, when she captured a criminal, like she had just done, there would be some cheering from them, but there were only murmurs and stares now.

Someone landed right besides her. "Uhm... Guess I'm late."

"Hey, it's Game Master," someone from the crowd said, and there was some cheering.

Game Master didn't need the ability to read minds to know Nova was quite upset. He looked at the crowd and shook his head. "I didn't do a thing today, why are you cheering? She's the one you should be cheering at."

The crowd fell silent. "After what she did two days ago? She's a threat to us all."

Game Master couldn't tell who had said that, but he also didn't care. "Didn't you hear the news? That was a clone of Nova."

"If it was a clone, then it had the same powers as she has. She could do the same."

"Sure, be the angry mob and forget about all the lives she's saved so far, just because there's a slight chance she could kill someone if her powers went wild."

"Enough," Nova said.

"But..."

"I'll be okay. I don't need their approval to do what I have to do. "

Game Master looked at Nova go and sighed. "Guess it can't be helped. "

"We need no vigilantes like you here!"

This time, Game Master was able to locate the speaker. "Sure thing, just like you don't need the Senshi when large alien spaceships cover all of Tokyo. You can defend your city on your own, can't you?"

"Why you..."

Game Master turned to leave. "It would be good for you all to remember all she's done for this city. Heroes make mistakes, but who doesn't?" And he left them with that, not bothering to hear any more complaints from the crowd.

* * *

She was deep in thought, one of the reasons why she hadn't noticed them. But now that she had, and now that she knew her friend had also noticed their presence, it was just a matter of how to deal with them.

"Mako, what..."

One look at her friend was enough, as they had learnt to read each other's body language after several years of being together. Maybe 'friend' wasn't the word to use, but she really couldn't be bothered with that right now. She noticed something and smiled. "The alley," she said in a low voice.

Karin followed her into the alley, and seconds later, so did the dozen men who had been following them. However, once inside the alley, the men figured something wasn't right with their 'hunt.' Their 'prey' was gone, but how? They couldn't have run out, and there was nowhere to hide in such a small area.

That would've been truth if the two girls would have been just normal humans, but that wasn't the case. And they two weren't really hiding, only preparing to hunt the hunters.

The men heard something behind them and turned around, just in time to see the two girls blocking their path. "How da hell..."

"Scared?" Mako asked, her tone almost threatening.

"Why would we be 'fraid of two cute youn'ladies?"

"You should be," Karin snapped, arms crossed over her chest.

"Aww, gal wants tha fight," another man said, mockingly. "we should humor'er."

"You don't want to fight us," Mako said. "Trust me."

Their foes all took out different weapons. Some had knives, some had guns, and a few of them just had lead pipes. "Ya bet we wanna fight ya, gurly."

"Hmm, that does seem unfair," Mako noted. "May I get a weapon too?"

"Sure thing, lady, we's honorable men, right guys?" That caused a wave of laughter from the other men. "So what'ya got, lady?"

Mako snorted and walked back, then looked at a 'no parking' sing post right outside the alley. She smiled at the men then ripped it off the sidewalk effortlessly "This will do."

"What th'fuck?" the man who had challenged Mako exclaimed.

"Gal's damn strong ain't she?"

Mako started walking to the men, holding her weapon as if it was feather-light. "So, who wants to go first?"

The men looked at each other, not so sure of their superiority anymore. Sure, there were a dozen of them and only two of their 'victims,' but the fact this girl could lift something like that effortlessly, moreso, that she could rip it off the ground, was a factor to consider.

It wasn't a hard choice to make. Mako frowned as the men run to her, then she realized they weren't going to attack. As the group run down the street, she chuckled. "Guess they choose the easy way out. "

"You shouldn't show off like that, Mako."

"I could've used a car or a tree, or..." Mako trailed off as she saw the way Karin was looking at her. "Oh, great..."

"Earth Guardian Power!"

Mako groaned. "We were having fun, you know?"

"And we'll have a lot more fun now, Mako," Earth said. "Fissure Trap!"

Mako leapt aside, dodging the fault line, then got ready to jump. However, that was what Earth was counting on, and she tackled her target out of the alley.

"So much for your strength, huh?"

Mako frowned. "Not really." She tossed Earth up and away, but the evil Senshi summoned her airboard as she started to fall. "Come on, Karin, I don't really want to hurt you."

"Jungle Wrath!"

Mako leapt back, dodging the vines that shot out from the ground, then cursed. There were some civilians around, which not only stopped her from transforming, but also added targets for Earth's fury. She had to keep fighting until help arrived.

Which was earlier than she hoped. A lightning blast hit Earth and she fell off her board. "Funny, the Earth Senshi can't dodge while flying."

Earth glared at the newcomer. "You should really stay out of our battles."

Warwitch snorted. "Sorry, but I can't do that. Okay, Mako, go find a place to..." She blinked as she saw Mako was staring at her blankly. "Damn, not you too!"

"Jupiter Guardian Power!"

* * *

"Damn it..."

Ami nodded. "Yes, I can see them too."

"What's wrong?" Usagi asked.

Aiko turned to Usagi. "Earth was taken, and Warwitch was near her so she went to help... And right now Jupiter, who was also there, is also evil."

"But there's more," Ami said. "The Dark Mana isn't concentrating in one area now, it's spreading through all the city. It could attack any of us, anytime."

"We need to help Yuki," Usagi said.

Ami turned to the computer and flinched. "No..."

"What now?" Rei muttered.

"Terry, the Dark Mana's going for him."

Usagi frowned. "So we should split and..."

Ami shook her head. "No, you all go help Warwitch. I'll take care of Terry myself."

"Ami, we can't..." Usagi started, but Ami ignored her and walked out of the room.

"I thought she was the smart one," Rei noted.

Usagi flinched. "She can't fight Terry alone. Okay, call everyone and tell them to join you. Once you're done with Mako and Karin, you can come help us."

"I like that plan," Rei said. "Just be careful, Usako."

Usagi smiled at her before also walking out of the room.

Minako sighed. "Okay, I'll uhm... See you there."

Rei groaned as Minako 'vanished.' "You coming?"

"You girls are way out of my league," Aiko said. "I'll just keep an eye on the city in case someone else goes evil.

* * *

Warwitch leapt to the next rooftop, sprinting off as soon as she landed. She wasn't one to run away from her troubles, but this was an exception. This time her trouble was a large, electric dragon.

"Wink Chain Barrage!"

The dragon gave out a pitiful shriek as it was blasted apart. Warwitch saw Venus 'appear' near her and smiled. "Just in time, Venus."

Venus nodded then saw the two evil Senshi leap to the rooftop they were on. "Nice, the two brawly ones."

"Hmph, another weakling."

"You may be stronger than me, Mako, but not smarter," Venus snapped.

"Okay, you asked for it," Jupiter growled and rushed at Venus. Venus simply moved out of the way, so fast the lightning Senshi couldn't even see her move. "Stand still, damn it!"

"And ruin my fun?" Venus said from somewhere near Jupiter.

Meanwhile, Warwitch and Earth had moved down to the street again. "So, dirtgirl, are you going to give up?"

"Jungle Wrath!"

"I see..." Warwitch muttered and spread her arms, some kind of dust cloud forming around her and drifting to the incoming vines. "Gotcha. "

Earth flinched seeing her plants wither and die in seconds. "Hey, what the fuck was that thing?"

"Herbicide spell," Warwitch said. "So, Poison Ivy-wannabe, got anything else to show me?"

Jupiter had, meanwhile, realized she was losing this fight. She couldn't possibly hit Venus, unless it was a fluke, and she wasn't going to trust luck to win, and Venus kept raining blows at her. However, she smiled, looking at her surroundings. There was something else she could do.

"Give it up, Mako, you can't win."

"Your speed can't beat gravity," Jupiter said.

"What..."

Without warning, Jupiter slammed both her fists into the rooftop. The effect was instantaneous, the rooftop cracked and fell apart, just as Jupiter had planned. However, she had used a bit too much of her might, and the building itself collapsed under her feet.

Venus had been running to Jupiter, but now, without anything to step on, she couldn't stop her sprint. Her speed was, however, enough for her to literally ignore gravity, which in this case was good. She run to the closer rooftop and stopped, looking down. The building had collapsed completely, and she could see the knocked out Jupiter on top of the debris. Mere meters away from that, she could see Warwitch standing near a now unconscious Earth. She leapt down and walked to her. "How did you beat her?"

"The noise distracted her," Warwitch said. "But you know... I don't think this will be good publicity for your group."

"What do you mean?"

Saturn appeared near them. "There were civilians inside that building."

"Shit..." Venus paled. "Mako's not going to be happy."

"I'll take care of the casualties," Saturn said.

Just then, Mars appeared, along with most of the team. "Crap, we're late."

Venus sighed. "Maybe I should've waited for reinforcements."

"What's done is done," ChibiMoon said.

Dragons Venus and Sun suddenly walked away from the others. "Unfortunately for you, this is far from over."

Saturn was just done healing the two unconscious Senshi, and she looked up after hearing the two Dragons. "Something tells me this will be one long, shitty day."

* * *

**A/N:** Poor Mako keeps on being targeted by those street gangs once in a while. Though I should actually said 'poor street gangs. '

_SolarWinds:_ I really couldn't drag the plot further forwards even if I tried. But even if Chronicles will end 'soon' (thirty or so more episodes,) there's still Crystal and Aeons to go through before the story does end.

I could spoil a lot about what's going to happen in the few remaining arcs, but I'm just going to say a lot of it wasn't in the old version.


	182. Dragon's Claw

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 17: Enemy Within.**

**Episode 182: Dragon's Claw.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 7, 2008_

* * *

"Tornado Hold!"

Dragon Sun leapt to the side, avoiding the attack. "You'll have to do better than that, Haruka."

"Aqua Whirlpool!"

The blast knocked Sun back, but he stood up and smiled. "You two can't really beat me."

"Good thing there's more of us here," Earth said.

"Yes, it's good that you're all gathering here..." Dragon Moon noted.

ChibiUsa looked at Dragon Moon and gasped. "Damn it, not you too... "

"That's four Senshi taken at a time," Jupiter commented. She and Earth were still beaten up after their little brawl, but she wasn't just going to sit around and wait.

"Make it five," Dragon Earth said coldly.

Saturn glanced at the battlefield a block away from her and grimaced. She then turned to the civilians she had just revived. "Please leave the area until we can beat our foes."

"Those are Senshi too, why are they fighting?" a woman asked.

"No time to explain," Saturn said. "You really need to get out of this area."

A fire blast hit the ground near Saturn, and the civilians finally got the hint. "Oops, my bad," Mars said before she was tackled down by Dragon Sun. "Get off me, you freak. Fire Tornado!"

Saturn watched the Dragon flying up and falling into a fountain. "I see they've got things controlled here..." She leaned on a wall and sighed. Reviving so many humans had really drained her, she wasn't sure she would be able to revive anyone else today unless she rested for a while.

* * *

"General, this is really bad. We have five Senshi attacking!"

"Five of them? Seia reported only three."

"It's the Dragons," Tomoe paused. "We need to get everyone out of there."

"Maybe our green-haired friend will help?"

"I doubt it," Tomoe noted.

"Why?"

"Hotaru said Pluto was staying out of this one. If she's turned evil like the others, well... Her full power's way above any of them, possibly above their combined total."

"That wouldn't be nice," Kino admitted. "Okay, tell Seia to..."

Just then, Aiko appeared in the room, causing several alarms to go off. She looked around and the alarms fell instantly silent. "General, this can be worse than you think."

Kino took a second to recognize the girl. "You're someone I see less than even Pluto, so... How could it be worse?"

"The Dark Mana, as we're calling this new force, is sentient. I'm almost a hundred percent sure of that. I don't think it will stop with the Senshi it took over right now. And eventually it'll get to the two Moons. My advise would be to evacuate the city before that happens."

"Can Moon really destroy the city? Wouldn't just evacuating the district they're in be enough?"

"I have heard, from a very reliable source, that Moon will most likely power up before this is over."

"How much stronger..."

"A hundred times stronger than she is now, give or take a few thousands in our scale."

"Right, I'm going to tell Seia about this," Kino said. "One more thing, pass this message to the Senshi."

"Yes?"

"Tell them civilians are starting to fear them more than ever. Their popularity will sink down if this continues."

"Understood. Now, if you excuse me..."

"Aww, leaving already? I was hoping I could dissect, I mean, examine that body of yours."

"I'll pass," Aiko said and vanished.

"Professor, you need to go out more," Kino noted.

"Out? You mean out there, to the city that's now full of element-shooting superhumans? I'll stay down here, thank you very much."

Kino shook his head at him, even though he had to agree, now wasn't a very good time to be up in the surface.

* * *

Mercury realized, as soon as she reached her target, that facing him alone was probably one major mistake. "Terry..."

Dragon Saturn laughed. "He's going to enjoy this. His memories are so sweet, it's a real pity he'll once again be helpless, watching someone he cares about being killed."

"Why you..." Mercury growled. She was really in disadvantage here, as far as power went. She hadn't considered the Dark Mana would use Terry's Saturn form, but apparently it could afford the energy loss. "I' not going to give up. You may outskill me, but never outsmart me. "

"Who needs to outsmart you, weakling?" Dragon Saturn snapped and rushed at her, his dual sword appearing in his hands as he run. His charge was stopped, though, by a white airboard that hit his side, sending him rolling sideways. "Who the fuck..."

Mercury didn't need to turn to know who it was. "Usagi, I thought I said I would fight him alone."

"You know I almost never do as I'm told, Ami," Moon said. "So it's Dragon Saturn, huh, this will be fun."

Her words, though, concealed what she was really thinking. She remembered her training fights against Dragon Mercury, and they weren't much fun, they mostly involved getting kicked around by him until she used one of her attacks to knock him out. This time around, he was using his Saturn form. A form she had never faced, even in training, as he knew the side-effects of using it for too long.

So she really didn't know what he could do. All she knew is that he was dangerous right now, because that wasn't reall Terry, but the Dark Mana, who was facing them.

"I'm a gentleman, you know, but if you're not going to attack, then I'll go first. Ice Dragon!"

The dragon rushed at Mercury, who leapt out of the way of its first charge. The construct, however, turned and followed after her.

Moon meanwhile decided to risk attacking their foe. "Moonlight Screen!" Dragon Saturn leapt over the attack, but Moon had foreseen that. "Crystal Retaliation!"

Mercury saw the dragon construct vanish and looked around, paling as she saw Dragon Saturn lying on the ground few meters away from her. "Terry..."

Moon checked on him. "He's alive, just..." She saw him open his eyes and moved away, but not fast enough.

"Winter's Requiem."

Mercury was rushing to them even before she saw Moon getting encased in ice. By the time the ice Moon had been trapped in exploded, she was only a few steps away from Dragon Saturn. She noticed he was staggering up. "I'm going to hate myself for this," she muttered before reaching out her hands. "Tsunami Freezing."

Moon kneeled on the ground, and even that costed her a lot. Her arms and legs had cuts all around, and her suit wasn't any better off. "That's what I get for being careless."

Mercury was done healing their 'foe' and walked to her. "If you hadn't fallen for it, I would have."

Dragon Mercury staggered up. "That was fun. Except for the bit where I still felt the blasts."

"You're not going to be knocked out now, are you?" Mercury asked.

"No, in fact I have more energy now than I did before I was taken over."

Mercury nodded. "Rei and Naru said that, too. In any case..." she sighed, "this day's far from over. Scanner picks up at least three more Dark Mana entities, several miles east from here."

Moon was shocked. "Three more?"

"I caught something of what the Dark Mana was thinking while it took over me," Dragon Mercury said. "Apparently, it wants to tire us down so it can kill us."

Moon grimaced. "Oh, that sounds like it's going to be a great day. "

* * *

"Think we can win this one?" Jupiter asked the others. Most of them were resting, and only ChibiMoon, Uranus, Neptune and Venus were still fighting.

"We'll have to," Saturn said. "We don't know how long it'll take for Moon to get here."

There was an explosion, and they turned to see ChibiMoon standing near Dragon Sun's unconscious form. "One down," Mars commented.

Venus was right now running around her male counterpart, not letting him much room to move. "Give up, Brad, you can't win this."

"I think I can," Dragon Venus snapped. "Demon Sword!"

Another explosion, and Dragon Venus was sent flying back a few meters. Sailor Venus, on the other hand, managed to keep herself steady, using the explosion's momentum to speed up even further. She run up a tall building's front, then checked her surroundings. She located another target and smirked, running down the wall as fast as she could. "Wink Chain Wrap!"

It all took a second, and Dragon Moon found himself trapped by a metallic chain. "Damn light bitch, I'm going to..."

"Wind Sword Blast!"

As Dragon Moon was knocked out, everyone noticed their last foe was just standing there, smirking. "What's he up to?" Mars pondered.

"This is amusing," Dragon Earth said, "you're all already tired, but this party's just begun."

"Ice Dragon!" The construct knocked Dragon Earth down, and Moon rushed in to heal him. The two Mercuries meanwhile joined the rest of their team.

"About time you got here," Earth commented.

"We could've beaten him," Uranus noted, "but what did he mean by 'this party's just begun?'"

ChibiMoon looked at Saturn and gasped. "I think I know what that means..."

Saturn phased away from the others and laughed. "I'm not going to let you rest, Senshi. This is your last day."

Venus vanished from besides Dragon Venus, who was now staggering up, and appeared right next to Saturn. "The more you fight, the closer you'll be to your doom... So why don't you just give it up?"

Moon glared at the two evil Senshi. "Never."

"You won't win this. You're not as good as you look, Usako," Saturn said. "In fact, you're not good at many things."

Moon growled at her. "That might be right, but I'm not good at giving up."

"So be it," Venus snapped then vanished.

"This just can't get worse, can it?" Jupiter asked.

Aiko appeared near her, her eyes cold and lifeless. "I would've thought you Senshi knew better than saying that."

Mercury grimaced. "I should've known she could also be used by the Dark Mana."

"Uhm, but it's not like she can be a threat to us, right?" Lilith asked.

Aiko snorted at that. "Unfortunately for you, this computer girl has been busy with some upgrades lately."

"What do you..." Nemesis started, then saw Aiko's hands light up with energy. "Oh great, she thinks she's Sailor Moon now."

"Shut up and die," Aiko snapped before shooting twin energy beams at the Senshi.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, that's a _lot_ of Senshi gone evil for one day. And the day's not over yet.

I'm going to take a break from Cyber Moon. It doesn't mean I'll stop writing it, but I'm tired of the routine of writing this fic and only this fic... I'm rewriting Digimon Legends right now, so its old version may vanish soon, once I get a few episodes of it done. If you read the old one, you'll like the new, improved version I'm working on.

If you didn't read it, well, it'll be quite similar to this, only with a darker theme from the very start, but will still have humor and action as main features, along with a bit of romance here and there.

And, of course, lots and lots of Digimon.


	183. Senshi Wars

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 17: Enemy Within.**

**Episode 183: Senshi Wars.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 12, 2008_

* * *

"Stop fighting like a coward!" ChibiMoon growled. She winced at the many cuts she had all around her body now. It was really annoying, Saturn was just phasing around her, making small, superficial cuts with her glaive, and vanishing before she could counter. She also had no pattern, so stopping her was quite impossible. "Come on, Hotaru, fight fair."

"Why fight fair when I can just keep doing this?" Saturn said from behind her, then vanished before ChibiMoon could hit her.

"Oh, I get it. You know that you could never defeat me fighting fair, so you're cheating to win. Sad."

Saturn appeared in front of her, frowning. "That's not true."

"Prove it."

"I don't need to," Saturn said and leapt away from her. She then looked at the rest of the Senshi and smiled. Except for Dragon Venus and Moon, who were trying to beat Venus, everyone else was recovering. Sitting ducks for her attack. "Death Legion!"

ChibiMoon saw the swarm of wraiths rush to her and gasped. However, none of them hit her, instead rushing by her sides. "What the... No!" She looked back and saw the others were out cold, and the wraiths were shining with energy. "You bitch..."

Saturn snorted and phased out of view again. Or, at least, tried to. "What... Damn you, let me go!"

ChibiMoon grimaced. "Sorry, Hotaru." She run at Saturn, who recalled the wraiths, and managed to get to her before they reached her, stabbing through her. "Wake up already. Crystal Dust!"

Saturn coughed some blood, her eyes returning to normal. "What is... Ugh..." She concentrated, and then fell to her knees as ChibiMoon pulled the sword out. "That was... Impressive."

ChibiMoon looked down at Saturn. "Sorry, but I saw no other way to get you... And if you had absorbed those wraiths..."

"The Dark Mana would have enough energy to get Moon," Saturn finished. She then recalled the wraiths, and her wound healed. "Guess we're even now, huh?"

ChibiMoon smiled sheepishly. "Yeah."

Saturn walked to where the others were and sighed. They were all waking up, but none of them had enough energy to even move. "Sorry about the draining. Here's some energy."

"Keep it," Mars said.

"But..."

"She's right," Jupiter added, "keep it and use it to fight whoever goes evil next. We'll live."

Saturn nodded. "You're right... And I think I can beat Venus this way." She summoned her old one-eyed visor and scanned the area. "Hmm, there she is."

Moon and Dragon Venus were as beaten up as ChibiMoon was, but unlike her, they saw no way to beat their foe. "This is annoying," the Dragon said.

"Guys, get out of here."

Moon turned to look at Saturn. "But you can't..."

"Trust me, I can do this."

Moon and Dragon Venus leapt away, and Venus laughed. "You little girl, you may have stopped me from gathering energy, but now I'm going to kill you."

"If I let you hit me, that is."

"Hah! You can't even see me coming, idiot."

"Oh, sure, you're faster than me. But not smarter. Deathbringer!"

ChibiMoon watched the scene in awe. Saturn had slammed the lower tip of her staff into the ground, and a crowd of wraiths had shot from her, spiralling out. One of them got Venus, holding onto her, and as it did, all the other wraiths homed in on her. "That's..."

"Our attacks keep on getting better," Dragon venus admitted.

Saturn smiled. "You want energy, here's some." She slammed her staff down again, and all the wraiths exploded in unison, sending Venus flying back. Saturn phased out and caught the now unconscious Venus before she hit the ground, then healed her.

"That was some... Amazing attack," Moon noted.

"Damn stupid mana creep should let us rest," Mars complained.

"Sorry, Rei, but we can't do that," Uranus and Neptune said in unison as they walked away from the others.

"Oh crap," Dragon Venus muttered.

Saturn frowned. "I kinda wasted most of my reserves to get Venus."

Moon nodded and walked to the two Outers. "Don't worry, I'll take care of them."

"We will," ChibiMoon added.

"You sure you can do this after your last fight?" Moon asked.

"Don't worry, mom, Hotaru hits like a little girl."

Saturn smiled. "If I had any energy left I'd kick your ass for that remark."

* * *

"How are things looking out there?"

"Bad, General, we have only around ten percent of the city evacuated. There's no way we will make it in time."

"Then try to get as many civilians as you can out of..." Kino stopped as he heard Tomoe cursing. "What's the matter?"

"The power levels of one of the Senshi just... Well, look at it yourself."

Kino read the numbers and groaned. "Just how much power does she have now?"

"A bit less than Pluto," Tomoe noted. "Not even Moon would be able to stop her without killing her now."

Kino frowned. "Then it's already too late."

"Are there any Senshi near that one?" Seia asked through the other screen.

"Only one, the rest are mostly out of power, and two of them just went evil."

* * *

Miles away from where Uranus and Neptune were, another battle was still raging. Despite the difference in skills, none of the fighters had the upper hand, so the battle had lasted longer than expected.

Dragon Mercury clashed swords with his opponent, and smiled. "Aiko, you should know I can beat you easily."

"When we're sparring for fun, yes. But right now, I'm going for the kill. You should know that, if you kill me, are you sure you can revive me?"

The Dragon froze. Yes, he hadn't considered that, he didn't know if he could do it. The distraction served Aiko, and he barely managed to leap back getting a slice on his left cheek for his carelessness. "Damn you..."

"You wouldn't dare hurting me, right dad?"

"You're not Aiko."

"But this is her body. And you can't afford to take the risk of destroying it." Dragon Mercury charged at her again, but she dodged it easily. "See, you're not even trying."

"If you were so sure of it, you wouldn't be dodging."

Mercury was meanwhile scanning Aiko. Trying to find a weak spot in her, to take the Dark Mana out without killing her. But so far, she had found nothing. Her internal defenses were incredible, it was amazing the enemy had passed them.

Aiko shot an energy beam at Dragon Mercury, who deflected it with his sword. The beam shot up, hitting a marquee and knocking it down, crushing several parked cars under its weight.

"Damn it, I'm not paying the bill for that. Ami, have a way to get that parasite out of her?"

Mercury shook her head, but then realized something. "Parasite... How didn't I think of that before?" She started typing, fast enough to make even her counterpart flinch, then smiled after a few seconds. "There, let's drop the bomb."

Aiko snorted. "Whatever you're doing, it won't..." She then stood there, frozen in place.

"Huh, what happened?" Dragon Mercury asked.

Mercury healed Aiko, then turned to him. "Simple, I uploaded a virus into her. Her mind turned all their attention to it, and that stopped her from moving, Dark Mana or not. It's good that she's still much like a computer in some ways."

"You bet," Aiko agreed.

Dragon Mercury was about to comment on that, when Mercury rushed away. "Ami?"

Aiko paled. "The Dark Mana is going for her."

"Damn, that thing is really not letting us rest." He leapt on his airboard and followed after Mercury. "Ami, wait!"

"Go away," Mercury said, not stopping her sprint.

"Come on, I can get you, and Aiko will help, too."

"No, go away, you don't know what's..."

Dragon Mercury saw her stop and sighed. "I guess your running away was for naught."

"Should've listened to her," Mercury said. "Mercury Snow Power!"

Aiko reached them right as Mercury was surrounded by a pillar of ice. "Oh shit..."

"Aiko, stay out of this."

"No way, I'm going to help you."

"But what if..."

"The Dark Mana was messing with you. I have backups at the base," Aiko said.

Dragon Mercury blinked at that. "Oh... Smart."

"She may be, but you're not," Mercury snapped as her transformation ended. The suit was exactly like the one the alternate Mercury had, and the way she was glaring at them made it clear she wasn't playing.

"I love facing enemies stronger than me," Dragon Mercury noted. "Let's do this."

"Yes, let's do this," Mercury snapped.

The Dragon summoned his sword and rushed at his foe, but Mercury didn't move. He slashed upwards at her, but Mercury simply grabbed the sword and sent it flying up. "What the..."

"Just as expected, you're not fighting to kill," Mercury said, "and that will be your doom."

* * *

Back with the others, things weren't looking good. Moon glanced around and groaned. Most of her friends were out of energy, and she knew it was just a matter of time before the mana went after her. ChibiMoon and Venus were taking care of Uranus and Neptune, but she still feared what would happen if she...

Her mind sensed something, and that took her out of her brooding. A surge of power, power strong enough to... "Damn it, Ami..." She turned to Saturn. "Come with me."

"But what about..."

Moon pointed to the east "No time for that, we need to get there, and fast."

Saturn had her visor on and paled (moreso than usual) as she got a reading of what Moon was pointing at. "What the hell is..."

"Let's go," Moon insisted.

Saturn nodded, and both vanished from the scene.

* * *

Aiko leaned on a wall and grimaced. True, she wasn't as easy to get rid of as a human, but she could still feel pain when hit. She looked down and saw the left side of her torso wasn't there. "I guess she's way out of my league."

Dragon Mercury was thinking the same way. Mercury was now too strong, both in her attacks, and physically. He had tried to punch her out cold, but she hadn't even flinched. "This is fun, isn't it?" he teased as he tried to recover his breath.

"For me, it is," Mercury said, "and it'll be even better in a few seconds." She started gathering energy and smiled. "Time to die, Terry."

The Dragon growled. "Damn, there's no other way to do this... Saturn Guardian Power!"

Mercury chuckled. Even with his Saturn powers, he was still a weakling compared to her new power. He was trying to buy some time, to let the others get here, but she wasn't going to let that happen. As the Dragon run to her, she leapt over him, flipping in mid-air so she was facing down. The energy gathered in her hand suddenly focused in an impossibly small ice pellet, and she slapped her hand down on his shoulder. "Mercury Freezing Pulse!"

Aiko was just done reconstructing her body, when her scanners picked up something... Something she wished she wouldn't have to see. Mercury landed near her and smiled coldly, and as she looked at where Dragon Saturn was, she saw he wasn't moving. "What... Mom, what did you..."

"He's gone," Mercury simply said.

Just then, Saturn and Moon reached them. Saturn saw Dragon Saturn slump down to the ground and gasped. "He... He's dead."

Moon glared at Mercury. Eternal Mercury, she mentally noted, but she didn't care about that now. "How do you dare doing this, you..." she stopped, finally noticing Mercury wasn't moving. "... Ami?"

Mercury turned to her, her eyes filled with sadness. "Moon, please... Heal me while I can still control myself..."

As Moon rushed to Mercury, Saturn kneeled besides the Dragon. "I know you'll return the favor someday, Terry," she said before concentrating, and energy washed over him.

Mercury's eyes finally returned to normal, and she kneeled on the ground, sobbing. "I... What did I do, I can't..."

"Ami, it wasn't you, the Dark Mana was..."

"Shut up, Usagi, for once I'm not in the mood for your pep talk," Mercury snapped.

"And for once, you're being more of a bitch than Rei."

Mercury looked up and saw Dragon Mercury was there. "Terry..."

Moon sighed in relief as Mercury hugged the Dragon. "I guess you're right, though... I really don't know how that feels. But now we don't have to worry about the Dark Mana anymore."

"Why not?" Mercury asked.

"You're at Eternal level, you can take on the others when they transform. You can defeat even me..."

"Sometimes, you can be quite dense," Dragon Mercury noted. "If Ami could upgrade, so can you."

Moon's smile faded and she turned away. "If that happens, then... Just kill me."

"You can't mean that, we..."

"For once in my life, I'm giving you an order," Moon said and started walking away. As the others didn't follow her, she groaned. "Come on, guys, we need to get back to where the others are."

The other three looked at each other then followed their leader, but none of them was thinking about following her order. It wasn't that they couldn't kill her, even in Eternal form, but they wouldn't do it. There had to be another way out of this, one that didn't put any more deaths on their shoulders.

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, things will just get better and better for the Senshi.


	184. Dark Side Of The Moon

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 17: Enemy Within.**

**Episode 184: Dark Side Of The Moon.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 13, 2008_

* * *

By the time Moon's group got back to where the others were, they saw things had went from bad to worse. Uranus and Neptune were still evil, and Lilith and Warwitch had joined them.

And only ChibiMoon was still fighting, the rest of the group was in too bad a shape to help. "Guess we're back just in time," Saturn said.

Mercury growled. The four taken by Dark Mana were weak, now, compared to her. "Leave this to me."

"Tornado Hold!"

"Aqua Whirlpool!"

Warwitch added one of her own attacks to the mix. "Flood Stream!"

Mercury was trapped by the attacks, but she calmly looked at the vortex surrounding her. "Nice, but..." She touched the wall of the tornado, and the water froze. She then walked out of the icy cone as if she was walking through air. "... Useless."

"She's showing off," Jupiter muttered.

"But she's winning, so I won't complain," Nemesis noted.

Lilith growled at Mercury. "You can't beat luck. Hex Bolt!"

Mercury dropped to the ground, dodging the energy ball, then noticed Lilith smiling. "Let me guess, you were counting on that?"

Lilith snorted. "Sure was."

Mercury looked back and saw the ball had knocked a hole into a building, and said building was leaning towards her. "Oh, that."

Lilith laughed as the building fell on Mercury, then realized the building hadn't quite crushed Mercury, as planned, since the Ice Senshi was holding it with her bare hands. "What the fuck..."

"Heavy..." Mercury muttered. She created several columns of ice around her, and once the building had enough support, she run out from under it. "... One thing I've noticed about this level is," she said as the ice columns cracked under the building's weight, "that I'm not running out of power as fast as it happened with all my previous upgrades."

Uranus had, in the meantime, managed to get behind Mercury, and tried to attack her from her blind spot while she was distracted. "Die!"

Mercury rolled to the side, dodging Uranus' charge, then her face turned serious. "No matter how much you try, you won't win this. Mercury Frozen Snare."

ChibiMoon blinked a few times in shock. What seemed like tentacles of ice had shot from the ground in front of Mercury, and trapped all her foes. "Didn't know Ami was into bondage."

Mercury scowled at that. "I'll be done in a second. Mercury Healing Mist!" A mist covered the area, and it turned all the Senshi back to normal. "Okay, who's left now?"

ChibiMoon groaned and staggered back. "Me... It's going to..." She backed away and then fell to her knees. "No, get out of... My head!"

"ChibiUsa?" Moon asked worriedly.

"Not anymore," ChibiMoon said. "Moon Heart Power!"

"Heart?" Dragon Mercury muttered.

"Well, if mom's shout had 'snow' in it," Aiko noted.

"Good point."

As the transformation ended, Saturn blinked in awe. "She looks cute with those wings."

Mercury scanned her new foe in a second. "As expected, her power's even beyond mine."

"That's true, icegirl," ChibiMoon snapped. "You really loved playing with my last few warriors, didn't you? But this time, I'll get the upper hand."

"Not if I hit you first. Tsunami Glacier!"

ChibiMoon was trapped inside a large ice block. "It's not working," Saturn said, a second before the ice cracked.

ChibiMoon blasted through the ice pillar and glared at Mercury. "That tickled. Now let's see what a real attack looks like. Moon Princess..." Several needle-thin pink dots appeared all around her as she focused. She reached her hands forwards, and the dots all gathered around them. As she opened her eyes again, she smiled. "... Energy Storm!" The blast that followed wasn't just one solid energy beam, but thousands of thin pink beams that shot through the air one after the other, making it virtually impossible for Mercury to dodge. And even though Mercury was at the same relative level, the attack still hurt her, and sent her flying back, smashing through a few buildings before she fell. "So much for the mighty Mercury."

Dragon Mercury growled. "I'm going to..."

"Go check on Ami," Saturn said.

"What about..."

"I'll take care of her," Moon noted.

"You can't do that," ChibiMoon gloated. "See, I thought I would have to take over you, then kill all your friends, but now I see... I underestimated this brat. She's strong enough to kill you all herself."

"You monster..."

"Funny, that's what she's saying, too," ChibiMoon noted. "So, moon girl, hit me with your best shot. That is, if you're not scared of hurting your little girl."

She knew the monster taking over her daughter had to be destroyed, but she also couldn't hurt her. She just couldn't afford to... _'Mom, do it.'_

That voice... Was it really... She looked at ChibiMoon, glaring right into her eyes. "No, I'm not scared. Moon Crystal Retribution!"

ChibiMoon stood there, looking shocked as the attack approached, then she rose her hand, blocking the blast with it, and laughed. "If we were at the same level, that would've hurt a lot. Fortunately for me, we're not. Moon Princess Energy Storm!"

Mars saw Moon hit the ground near her and growled. "This can't be happening. We always win, don't we?"

Moon struggled to stand up. "Never said I was... Giving up."

ChibiMoon laughed. "Poor little moon girl, so weak yet so stubborn. "

Unseen to her, Saturn had phased right behind her. "The same could be said about you, mana monster."

ChibiMoon turned around, ready to blast whoever it was out, but Saturn did something the creature wasn't quite expecting. She kissed her. A long, deep kiss, and the Dark Mana found 'her' body wasn't responding to 'her' commands anymore. 'she' could feel her energy leaving her little by little. What was going on?

"What is she doing?" Jupiter asked.

"Kissing her, you do know about that, right?" Venus teased.

Aiko giggled. "It's more than just a kiss, and the Dark Mana fell right into the trap."

"Explain?" Jupiter muttered.

"She's using her gloves to drain the energy out of ChibiMoon's body, through her lips."

"She's one deadly kisser, then," Dragon Mercury noted. He was back, carrying Mercury on his arms, and smiled as the others noticed that. "She's okay, but Pinky's blast knocked her out cold."

Saturn finally released ChibiMoon, and the pink-haired Senshi fell to her knees. "This is over."

ChibiMoon's eyes were back to normal, and she stood up smiling. "That's one kiss I don't want to repeat."

"So, you don't like kissing me?" Saturn asked, faking sadness.

"No, that's not what I meant, just..."

Moon suddenly clutched her head. "No... I'm not going to let you!"

"Uh oh..." Mars muttered. "This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

"Mom?" ChibiMoon asked, already knowing it wasn't her mother who was in control anymore.

"This is your last day, Senshi," Moon said as she was surrounded by a white aura. "Prepare to be obliterated. Moon Eternal Power!"

"Like I'm going to let you win!" ChibiMoon snapped, summoning her sword as she run to the still-transforming Moon.

Moon's transformation ended, and the others saw some things were out of place in her. First off, her three skirts were white instead of the usual blue, and second, she had two pairs of wings on her back. Also, her tiara was gone, and the crescent moon symbol shone on her forehead. She idly noticed ChibiMoon approaching, and stopped the sword with her hand. "Yes, this is what I call power... I could cause so much destruction with this body... So much pain and suffering..."

"Not while I'm alive!" ChibiMoon snapped. "Moon Princess Energy Storm!"

When the barrage ended, Moon was still standing, but her suit was burnt and cut at several places, and her hair was singed. "Damn little brat, go away before you get hurt!" She punched the surprised ChibiMoon away, knocking her into a building, which collapsed on her.

"No way, not even ChibiMoon can stop her..." Nemesis said.

Venus paled. "What will we do now?"

"Now, you all die," Moon snapped and started gathering energy, then saw the debris her daughter had been knocked into explode outwards. "What the..."

"You die first!" ChibiMoon snapped as she run to her mother. She didn't mind the pain she felt through her body, she just wanted to stop this monster once and for all. And she wouldn't fail, she couldn't fail.

Moon, however, wasn't going to go down that easily. "Annoying brat, I warned you. Eternal Flash!"

"No!"

Dragon Mercury didn't need a scanner to know the reason of Saturn's scream. He was also able to feel someone's death if near enough to them... And also, ChibiMoon was just standing there now, having dropped the sword, her charge stopped instantly by the blast.

A blast that had pierced right through her heart. She turned to look at Saturn, her eyes glazed. "I failed... I can't..."

Saturn saw ChibiMoon slump to the ground, and summoned her glaive. She couldn't revive her again, so she didn't need to hold back now. She would... Despite her rage, her mind was able to register something odd about Moon, and that stopped her before she attacked.

Moon wasn't moving. She was frozen, staring at her daughter. The Dark Mana should've been gloating, boasting on how invincible it was... Or at least moving. But Moon wasn't moving a muscle. And so she stood, for several seconds, before she looked up, letting out a cry of despair.

"What the hell..." Luna and the other Mooncats had reached the scene just in time to see ChibiMoon's death, but they had no idea what was going on.

Aiko's head turned in all directions. "No! If she does that..."

"If she does what?" Mars asked, right before columns of white light erupted all around the area. All around the city, even.

Mercury had recovered her senses seconds before the outburst, and she lost no time in scanning the area. "Oh hell no, she didn't just do that..."

"What did she do?" Jupiter asked, too tired to try and figure it out herself.

"She destroyed all the Dark Mana. All of it."

"But wasn't that a dangerous thing to do?" Venus asked.

"Given the situation," Mars commented, "I won't blame her for her outburst."

Dragon Mercury looked down at the fallen ChibiMoon and sighed, looking back at Mercury.

"Go ahead," Mercury said, "I'm not stopping you."

"Saturn Guardian Power!" Dragon Saturn kneeled besides ChibiMoon and sighed. "I hate having to do this..."

Meanwhile, Mars had staggered up, and walked to Moon's side. "Usagi..."

Moon was on her knees, head down, and tears were falling steadily to the ground as she sobbed. "Go away."

"Weren't we through this before?" Mars said humorlessly. "I can honestly say I know how you feel, Usagi, but..."

"But what?" Moon asked looking up at her, her eyes red with tears. "Are you going to tell me I shouldn't blame myself? That I didn't have a way to stop that from happening? That it's not my fault?"

Mars just stood there, staring at Moon. Yes, that was just what she was going to say. "Listen..."

"No, you listen. I bet Mercury already told you guys what I did. I blasted that stupid thing to dust. Every single bit of it. If the Earth had been blown up because of that, well, too bad. But know what? It didn't. And know what's funny about this? That I could've done it from the go, from the very moment I was taken over and that Dark Mana thing made the mistake of powering me up. I could've..."

"Mom, snap out of it."

Moon looked at ChibiMoon sadly. "I could've destroyed that thing, without having to kill you."

"Usagi, we all make mistakes, and..." Luna started.

"Shut up!" Moon shouted, and the Mooncat almost bit her tongue as she snapped her mouth shut, shocked at her reaction. "I'm tired of all this, tired of failing, tired of watching my friends die once and again around me. But this, this really beats it all. I killed... I killed my own daughter."

"How do you think I feel?" ChibiMoon snapped. "Stop feeling sorry about yourself for a second, will you? I knew this could happen, hell, I was sure I could end up dead if I fought you, but I saw no way out of it, so I tried my best."

"And I killed you..."

"Yes, but it doesn't matter, because I did all I could to win. That's something you taught me, mom. Never give up."

Moon smiled humorlessly, and looked away. "Never give up... It sounded so awesome before..."

"Usagi..."

Moon looked at Dragon Earth for a moment before she turned around, and started walking away. "I'm a failure, I'm not worthy of being a leader anymore. Get someone who's better at this, someone... Someone who wouldn't let her friends die."

"Usagi, wait!"

Dragon Earth put a hand on Mars' shoulder, then watched Moon run away. "Talking to her now won't do any good."

"If I had fought along with you," Mercury said to ChibiMoon, "maybe it would've ended differently."

ChibiMoon looked down. "This is how things go? Is this really it?" She growled. "We didn't win anything from this stupid, useless war. "

Lilith saw ChibiMoon fly away, followed closely by Saturn, and nodded. "She's right, this was a pointless war."

"And I could bet my powers on it not being the last one," Dragon Mercury added.

* * *

**A/N:** The worst is past them now, right? Because there's nothing worse than having to fight each other, right? Don't bet on that...


	185. Dejavu Syndrome

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 185: Deja-vu Syndrome.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 18, 2008_

* * *

Rei saw Ami walk in and shook her head. "She's not coming?"

Ami nodded. "I tried talking to her, but she wouldn't even let me into her room."

"It's been four days now..." Rei noted. "Is she going to stay locked up in her room forever?"

"I don't know, Rei, I really don't know. But I also don't know what to tell her to get her out of that mood."

Just then, ChibiUsa appeared in the room. "Wow, this really works. "

Rei frowned at her. "Showoff..."

Ami smiled. She had been the one to find this out, their newest upgrade to Eternal level let them teleport several miles at a time, just like Saturn had always been able to. "It's a good thing to have in an emergency."

"Yeah, but Hotaru's upset about not being the only one with that skill."

"Boo hoo, most of us still can't do that," Rei muttered.

"By the way, how's Pluto?"

ChibiUsa frowned. "I was quite upset when I went to see her, and I gave her an earful of my thoughts. I never saw her looking so... Guilty, and sad. But she told me she'd be taking two of our friends away for some special training."

"Two of our friends..." Ami thought about it for a few seconds. "For once, I don't know what she means."

"The two that are much weaker than the rest," ChibiUsa said, "Yuichiro and Shingo. She'll train them until they get to Guardian level."

"What level _is_ she anyhow?" Rei asked.

"Eternal, she's been that level for eons," ChibiMoon noted, "which means I'm now slightly stronger than her."

"Years ago, watching her fight," Ami noted, "the few times we saw her fight... Her power was unsetting. But now, I have the same level than her, and I wonder if it's right for a person to hold this much power."

Rei smiled. "You impressed Mako in that last battle, she said she could barely manage to hold a building like you did."

"When she gets to this point, then," Mercury said, "She'll probably be using buildings as thrown weapons."

Rei flinched at that. "Hadn't thought about that. Hey, ChibiUsa, have you tried talking to your mother yet?"

ChibiUsa winced. "Yeah, but she wouldn't let me into her room."

"Where are you staying, then?"

"At Hotaru's place," ChibiUsa said. "I really hope she can leave what happened behind."

"Can you?" Rei asked.

ChibiUsa looked down. "As a matter of fact, being at the receiving end of one of her strongest attacks was the scariest thing I ever went through. Frankly, I can't speak to her right now, even if she let me."

"I would be scared, too," Rei noted. "But aren't you worried about yourself, now that..."

"Now that what?" ChibiUsa snorted. "Now that I've been revived twice? I would be stupid if I wasn't worried. But I'm not mulling over it."

* * *

Naru growled at the man in front of her. This really was a very unlucky turn of events, at least for his group. "I'm not afraid of you."

The man laughed. This girl was crazy, he was holding a gun to her face, and she still had the nerve to taunt him? "Listen, girly, I'm taking the money, like it or not."

"You should be careful with that thing, you might hurt yourself."

Again, he laughed. "You really are crazy. Tell you what, if you move out of the way now, I won't kill you."

The poor thief didn't really know what he was messing with. Naru didn't really want to blow off her cover, but also, she couldn't just let this man rob the jewelry. She finally decided to take the risk, and she took a step forwards.

She heard the gunshot, and felt the sting on her nose as the bullet bounced off her skin. "Now, that wasn't nice," she said as she caught the bullet with one hand, using the other to crush the gun.

"Wh... What are you?" The would-be thief stammered as he backed away.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Naru said.

"Hey miss, I was joking, you know..." The man suddenly found himself unable to raise his feet from the ground. They were stuck, as if something had glued them.

"I don't think you were joking, no. I think you were quite serious. "

The man wasn't really looking at her, not since he noticed the shadow crawling up his leg, then up his torso. "Oh crap... You're one of those monsters, aren't you?"

"Monsters?" Naru chuckled. "I don't need to tell you, you see, nobody's going to believe you anyway."

The last thing the man saw before losing consciousness, was a giant, shadowy fist reeling up to hit him.

Naru shrugged. "Now to call the..."

"No need for that."

"Hi, Umino."

Game Master walked in and smiled. "I'll take this moron to jail, but do you have anything else to do right now?"

"Mom should be coming back in a few minutes," Naru said, "so not really."

"Then it's a date," Game Master mused as he fled away.

Naru was about to walk back in, when she noticed something strange. "What is that..."

The orange, ape-like monster growled at her before tackling her down.

* * *

"Mom, there's trouble out there."

Ami nodded. "I felt that too."

"What's out there?" ChibiUsa asked.

Aiko looked over the data and blinked in disbelief. "From what I can gather, there's several monsters out there, of many differents kinds. "

"Youma, cardian, lemure... You name the species, they're there."

Rei scowled. "Youma... I thought they would stop messing with us."

"I doubt it's the ones you're thinking of," ChibiUsa said.

Dragon Mercury rushed in. "This is bad."

Rei saw he had a green stain on his left arm. "What happened?"

"I just killed a lemure, right outside the base."

"There's only one person I know who would use our past enemies as soldiers," Ami noted. "Onara."

Aiko smiled. "The current crisis is already being solved."

"Their power is low compared to us," Ami admitted, "sending them out so separate and in such low numbers... What is Onara planning?"

Terry frowned at that. "Aiko, search for news on anything that would seem out of place. Anything the enemy could be interested in."

Rei walked out of the room. "I'm going to check on Usagi. Maybe I can get her out of her gloom."

"I doubt it," ChibiUsa said with a resigned sigh, after Rei left.

* * *

Uranus looked at the large, orange stain on the wall that had been a daimon seconds earlier. "Funny, I still remember when these were hard to fight."

Neptune nodded and looked around at the crowd that had gathered during their short battle. "Guess we're still popular despite what happened only a week ago."

"Hey, wasn't that a daimon?"

Uranus looked at the teenage boy who had asked that. It was quite surprising he could tell, when they themselves had a hard time recognizing the creature's race. "Yes, it was one of those monsters. "

"Any idea who is sending them out?"

Neptune shrugged. "Not yet, but we'll find out."

The two Senshi summoned their airboards and fled away. "We actually do know," Uranus said once they were far enough from the crowd.

Neptune laughed. "Yes, this must be Onara's work."

* * *

"Usagi, can I come in?"

"No."

"Come on. I won't speak about that, I just want to make sure you're okay." There was a small pause as Rei waited for an answer.

It finally came. "You don't need to see me to know that."

Rei frowned. "I can stay here all day if I need to. I won't leave until I get to see you."

"Just... Go away," Usagi said. It wasn't commanding, like before, but a plea.

"Can't do that," Rei said, "you know how stubborn I am, once I set myself a goal..."

The door opened. "You win."

Rei walked in and saw Usagi sitting on her bed. She wasn't crying right now, but her eyes showed her that she had been crying for quite some time. "Usako..."

"You said you wouldn't mention that," Usagi warned.

Rei looked to the side. "I won't. I just wanted to let you know there's another enemy in town."

"I know that, I've sensed them," Usagi noted. At Rei's quizzical look, she gave a humorless smile. "Remember this last upgrade's supposedly a hundred times stronger than before... Apparently it also enhanced my 'sensor' that much. I could, right now, tell you where they're attacking, and what species they are. I also know half of them were already dealt with... Heck, I can even tell you where the other Senshi are right now."

"So you don't only sense evil beings now," Rei noted, surprised. "If you know their kind, then..."

"I know, that stupid scientist is up to something. But I can't sense anything out of order with the city except for the monsters."

"That means they're not even in this city."

Usagi stared at Rei, her face dead serious. "I'm not going out there. "

"Wasn't going to ask that of you," Rei admitted, "moreso, if there's anything you need, anything at all..."

Usagi seemed pensive for a few seconds. "I want... To speak with my daughter."

Rei flinched. "I don't know about that..."

"What? Why?"

"She... Last I spoke with her, she said she was scared of you, of your power. I'll ask her to come here, but I'm not sure she will."

"Can't blame her for that," Usagi said. "I still feel..."

"We said we wouldn't be talking about that, didn't we?" Rei mused.

"I said you couldn't," Usagi noted. "I understand now why you acted like you did after you..." She looked at Rei for a few seconds and knew she didn't need to say anything else.

"Exactly why I'm not telling you to get out of this room," Rei said, "I know how I felt, and I know it must be worse for you. But if there's something I know, is that you don't give up. Ever. You just need time, but I know you'll make the right decision in the end."

"And it often costs someone's life."

Rei flinched. "Don't blame yourself for that, Usagi. Just... Remember, this world needs Sailor Moon."

"Then let ChibiUsa handle this," Usagi said. "You don't really get it, Rei. I don't want to fight, I don't know if I ever will. If I managed to hurt my daughter so much she won't talk to me, then maybe it's better if I never fight again."

Rei stood to leave, but stopped at the door. "You know you're wrong about that. No matter how much you deny it, you know this world... No, screw that, don't care about the world, Usagi, but just thing about it. We need you out there. Your daughter needs you out there. "

Usagi looked down as Rei left. "Does she? Maybe she's better for this job than I was."

* * *

"That was the last of them."

"Good," ChibiUsa said, "so other than bothering us..."

"I'm still analyzing that," Aiko noted. "I'll be done in a few minutes."

Rei walked in and frowned. "Didn't quite go as planned."

"So, what did she say?"

Rei turned to ChibiUsa and smiled. "She wants to speak with you."

ChibiUsa's expresion turned grim. "Then I'll have to go home."

* * *

"They don't suspect a thing, do they?"

"Not yet. We need to move out before they figure it out."

"How could they?"

"Rubeus, you should know the Senshi have a knack for being at the right place at the right time," Black Lady mused.

"If they find out, though, think they'll come after us as a group?"

"No, Kaorinite, I'm counting on them splitting. We will be able to show them our power if they do get in our way."

"What if they all go after one of us instead?" Vulture asked.

"Then I'll face them myself."

"Don't underestimate them," Aurite warned.

"I won't, but I'm pretty sure I have the upper edge on them this time around."

"Been there, heard that," Aurite mused.

"I know. I don't plan on defeating them if I have to fight them, just to distract them until our plan's completed."

* * *

**A/N:** What exactly is Black Lady planning? Not telling yet, but it will be bad for the Senshi.


	186. Demonology 101

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 186: Demonology 101.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 20, 2008_

* * *

"Now that we're all here..."

"Not all of us," Hotaru noted.

"We'll tell them about this later," Ami noted, "but we've found what these new attacks were for."

Aiko turned to the large screen in the far end of the room. "Yesterday's attacks were a distraction. While you were busy with them, the enemy's found something they could use against us."

"But Usagi said she didn't detect anything bu the monsters in Tokyo. "

"That's because their first target was in Kyoto."

The screen lit up, showing an image of a strange, black stone, with unknown symbols carved into it. "And that's what they're after," Aiko said.

"Cute, a rock," Karin said. "That'll sure beat us."

"Well, if it's large enough..." Minako noted.

"If it's some kind of ancient rune, I can't recognize it," Brad admitted.

"That's because these were only talked about in legends," Ami admitted. "Legends of a time when mankind wasn't even here, of an even more ancient race that inhabited the solar system. Of a race that was almost completely exterminated by a creature only known as Zagur."

"Is there any modern legend that's not based in some legend from the Silver Millenium?" Mako muttered.

"No," Aiko said with a smile. "Back to the legend..."

"Wait, how do you know about that legend, if it's so old?"

Ami summoned her computer glove and pointed at it. "I will need a thousand years to read all the data this device contains. Back to the legend, however, it says Zagur was confronted by an outstanding warrior, someone with enough power to keep Zagur in a stalemate. But Zagur delivered a fatal blow to the warrior, and said warrior used his one last resort to defeat this enemy. He locked Zagur's soul in a mana stone, and broke it in ten pieces, then tossed the pieces away. The legend mentions his strength being so incredible, he managed to toss the pieces all around the planet. "

"So that thing is one of said fragments?" Naru asked.

Terry nodded. "And using my uncanny skills, I managed to get one of them from an european museum," he reached his hand out, and a stone like the one in the screen appeared. It was fist-sized, and had the same kind of carvings. "Pretty, isn't it?"

"So you used your uncanny skills..." Brad mused. "How much did that thing cost you?"

"That doesn't really matter," Terry said, "but if you need to know, saving the world's sometimes too expensive, even for me."

"What about the drawings on it?"

"They're just drawings," Ami said, "if they were a language, I'd understand it."

"So the question is... Where are all the other fragments?" Rei asked.

"No idea," Terry admitted, "but that's why we built these."

Rei looked at the device Terry was holding now and chuckled. "That looks like a videogame console."

"I guess it does," Terry said, "but it's set to only detect these fragments, or Sigils as the legend calls them."

"So we'll have to go searching blindly around the whole Earth?"

"Sounds fun, doesn't it?" Terry mused. "This scanner's got a five hundred miles range. It's easier to make its scanning area that wide, because it's only scanning for one kind of items."

"So it looks like a Gameboy and it works like a Dragon Radar," Brad mused.

"Can't make a cake without breaking some copyrights," Terry noted.

Ami sighed. "You guys will mature eventually, right?"

Terry smiled "Who knows..."

"So, we just have to get the eight remaining pieces..." Karin thought about it for a minute. "We should split, we'll cover more terrain that way."

"Yes..." Ami looked at the others. "Some of us should stay in the city, just in case our enemies try something. But the rest will split and search for the Sigils in several points of the planet."

"But Onara's creatures will be surely after those stones too," Aiko noted. "This won't be an easy search."

"The day one of these wars is easy for us, I'll know for sure we've finally broken reality," Mako noted.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Tsukino house, the two Usagi were about to face each other for the first time in several days. ChibiUsa was quite surprised to find the door open, but then she recalled what Rei told her about her mother's powers. She probably had seen her coming from a few miles away, no pun intended. "Mom?"

Usagi looked at her daughter. "ChibiUsa, I..."

"You don't have to say a thing, mom," ChibiUsa said, "it wasn't you. You didn't kill me. You have nothing to apologize for."

"I know it wasn't me," Usagi said, "And I know you can forgive me for what I didn't do, for not destroying that thing before it did what it did. But I... I feel like I'm not ready to forgive myself. "

"I went to see Setsuna yesterday," ChibiUsa said.

"What did she say?"

"I didn't really give her a chance to say anything for the first few minutes," ChibiUsa admitted ruefully. "I guess I never realized all the things I had kept inside of me until now. I was really furious that she hadn't warned me, that she hadn't told me what would happen. It was far from the first time, too."

Usagi didn't say a thing, just looked at her daughter. She used her senses for something she hadn't noticed until now. She couldn't just feel her presence with her mind, she could feel her magic power. She could tell exactly how much power she had, not in numbers, but numbers didn't really work for her.

What she was seeing, however, was something she hadn't realized. Before, ChibiMoon was near her level, she knew that from the numbers Ami and Terry had shown them. But now, she could see things were different. The difference in power was there, but it was so small, so insignificant, that ChibiMoon could've beaten her in battle that time, but she didn't. Had it been just bad luck, or was it something else?

ChibiUsa frowned. "Mom, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, I... Chibi, you said you did your best to win. But I see now that's not true."

"What do you mean?"

"Your magic is as strong as mine now. There's literally no difference. If you had fought at full power against me, then you would've won."

ChibiUsa looked down, wincing. "Maybe that's true, but it would've been a reverse of what happened. I would have to kill you to stop you. And that wasn't an option to me."

"Not an option..." Usagi flinched. She remembered Rei's words, about how she was needed, how the world needed her. How the Senshi themselves needed her. "ChibiUsa, I'm going to stay out of your battles for a while."

"We've figured that out already."

"But I'm not going to stay locked in here forever."

"That's good to know," ChibiUsa admitted.

"Until I'm ready to fight again, you're the leader."

"That's a nice thought, but there's others who have more experience than me, you know, like..."

"But you are Sailor Moon too. Rei told me the world needs a Sailor Moon to protect it... You are that, until I can pull myself together again."

ChibiUsa nodded, but she wasn't so sure about it herself. Was she ready to be a leader? Apparently, she was going to find out pretty soon.

* * *

The Dark Kingdom had once been a den of evil, ruthless creatures, and it was mostly the same nowadays. But with their former queen and their goddess gone, the youma had slowly started to realize that the Earth was never meant for them. And most of them were content with how things were now. Maybe taking over the Earth would've been a nice project, but that was a moot point now. The Senshi had proven their power time and again, and most youma knew getting on their bad side was suicidal.

Others, however, didn't give up on the dream of their former leaders. And one of them was about to make a move to bring the old Dark Kingdom back.

Apatite listened to the scout, her anger rising at what was being reported. "This is unbelievable! Who would dare creating youma replicas to attack the Senshi?"

"We don't know yet, but we think the one responsible for that isn't in Tokyo."

"Send someone to contact the Senshi," Cuprite said.

"I'll go there myself."

"But you can't, you're the Queen, you..."

Apatite silenced the scout with a short, quick glare. "And as such, I am the strongest youma alive. Besides, Sailor Moon knows me, and she won't let the other Senshi attack me."

The few youma in the room were quite surprised by their new queen's decision. "It's suicidal," Barite said, "Senshi kill youma on the spot. They did that in this last battle of theirs."

"Not true," Apatite noted, "they must have known those weren't youma from here. There's someone out there sending not only youma, but other creatures to attack them, and I want to know who it is."

"Be careful out there," Cuprite warned.

"Of course," Apatite said before vanishing.

Barite could barely stop himself from cheering. Yes, this was the chance he had been looking for. With the bitch gone, he only had to take care of the pet some delusional youma called king, and then the Dark Kingdom would be his to rule. And after that, he would take over the Earth. 'Look at me, mother, I'm going to conquer the world our true queen wanted us to rule over.'

* * *

Usagi had decided to go for a walk, to clear her mind. Her mother had been quite surprised (and happy) to see her out of her room, but she really wondered where Shingo was. Usagi couldn't really tell, she couldn't feel Shingo's presence. But also, she would've known if something happened to him, she was sure of that.

She suddenly winced and looked back. "What... Who is that?" The creature she was sensing was quite strong. A youma?

She knew the only way to know for sure was to see it for herself. Also, if it was who she think it was, then she would have to stop the others from blasting her around the city.

* * *

Rei smiled. "So, you're the leader now?"

"That's what mom said," ChibiUsa noted, "though I don't know if I can do it."

"The other thing she said was also true," Ami said, "you're only around two percent below Moon's current power. I myself am a good fifteen percent below."

"No wonder the Dark Mana kicked your rear when it used my body, then, " ChibiUsa mused.

"Maybe not, if I had used my strongest attack, but I doubt I'll ever use it again."

"Strongest attack?" Rei asked.

Aiko flinched. "Yes, that's what the Dark Mana used to kill dad... An extremely focused blast of ice energy which can freeze any water in the target's body instantly. Its only drawback is that it only works if Mercury is touching her target, but..."

Ami nodded. "The thing is, I managed to touch him in that fight, and I could feel it, his blood and his brain, freezing in a split second." Her face turned sad as she said that last bit, and she looked down. "It wasn't me doing it, but I..."

ChibiUsa paled. "Well, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't use that one again."

"So, anyhow, how are we going to decide on who goes where?"

Ami looked at Rei, thankful for the topic change. "I suppose ChibiUsa should decide on that."

"Right. I'll need to know all the places where these stones could be. "

Ami was about to speak, but then flinched. "There's something out there. A strong entity."

Aiko nodded. "A youma, and quite close to us. But Moon is already there."

"Moon?" Rei mused. "So she's back to fighting already?"

"No, she's not fighting."

"I'm going to check on her anyhow," ChibiUsa said. "I want to know who that creature is."

As ChibiUsa walked out, Ami turned to Rei, who hadn't moved at all. "Aren't you worried about it?"

"Worried about what?" Mars asked. "Moon will defeat whatever it is... But for some reason, I feel like there's no reason to be alarmed."

Ami blinked then turned to the screen. "You mean that this youma is..."

"An ally," Rei said. "But the real question is, why is she here?"

* * *

**A/N:** Before anyone asks, no, Barite isn't Beryl's son.

_SolarWinds:_ A few others have called her that in this story, too.

_SailorStar9:_ Yeah, I know it was a _bright_ idea, but not too original. There's a game running on that premise (and with a bunch of Senshi clones and an albino Beryl as main bosses.)


	187. Enemy Known

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 187: Enemy Known.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: August 23, 2008_

* * *

As ChibiMoon reached the place where the unknown youma had appeared, she saw Moon talking to the intruder. If not for the fact she knew what the woman was, she could've mistaken her for a normal human. "Mom, who is that?"

Apatite flinched as she looked at the newcomer. "You must be the one the scouts describe as being as strong as Moon herself. I see that's quite true now."

Moon smiled. "She's my daughter. ChibiUsa, this is Apatite, the current leader of the Dark Kingdom."

"Why is she here?"

"I've come to clear things up, we were fearing you'd think our people had been behind the last attack."

"We already know who it was, a human scientist who can create clones, " ChibiMoon said.

Apatite nodded. "Moon just told me that. But there's another reason for me to come here. There's been rumors of a rebel faction in my world. A group that wants to take over and bring back the old days. "

"We've got our hands quite full here," ChibiMoon said, "we have to stop that scientist from bringing back an ancient evil." Moon looked at her but said nothing. "We can't spare any of our group right now..."

"We can," Moon said. "I'll go with her."

"Mom, you can't..."

"I'm of no help to you right now," Moon said, "and I'm not going to fight unless I'm forced to."

Apatite pondered what they meant, but decided against asking. "I think your very presence in our world will scare off most of the rebels."

"Just scarying them off is pointless," ChibiMoon noted. "They would just wait until Moon is gone and attack."

Moon smiled. "I may be able to tell you who the rebels are."

"You can..."

"I've become far stronger since last time we met, Apatite."

"That I can sense," Apatite admitted.

"Mom..."

Moon turned to ChibiMoon. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."

"Good luck," ChibiMoon said, "I'll take care of the team while you're away."

Moon smiled. "I know." She turned to Apatite and nodded. "Let's go. "

As the two vanished, ChibiMoon looked to the tower in the distance. "Okay, now back to the base, I'm sure fun's about to begin for us too."

* * *

Rei saw ChibiMoon appear and smiled. "It was Apatite, right?"

The pink-haired Senshi nodded. "And mom's going to help her with a problem in the Dark Kingdom."

"So she can fight for the youma but not for us?" Haruka said, a bit of disappointment creeping into her voice.

"She won't even need to fight," ChibiMoon said. "If Apatite's the strongest youma alive, then there's none of them that can hope to defeat her."

"Youma helped us during the invasion," Minako noted, "it would be a pity if she had to blast them to dust."

"That won't be needed," Pluto said, "as the Princess said, her presence alone will make most of the youma realize they can't win a war against us."

ChibiMoon looked at Pluto and frowned. "Why are you here?"

"You will need to get to your target locations fast. Our enemy's already on the move."

"Are you going to help this time, or just hide as usual?"

Pluto met ChibiMoon's glare with a look of coldness. "I can't change what happened, Princess. Even if I could, changing it would bring forth consequences we may not be able to handle."

"I would like to be given a choice in the matter, at least once."

Pluto's face softened. "And you will, but as usual, I cannot tell you when and how that will happen."

"So, as Pinky asked, why are you here?"

Pluto noticed ChibiMoon giving Terry a quick glare, but still answered his question. "I'm here because you will need my help. I'm going to send you to your destinations, once ChibiMoon chooses the groups. Also, should Zagul awaken, then I know you'll need my help. "

"Aren't you upset about not being the only Eternal Senshi around anymore?"

Pluto snorted at Hotaru. "I'm actually glad. There will be a need for several more Eternal level Senshi in the wars to come."

"How are Yuu and Shingo?" Rei asked.

"They're okay, but they haven't completed their training. As soon as they're ready, I'll send them back here to help."

"But if you're here, who's training them?" Mako asked.

"Dear Mako, if I told you that, I'd have to kill you," Pluto said, and the others saw there was not a hint of humor in her voice. "So let's avoid the questioning on that matter, shall we?"

ChibiMoon had been thinking about how to split the Senshi evenly. She had looked over the data on Mercury's computer, and finally came to a decision on the matter. "Okay, I know who should go to each of the points. Listen..."

* * *

An hour later, Uranus and Neptune were flying over a rocky plain. "Any readings yet?"

Neptune looked at the scanner. "Not yet, maybe Ami's guess was wrong, or..." Suddenly, the scanner started beeping, and she smiled. "... Okay, she was right after all. The stone is eastwards."

The two corrected their course and sped up, but a couple energy blasts shot at them from out of nowhere. They both dodged and looked around. "Who's there?"

"Aww, you girls don't remember me?"

Uranus flinched. "That voice is..."

Kaorinite appeared right in front of them, smiling mockingly at them. "It's been a while, my pets."

"You can't be alive. We killed you..."

"You dropped me to my death back then, yes, and I would've died if not for a friend rescuing me."

"A friend?"

"You shouldn't worry about that," Kaorinite said, "because you're not going to live to meet her."

"Aqua Whirlpool!"

"Tornado Hold!"

Kaorinite laughed as the two attacks hit. "That's cute."

"What the heck..."

"Girls, girls, you really thought I would've come out here on my own if I still had my old power level? If that had been the case, then your combined attack would blast me to dust on the spot. However, while you kids have been goofing off and lagging behind your leader, we've all been upgraded. We can handle an Eternal level Senshi now. "

"That's bullshit," Uranus snapped and rushed to her foe.

Kaorinite shook her head as Uranus approached. "Stubborn and blind to the truth, as usual." She then rose her left hand, shooting an energy beam that knocked Uranus down and sent her tumbling back for several hundred meters.

"You monster..."

"I'm going to kill you both, kids. It doesn't matter if your group knows about the Sigils, we knew you would split and be weakened. It all works perfectly for us, you see, you Senshi always fall for these traps."

"And you always gloat too damn much. Energy Storm!"

Neptune saw Kaorinite zoom by, smashing into a cliff and falling down a good hundred meters. As she turned, Neptune saw ChibiMoon was there. "How..."

"Aiko's monitoring all of you," ChibiMoon noted. "Go get that damn stone, I'll keep Cowrinite busy."

Neptune nodded and went to check on Uranus, who was slowly standing up. "You okay?"

"Sort of. That creep's not a soft hitter."

"Let's go, the Sigil is near, and ChibiMoon will take care of Kaorinite."

"Can she..." Uranus started.

"Energy Storm!"

"... Nevermind," Uranus muttered as she saw ChibiMoon's blast punching Kaorinite into the cliff's wall. "So much for them being able to fight an Eternal level Senshi."

* * *

Elsewhere in the world, someone was searching for another Sigil. Her speed really helped her in her search, and she was just a few miles away from her target.

"Venus, wait up!"

Venus stopped and turned. "Come on, Brad, you gotta try to keep up with me."

"Can't do, these boards are quite slow compared to you."

"Bah, just let me go ahead, I'll find the Sigil on my own."

"You know I can't let you do that. If anything happened to you..."

"Nothing will..." Venus heard a noise behind them and looked past Dragon Venus. "What the hell is that?"

Standing meters away from them was a cyborg, though its face was even uglier than that of the Omega. The Dragon, however, knew he had seen that face before. "It can't be him, can it..."

"Who?"

The cyborg laughed. "Why, yes, it is me. I am the greatest scientist ever born, Sai Onara."

Dragon Venus smirked. "So... You made yourself a cyborg?"

Venus groaned. "Well, he sure's ugly."

"I do not care about what you may think, Senshi. I am here to destroy you, then take the Sigil to my leader."

"Just try," Venus snapped and vanished.

Onara punched to the side, smiling as Venus was sent flying back. "Pitiful girl, do you think I would come here unprepared? You two are but flies to me."

"Excuse us if we stick around, then," Dragon Venus said, "flies are, after all, attracted by garbage."

"That is it, you are going to die now."

"And you're going to speak normally, I hope."

"I am speaking normally, why would you not think so?"

"Eeeeh..." Dragon Venus frowned and looked at Venus. "Go get that Sigil, I'll keep him busy."

"But..."

"Just go!"

"Be careful..." Venus said before vanishing.

Dragon Venus turned back to the cyborg and snorted. "So, where were we?"

"You were about to die," Onara snapped as a few dozen assorted weapons came out of his chest.

"Oh shit, this isn't funny anymore."

"Not for you, at least," Onara snapped and opened fire on his target.

* * *

Uranus looked at the stone. "All that for this little pebble?"

"Let's get back home," Neptune said. "You look like you need to rest for a while."

Uranus limped out of the cave they were in and nodded. "I guess I do. I wasn't expecting Kaorinite to be that strong."

"Think ChibiUsa's done beating her up?"

* * *

ChibiMoon looked at the scanner and smiled. "Good, they got it."

"Hell no," Kaorinite snapped. "I'm going to get them!"

ChibiMoon saw Kaorinite fly past her and snorted. She phased right behind her and clutched her throat. "You're not going anywhere until I'm done with you."

"You stupid bitch, I'm going to..."

"You should be careful of not insulting those you can't defeat," ChibiMoon said, increasing the pressure on her foe's throat. "Just stand still, this will be over in a few seconds.

"No it won't!" Kaorinite snapped and shot a massive energy blast at point blank. She was sent flying by the blast, but as she stood up, she smiled. "Stupid little bitch..." A sharp pain caused her to gasp and look down in shock. "Ow... That hurts."

ChibiMoon snorted. "Told you not to insult me. Now die."

"Not today," Kaorinite snapped and vanished.

"If you say so," ChibiMoon mused looking at her blood-soaked sword.

* * *

Onara had shrugged off each and every spell and attack he had used so far. He knew he had to think of something, fast, or he was going to be in a world of pain soon. "I hate having to resort to this, but..."

"Hah! I told you, I can handle an Eternal Senshi, you are nothing to me."

"Then what about... Power beyond that of an Eternal Senshi?"

"Do not tell me it is Senshi Upgrade season again."

"I don't need to upgrade to defeat you," Dragon Venus snapped. Just need to get seriously beaten up doing something stupid, he added to himself.

Onara snorted. "Okay, I'll humor you. Give me your best shot."

Dragon Venus run to Onara, jumping up and aiming his sword down as he started his descent, aiming right for his opponent. "Funny last words. Demon Sword..."

Onara snorted. "I have seen that technique in action, and you should know it will not be enough to defeat me."

Dragon Venus ignored that as he completed the spell. A spell he wasn't allowed to use unless the situation was extreme "... Hell Raiser!"

Onara saw the Dragon's sword turn red with flames a split second before the sowrd hit him... Then everything around him was burst aflame.

* * *

Venus looked at the small stone and sighed. "Okay, here it is. Of all the damn places..." She looked around her, at the structure inside the clock tower. "Then again, it's been a while since I visited the Big Ben."

As she turned to leave, however, she felt something in her mind... Something she had already felt once. Something she dreaded. "Brad... NO!" Even as she shouted that, she was already out of the tower, running faster than she had ever run before.

* * *

When Venus got to where she last saw Dragon Venus, she paled. The cyborg was nowhere to be seen, but what about Brad? She searched around the wrecked buildings for a few minutes until she found him... Buried under the remains of a wall. She kneeled on the ground as reality finally hit her. "Brad... You idiot, why did you have to use that..."

Saturn appeared right next to her, cringing as she saw her friend crying. "Mina..."

Venus looked up at her and smiled sadly. "Why does it hurt so much, if I know he can be brought back?"

"You were here when this happened?" Saturn asked looking around, as she kneeled next to the Dragon.

"I don't think I would be alive if I was," Venus noted.

Saturn started reviving her friend. It had, sadly, became second nature to her, and she could do it without having to focus in it. She wasn't quite happy about it, though, because it meant her friends had died one too many times already. "So just what happened here, did the enemy do this?"

"No, it was... One of Brad's spells."

"Never saw him use it before." Whatever the attack was, it had blasted a whole two blocks area to rubble.

"That's because it was a forbidden spell. He told me about it years ago, in case he was forced to use it. It's forbidden because it burns all the mana reserves in a person's body instantly, causing their death..." She looked at Dragon Venus, who was already stirring. "Hell, if he had been just a normal human and not a Senshi, there would be nothing left of him now."

"Not a nice thing to think about."

Saturn looked down at the Dragon. "You should've called for help."

"Maybe I should... But I wanted to show off."

Saturn shook her head at that. "Men."

Venus hugged the Dragon as he stood up. "Brad, don't you ever use that spell again..."

"I... I can't make that promise."

"But..."

He put his index finger on her lips to silence her. "Let me finish. I can promise that I won't use this again in combat... But if your life's in danger, then I will do whatever I can to save you. Even if I have to die again."

Venus scowled at him for a second, but then smiled. "I think I can live with that."

Saturn summoned her communicator as the two Venus kissed. "Chibi, how's everything?"

"We got the U.S. stone, what about London?"

"Venus got it, too. I had to come here to revive the Dragon."

"I see..." ChibiMoon then turned to the side. "Oh shit. This isn't good."

"What isn't?"

"Come back to the base ASAP."

"Done," Saturn said and vanished.

Venus broke the kiss and looked around. "Hey, what about us?"

Dragon Venus smiled, said "teleport" and the two also vanished.

* * *

Black Lady smiled. Yes, the plan was, for the most part, working. She didn't worry about the Sigils that were taken by the Senshi, after all, what fun would there be in this little war if she didn't get a chance to rip those stones off ChibiUsa's dead, cold hands?

And that would also break Sailor Moon's will for good. It was all going according to plan.

* * *

**A/N:** I know the 'chasing after crystals/runes/stones' thing isn't original, but hey, at least it's not seven pieces.

The title's a pun on the best strategy game ever created. UFO: Enemy Unknown, the first X-Com game.

_SolarWinds:_ Ewww, no. I'm not telling, though, but the Senshi will find out soon.


	188. East And West

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 188: East And West.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: September 2, 2008_

* * *

"This country's huge, how are we going to find that stone?"

"I think we'll have to trust luck. I would think you'd be the first one to figure that out."

Lilith smiled. "Guess you're right. Think anyone'll remember you here?"

"I doubt it, that was several years ago," Dragon Sun said, "but I do recall some local newspapers boasting on China having a Senshi of its own."

"Must've been tough facing those aliens on your own."

The Dragon smirked. "Not at all. Looking back, it was even fun, those bugs weren't a real threat. It took me months to locate their hive, but I bet if Mercury had been here, she would have found them in a few days."

The two flew over a small town, causing many of the residents to look up in awe. "Luck's not working," Lilith commented as she took another look at the scanner."

"Then let's try strange coincidences," Dragon Sun said. "Follow me. "

Lilith saw the Dragon steer out of their current course and followed him. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere I thought I wouldn't visit ever again."

* * *

Moon looked around the palace. It wasn't quite as she remembered it, but it still looked like a madman's dream. Grey, dull and unsetting. "I can feel them," she said.

Apatite smiled. "How many?"

"More than I thought. There's hundreds of them," Moon noted. "I can sense at least eighty percent of the youma out there still have an evil spark inside."

"I supposed that," Apatite said, "but while evil, most of them are happy to be left alone and to survive."

"My coming here could cause them to rebel."

"They were already going to," Apatite explained. "The rebels don't have much support now, but they're steadily growing. We've captured and interrogated a few of them, but we couldn't get them to tell us who the leader was, no matter what method we used."

Moon decided not to ask just how those 'interrogations' went. She was sure her own guess was quite right, anyhow. "They must know I'm here by now."

"Your energy levels are quite outstanding, so I'd guess so."

Moon smiled at that. "And I've learnt to cloak my true power." As she said that, she unleashed her full power, no visible changes could be seen in her, unless you could sense magic energy.

"Great Darkness, that's impossible..." Apatite said and unconsciously stepped back.

"Calm down, I'm not going to attack you," Moon noted, "but I guessed this would be your reaction."

"So, what are you planning?"

"I'm going to go out there and call out the leader of this little rebellion."

"I thought you said you wouldn't fight?"

"I don't think they will dare attacking me, but if they do, I'm not going to stand there and let them kill me."

"Not that any of them could," Apatite noted.

* * *

When Mako first heard she had been chosen to come all the way south to Brazil, she was quite sure it would be a fun trip. when she heard Karin was to tag along, she was even more sure about it But then, when Pluto left them in the middle of the Amazon Forest, she wasn't so sure anymore.

It wasn't that bad, not counting for the heat and the insects, Karin was in her element here, and they had been lucky to locate their target in only a few minutes. But the target was apparently harder to find than they thought at first.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Jupiter said as she looked around. This particular point of the jungle was, to her, identical to every other patch of jungle around them.

"Yes, we should be seeing it near us," Earth said looking at the scanner. "But I can't see it anywhere."

"Same," Jupiter added, waving a quite large mosquito away. "Unless... Maybe we're not looking in the right direction."

"What do you mean?"

Jupiter smiled and stomped on the ground, hard enough to make the trees around them shake. Her foot had pierced into the soil, and as she pulled it out, she could see there was something under them. "I think I found the stone."

Earth was about to ask something, when the ground started shaking. "Hey what the..." Then they both fell down as the whole area caved in.

* * *

Dragon Sun snorted as he located the stone. "I knew it."

Lilith looked at the walls around them. The whole tunnel looked like out of a twisted nightmare, and she had discovered by accident that the material covering the rock was, even after all these years, quite sticky. "Let's get out of here, Kage. This place stinks, and I don't mean that only for the architecture."

The Dragon nodded. Yes, this place, that had once been the nest of an alien race of insects, was now just a maze of tunnels filled with a stench he didn't really want to find out the source of. "Okay, just follow me and we'll..." As he turned, he saw someone else was there. Someone he had seen before, but the suit was all wrong. "What the heck... Didn't we kill this Canary guy already?"

"It's Vulture!"

"Yeah, that must be him," Lilith mused. "Guess one beating wasn't enough."

Dragon Sun knew their surroundings would give them the advantage in this fight. "A bird that can't fly isn't hard to shoot at."

Vulture snorted as the Dragon summoned his guns. "I don't need to fly to defeat you. Now give me that Sigil, kid."

"You didn't say please. Gravity Crusher!"

Lilith watched hopefully, but Vulture didn't even flinch as the gravity sphere surrounded him. "That can't be..."

"Stupid little Senshi, you are nothing compared to us."

"Us?"

"I don't need to answer that, kid," Vulture snapped before he spread his wings. The gravity field around him vanished, and an impossibly strong wind shot from them and right to the two Senshi.

Lilith panicked. The wind had knocked them both into the closest wall, but it wasn't stopping. She saw Vulture walking calmly to them, not minding the strong wind, and tried to move away.

Vulture saw the Dragon glaring at him and smiled, picking up the small stone, another piece of the puzzle. "You see, kids, if you had just given up, I would've considered killing you fast and painlessly. But now, I'm going to enjoy your slow deaths."

Dragon Sun tried to breathe, but with so much wind pinning him against the wall, even that was quite impossible. He looked to the side and saw Lilith was in the same situation. _'We can't end like this, we have to get out of here...'_

Lilith was also trying to come up with a plan, but there was only one thing she could count on right now. Sheer luck. She summoned her dice, which fell to the ground near her, and sighed. Now to wait for the idiot to notice them.

And it didn't take Vulture long to notice. He picked up the dice and smiled. "How will you call upon these if you can't even speak?" he noted. "Oh, I see your luck's still there, a double six..."

Dragon Sun looked at Lilith and saw sadness in her eyes for a second. No, she wasn't going to... He saw her close her eyes, and knew it was just her plan.

Vulture saw the dice light up, and realized having them in his hands was a very bad idea right then. Not that he had time to even drop them before everything went white around him.

* * *

Jupiter stood up and groaned. "That was quite a fall."

Earth nodded and looked up. The jungle was a good hundred meters above them, not counting the pieces of it that had fallen into the cavern along with them. "Hey, there's the stone."

"Thanks for leading me here, girls."

The figure that had just appeared was... "What the hell? You?"

"Yes, me," Rubeus said. "Now kindly give me that damn Sigil."

"How about you kindly get lost?" Jupiter snapped before rushing him and delivering a powerful jab to his jaw. Had this been a normal human, the head would've exploded from the blow. Had this been a monster below her level, his head would have been bouncing off the far wall of the cave right now. But Rubeus was, apparently, neither, and her punch had only caused him to bend his head sideways a bit. "What..."

Rubeus punched Jupiter away and laughed. He walked to the stone and picked it up, then looked at Earth. "You and your friend are weak. I am strong enough to defeat an Eternal Senshi, too bad you two will never get to that level now."

Earth glared at him, then spared a glance back to check on Jupiter, who was staggering up slowly. "You freak..." She noticed his hands were glowing, and tried to think of something to do to scare him off. She noticed a small line of water meters behind Rubeus, coming out of a small crack on the cave's wall and smiled. "Mako, can you use your powers?"

"Yeah," Jupiter said as she glared at Rubeus.

"Then get ready. Earth Quake Punch!"

Rubeus laughed. Such a weak, useless attack, Earth was delirious if she thought that would defeat him... He heard something behind him and cursed, finally noticing the wall cracking. Earth leapt on her board, and Jupiter followed suit, both ascending before the wall exploded from the water's pressure.

The cave was quickly flooded by the water, and now the Electric Senshi knew just what to do. "Oh, this is going to be fun to watch... Rolling Thunder!"

Earth had to admit, her girlfriend's powers could be quite scary sometimes. Specially when mixed with water. They both fled up and out of the cave, right before the water was blasted up high and out of it. "Eeeh... Guess the loser's still alive."

"That hurt," Rubeus snapped, floating up from the cave, "but I already got what I was looking for. We'll settle this later."

"Crap, he got the stone," Mako realized.

Earth nodded. "At least we're still in one piece. Let's go back home. "

* * *

Vulture woke up and realized he was outside. There was a rather large hole on the side of the mountain near him, and he could guess that's how he had ended up here. He didn't know what the lucky bitch had used, and he didn't have enough energy left to go back and make sure she didn't use it again. "Screw that, at least I got one Sigil, " he mused before vanishing.

Inside the cave, meanwhile, Dragon Sun recovered his senses. And some of them were quite shouting at them. He ignored the pain and staggered up, taking a quick look around the cave. Okay, Vulture wasn't around, but what about... He froze when he spotted her. The blast was strong, yes, but if he had survived it, then she would've also lived through. He shook her, trying to wake her up, but got no response however. He then noticed she wasn't breathing. "Chie... Dumb girl, why did you have to do that?"

Saturn appeared right besides him. "Damn it, another one..."

The Dragon wiped his eyes with the back of his glove and looked at Saturn. "Vulture was here."

Saturn nodded, her energy already focused in bringing Lilith back. "Other old enemies have appeared, in all the places where we've found a stone."

"He got the stone."

"Unfortunately, yours isn't the only failed mission," Saturn noted. "Once she's up, we should get back to Tokyo."

Dragon Sun nodded and waited. Chie wasn't gone for good, but it still hurt to see her like that. "We got out of this one thanks to her luck."

"Huh?" Saturn looked around and frowned. "Wait, the tunnels weren't this large last time I was here."

"Vulture caught us and was about to kill us both, but Lilith got a double six in her dice."

"Double six?" Saturn asked.

Lilith opened her eyes right then. "Each number has an element, but the twelveth is the strongest, and one I never thought I'd have to use in battle."

Dragon Sun nodded. "From what little I recall of the few moments before this whole place was blasted up, it looked like one damn strong blast."

"It was... Something like the Planet Attack," Lilith said, staggering up, "but there's a price to pay for it. Normally I wouldn't have... Died, but that wind attack quite weakened me."

"And you knew the risks?" Dragon Sun asked.

"Yes, but... I couldn't let him kill us both."

The Dragon looked away. "We could've found another way out..."

"No," Lilith said, "he was too strong for us."

"Right," Dragon Sun muttered. "It doesn't make it easier for me, you know."

Lilith hugged him. "What do I have to do to get you out of that mood?"

The Dragon smirked. "I could think of a few things, but that'll have to wait until we're done with this mess."

* * *

**A/N:** In case it's not clear enough, the battles in the previous episode, this and the next one all happen at the same time. That's also why Sailor Moon's little trip to the Dark Kingdom is being shown as short scenes.

_SailorStar9:_ Yeah, they're not that, but you'll also be surprised to see what this one boss is.

_DavisJes:_ You're a hundred episodes late with the Sai Onara comment. As for Kaorinite, read the whole sentence again, it goes just like I wrote it.

As for who's training the two Dragons? If I told you... Well, you know the rest.


	189. World Tour

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 189: World Tour.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: September 6, 2008_

* * *

She spent most of her time alone with her thoughts, and she had realized she still feared the Senshi. Yes, they were friendly, but the power she had sensed in some of them lately was enough for her to stay out of the way.

She knew, also, that someone else was there, in the rooftop, but she didn't really mind the company.

The man was the one breaking the silence. "You're Kyma, right? I don't see you around a lot."

"I have ways to remain unnoticed, Ail," Kyma noted. "And it's Kim while I'm in this form."

"Then call me Seijuro," the man said. "The Earth's a nice place to live in, isn't it?"

"I like this world. So, how did you two end up here?"

"We came here looking for energy to survive, but we ended up befriending the Senshi. We helped them in the past, but nowadays, the enemies they face are way out of our league."

"Have you seen Moon lately?"

Seijuro shook his head. "No, last I heard of her she had destroyed that evil force that was taking over everyone."

"So you didn't get to feel her power."

"You did?"

Kim nodded. "I wanted to see if she was okay after what happened, but when I got into her room, I could feel her power, her true, unmasked power. It's beyond anything I've ever seen. Heck, the mothership I was in before could be fueled by her energy for a week or two, I suppose."

"So, what happened?"

"She knew I was there, somehow. She's the first human that can do that, she looked straight to the piece of wall I was mimicking and told me to leave. She wasn't giving an order, her tone wasn't threatening, but I knew I had to leave her alone."

"You're afraid."

"Aren't you?"

"She's our friend," Ail said, "but I won't lie, if her power's increased as much as you say, I am a bit uneasy about living in the same city as her."

"Should I be jealous?" Kim noticed a woman standing near them. She was almost identical to Seijuro, and was looking amusedly at them.

"Hi Natsumi," Seijuro said.

Kim frowned. "Wait, you two are..."

"We dropped the sibling act once we got out of school," Natsumi explained. "We are, to use a human word, lovers."

Kim smiled at that. "Love, such a strange thing."

Seijuro rose an eyebrow at that. "You never fell in love?"

"There wasn't such a thing as 'falling in love' at my homeworld," Kim said, looking down from the rooftop the three were on and seeing several couples passing by. "We didn't use sex for... Recreation, but I've seen many races that did."

"And you haven't tried it yet?" Seijuro asked.

"Are you trying to flirt with me?" Kim asked slyly.

"Eeeh..."

Kim turned serious again. "I haven't found anyone I'd like to 'date. '"

"Who knows, maybe you'll find someone the next time an invasion fleet drops by to make things interesting."

Kim smiled at Natsumi, but inside she dreaded the thought. There was still one other Kh'sun ship out there, and she had heard it referred to as 'Prime Ship' by some of her former masters. The Senshi had taken care of two ships, and something told her sooner or later, the third would be visiting to find out just what was so great about the Senshi.

All things considered, though, she doubted the remaining Kh'sun would be a threat for the Senshi. Specially Sailor Moon. She was now out of her reach, Kyma knew she wouldn't be able to copy Sailor Moon for even one second before her own energy run out.

It seemed that the Universe itself had created these Senshi to tell every other race out there to stay away from this world... Yet many aliens wouldn't heed the warning.

* * *

"The Senshi are... Where?"

"To quote Tomoe, 'everywhere,'" Seia said. "We have no clue why they all split like that, and so suddenly."

"I can explain that."

Kino looked at Sailor Pluto, who had pulled her customary 'out of nowhere' entrance. "Then please do."

"In fact, you have something we are looking for," Pluto noticed. "See, the enemy is after..."

* * *

While Pluto started her rant, one of the groups was flying over a rocky plain, somewhere in Australia.

"So, how many more miles before we get there?"

"It's just a dozen miles ahead, Rei."

Mars nodded at Nemesis. "This place's not so bad. At least we got to see some kangaroos."

"I'm worried, though, maybe this is the enemy's plan?"

"What is?"

"To make us split and attack Tokyo while we're out here."

"I thought the same, but letting the enemy gather these Sigils would be bad."

A creature appeared in front of them, and Nemesis groaned. "Didn't take them long, huh?"

"Just how many of those do they have?" Mars muttered. "They should know the Omega aren't going to beat us."

"The name Omega is incorrect," the creatures said, "my designation is Omni, the outdated Omega model can't compare to my power."

Mars scowled. "Not like I care what you call yourselves." She had to admit, however, that this cyborg looked stronger than the old ones, with armor plating thicker than that of the Omega, and she could bet it also had a few hidden tricks. "Eat this. Hell Firebird!"

The Omni rose an arm and its eyes flashed red for a second. "That attack is of no consequence." A wall of sand appeared in front of it, and the fiery bird slammed dead on into it. The shockwave from the crash was strong enough to send Mars and Nemesis floating back.

"Nice, they're not copying our attacks anymore," Nemesis said.

The Omni stared coldly at the two. "It is time for you to cease existing, Senshi."

"He talks like Hotaru did years ago, huh?" Mars mused.

"That joke got old years ago, too," Nemesis muttered.

Mars produced her bow. "We can't waste our time with this thing, though."

Nemesis nodded and summoned her spear. "Let's get 'him' out of the way. Nightmare Illusion!" As usual, a dozen clones of Nemesis appeared all around the creature, and the cyborg shot several laser blasts around, vaporizing them. The real Nemesis was already above him, but he dodged her with a sidestep, then punched her away.

"Naru!"

Omni turned to Mars. "Your attacks are pointless. I have strategies to counter every one of them. Your elimination is unavoidable."

Mars scowled. "You stupid piece of metal, you should know what makes us different from you!"

Omni just stared at her, his scanners told him that Nemesis was unconscious, so he only had to worry about Mars. "I do not care about your useless ranting. I am here to kill you, not to listen to you."

Mars' scowl turned into a glare. "Good, then don't listen." She rushed straight for the Omni, who shot a beam at her. Instead of calling upon her fire shield, Mars simply dodged the blast and kept on running.

"Unknown strategy found. Analyzing."

Mars was right next to the cyborg now. "See, the difference is that humans can create new forms to attack and defend when their old ones don't work.

Omni reached forwards and grabbed Mars' face. "Target's elimination in five seconds," it droned as its hand lit up.

You don't have five seconds left, Mars thought to herself.

Nemesis woke up and saw what was going on, but before she could rush in to help, the cyborg's body ignited. "What is..."

Mars got out of the now dying cyborg's clutch and looked down at it amused. "See, you didn't know all my moves after all."

"What was that?" Nemesis asked.

"My fire shield," Mars said, "I've never used it this way."

Nemesis looked at Mars and was ashamed to admit she was a bit afraid of that special power of hers. Something that let her fry her opponents from the inside, now that was something to be wary of.

"Naru, how far are we from the Sigil now?" Mars asked.

Nemesis summoned the scanner and looked at it. "No way... It's gone!"

"Damn it, that tin can was just a distraction," Mars muttered. "I'll call home and inform them of this."

* * *

Moon scanned the crowd. There was fear and hatred there, indeed. And she couldn't blame them for feeling that way. "I'm here to warn all the inhabitants of the Dark Kingdom that I am an ally to Apatite." She was purposefully cloaking her power now, but even something close to her Guardian level was enough to keep the crowd from attacking her. "And to remember that we made a deal with you, the youma race. We won't kill any more of you, as long as you don't threaten our world. I have heard rumors of a rebellion sparking here, and I know said rebels are here. Moreso, I know who you are, your hatred towards me and towards your Queen is like a beacon of darkness to me." She looked at the crowd, left and right, and saw they weren't moving, just waiting for what she would say next.

It was then that she left her powers flare. The crowd took a few steps back as she showed them just how out of their reach she was. "Should any of you try to take over this world, then I will come here, and _I won't hold back_." That last bit was said almost in a growl. "The deal will be broken, and you will wish it was your old, _weak_ queen and your weak pseudo-goddess punishing you instead of me. But I will only target those who are a part of the so-called rebellion. The rest of you, if you remain uncorrupted and keep your word on not attacking humans, have nothing to fear from me. "

As she said that, her power went back to its 'cloaked' state. She turned to Apatite and smiled. "It is done," she said, "the rebellion is over."

Apatite nodded. "I hope so."

"I'm going back home," she said, "I've got some thinking to do. But if you need help..."

"I don't think I will, thanks to you, but if anything happens, you'll be the first to know."

Moon just nodded, then vanished. Most of the crowd kept on looking at the spot where she had last been for minutes, as if they were waiting for her to come back and wipe them all out of existance.

Barite, who was in the crowd, knew this could be a slight problem for his plans. But Moon bitch or not, he was still going to take over the Dark Kingdom and then conquer the Earth.

* * *

It was cold. It was one of the coldest places in the world, actually, and they had been exploring it for hours now. However, while he was feeling slightly cold, the other person travelling with him wasn't even showing any signs of discomfort.

Heck, if he didn't know her well, he would've sworn she was enjoying the weather.

"The Sigil is about twenty miles in that direction," Mercury pointed, taking the Dragon out of his brooding. "Are you okay?"

"Just a bit cold," Dragon Mercury said, "aren't you?"

"I feel the cold air around me," Mercury admitted, "but it's nothing. Almost feels like my skin has transformed since my last upgrade. Instead of causing me harm, the freezing cold air gives me power."

"Think Pinky knew about it?"

"Maybe she did," Mercury said. "But I would send someone with ice powers to the poles, too, if I had to choose."

"I think the landscape sucks, to be honest," Dragon Mercury muttered. "It really needs some improvement."

Mercury frowned. "Incoming..."

A cyborg appeared right in front of them. "Targets located."

"Cute, a Mega Omega," Dragon Mercury muttered.

"I am Omni, and I'm here to kill you, Senshi."

"Yeah, we guessed that last bit ourselves," the Dragon snapped. "Ice Dragon!"

The Omni shot an ice beam off its hands, somehow managing to freeze the large dragon into a large ice block, which fell off and shattered in a thousand pieces. As it turned its attention back to his targets, he noticed one wasn't there anymore. "Primary target lost. Searching."

"Search no more," Mercury's voice said from right behind it. "Freezing Pulse."

Dragon Mercury saw the cyborg stand there, frozen in place (pun intended,) for a second, before it fell down, shattering just like his own ice construct had seconds before.

"Okay, that's dealt with, now let's..." Mercury stopped as she saw the Dragon's pale face. "Terry?"

"I..." the Dragon frowned, then shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm okay."

"You're not okay," Mercury said, "you can't fool me, and you know it. "

"Right. I admit it, watching you use that attack, it reminded me of when..."

Mercury sighed. "You don't have to play the tough guy act with me, Terry. If it'll make you be scared of me, then I won't use it anymore."

"Scared of you?" the Dragon said. "I may be, a little. But that won't make me forget who you are, Ami. I just need time to leave that incident in the past."

"I need to do that, myself," Mercury admitted, then looked at the scanner. "Oh no... The Sigil's gone!"

"Gone?"

"The enemy must've snatched it while we were fighting that cyborg," Mercury said.

"Hmph, they got that one. As long as the other teams don't fail, we're safe."

Mercury shook her head. "Yes, but... I'm supposed to be the smartest Senshi, I should've foreseen this could be their strategy."

Dragon Mercury smiled. "Don't beat yourself down for that, Ami. We all have our dumb blond moments. Even me."

Mercury smiled back. "You actually have smart blond moments, mister. "

"Where's the nice, sweet Ami I fell in love with?"

"Still here, but being nice and sweet doesn't mean I can't see your flaws."

"It's not a flaw, it's a part of my charming personality."

Mercury rolled her eyes at that. "Sure. Let's go back home."

"Agreed, I'm sick of seeing white wherever I look at.

* * *

**A/N:** Sailor Moon can be one scary Bitch From Hell too when she needs to. But she kept her word and didn't fight anyone. Who knows, maybe she won't have to fight in this one war (as if anyone would believe that...)


	190. Burning Down The House

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 190: Burning Down The House.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: September 11, 2008_

* * *

Only a couple hours had passed since the Senshi returned from their world tour, but there would be no rest for them, at least not yet. "Are you serious about that?"

Pluto nodded. "The army's already evacuating the area. I tried to make them abandon the place too, but soldiers can be too stubborn sometimes."

"Wonder why those weren't detected by our scanners..." Ami pondered.

"Simple," Pluto said, "because your range is only of five hundred miles. These are buried deep underground."

"Right under our noses, so to speak," Kage commented.

"The enemy got four of those stones," ChibiUsa said, "we can't let them get the other two."

"Yes, but also, we already know Onara, Vulture, Kaorinite and Rubeus are back," Terry added.

"We should start checking our enemies to see if they're really, _really_ dead from now on, huh?" Rei mused.

"That's not all. There may be at least two more enemies out there we didn't see yet, since they used those new cyborgs as distractions for us."

ChibiUsa nodded. "That's true, we should be careful, as we don't know who those may be."

"So, what do we do now?" Haruka asked.

"Not you, us," ChibiUsa noted.

"I don't follow."

"We've fought those foes before, but from what I can see, Cosmic level Senshi aren't a real match for them," she noticed a few of her friends were about to protest, so she added, "not without sacrifices or risking your lives needlessly."

"So you're ordering us to stay out of the fight?" Terry asked.

"I'm asking you to consider this. We may need every Senshi around to fight these new foes, but until that's proven, I don't want anyone risking their life. Many of you couldn't be revived again if something happened to you."

"What about you?" Hotaru asked.

ChibiUsa flinched. "That's why I can't order you to stay back. I'm the strongest Senshi right now, not counting mom, so I know I can handle one or two of them. Ami, too, and Setsuna. But the rest of you, think about what would happen to your loved ones if you were to die again."

"You thought about it, then?"

ChibiUsa nodded at Hotaru, but said nothing.

"For once, I'll vouch for the least suicidal option," Terry commented.

"But we can't..."

"Mina, have you been at the receiving end of any of their attacks?" Terry asked, "I mean, of those in Eternal level? I have. And if those foes are close to Eternal level, then only three of us have a chance to defeat them. Four if Usagi ever decides to join us."

"I know she will," ChibiUsa said, "but I'm not sure it'll be for this battle. In any case, most of our enemies were injured today, and Onara's most likely gone. We only have to worry about any extra help they have."

"Those will most likely be the bosses," Haruka noted. "So, what are we waiting for?"

Aiko had been silent until now, but she suddenly looked up and smiled. "The party's starting."

"Let's change for the party," ChibiUsa said. In a few seconds, all the Senshi had transformed and were ready to fight.

"Question, where do you keep the wings?" Venus asked noticing ChibiMoon and Mercury had no wings now.

"They're magical," ChibiMoon said, and her wings appeared behind her back for a moment, before vanishing again. "And they're only good for flying, actually."

"If everyone's ready," Pluto said, "let's go." And a second later, all the Senshi were gone.

"And there they go again," Aiko mused. She was worried about her friends, yes, but she also knew going there with them would be quite useless. Not that she could be killed, true, but having your body blasted through (or vaporized on the spot,) was quite painful.

* * *

When she saw the Senshi arrive, Black Lady snorted. "I saw that coming from a parsec away."

"You?" ChibiMoon said in shock.

"Yes, me," Black Lady said. "I'm the leader of this merry little group of future rulers of the Earth."

Mars was looking at the woman standing next to Black Lady. "We _seriously_ need to start making sure they're dead."

Aurite laughed. "It's been a while, and I had fun playing with you, Senshi, but this time you will all die."

"If I had a cent for every time I heard that," Dragon Mercury noted, "I'd be _even more_ rotten rich."

"Now, who of you will die first?"

ChibiMoon frowned. "Me, Mercury and Pluto, that's all we need to defeat you."

"As you please," Black Lady agreed, "after we're done killing you, we're going to kill your friends too, anyway."

"As delusional as ever," ChibiMoon snapped. "Moon Princess Energy Storm!"

Black Lady was hit by the blast, and sent sailing back several meters. However, she didn't look too shaken by the blast, and she stood up smiling. "Thanks, I wanted you to do that. Dark Princess Energy Storm!"

The attack that shot out was the same ChibiMoon used, but it was a sickly grey color instead of the usual pink. It hit a very surprised ChibiMoon dead on, sending her flying back several meters, and she didn't stand up.

Aurite snorted. "Told you the power we gave you would be very useful. "

Black Lady nodded. "It is. So, who else wants to try?"

Mercury frowned. "Tsunami Glacier!"

Black Lady was once again hit, but this time she only staggered back. "Nice one. Dark Tsunami Glacier!" However, this time the attack didn't hit its mark, since Mercury vanished. Black Lady had guessed her strategy and turned around, swiftly gathering energy again. "Dark Princess Energy Storm!"

Mercury, however, wasn't behind her. "Tsunami Glacier!" The blast came from above, and punched a hole into the ground, dragging Black Lady down. "For any strategy you may think of, I can think five different ones," Mercury noted, "and that's a power you can't simply copy."

Meanwhile, Saturn was checking on ChibiMoon. Her friend was quite hurt, but she could heal her back in a few minutes. Still, that Black Lady monsters, she wanted to... No, she had to heal her friend first.

"Leave her to me."

Saturn turned to see Sailor Moon standing there. "Usagi, what are you doing here?"

"I may not be able to correct my past mistakes, but I can save my daughter this time around. As for you, I can feel your anger, and I know keeping it inside isn't good."

"But letting rage take over..."

"I know you, Hotaru, and I know you won't let that happen."

Saturn smiled and stood up. "I'll leave this one to you, Usako."

Moon smiled back as Saturn walked to the battle, then turned to ChibiMoon's still form. "The world does need Sailor Moon, but maybe it needs more than one of them right now," she said then her crystal lit up as she focused on healing her daughter.

Saturn, meanwhile, was walking straight to the Black Lady had been knocked into. She saw the woman crawl out of it and glared at her. "You monster..."

Black Lady snickered. "Go away, the grown-ups are talking right now. "

"Your sarcasm is as stupid as your dress, clone," Saturn said, "but you've hurt ChibiUsa for the last time. Saturn Death Power!"

"Oh fuck," Aurite muttered, "they're doing it again."

Black Lady growled. "Dark Princess Energy Storm!"

Saturn's transformation was over, and she summoned her glaive, running straight to the incoming energy barrage. "Grim Reaper!" She swung her glaive forwards, and a ghastly figure shot from it, stopping Black Lady's blast.

As the figure vanished, Black Lady noticed Saturn wasn't where she had last been. "Not going to fall for that twice. Dark Tsunami Glacier!" She snapped as she shot her attack up.

However, Saturn wasn't there, either. "You know, if you're the leader of this, your group's doomed. Grim Reaper!"

Black Lady turned in time to see the figure that shot from the glaive, and gasped in shock. The figure wasn't a construct, it was Saturn herself! The 'wraith' shot past her body, and she could feel her energy leaving her. "Damn it, time to wrap this up... Aurite, do it!"

Aurite smiled. Their plan had worked, and while she could just let the Senshi kill Black Lady, she also knew she couldn't fight them all alone. But being so focused in her 'boss,' they had ignored her, as she hadn't attacked at all since the battle started. That had given her plenty of time to position herself right above their goal. Right above the army base the Senshi had tried to protect.

Pluto realized what Black Lady meant a split second before the others and tried to get to Aurite in time, but it was still too late to stop Aurite. The gold-skinned youma had been gathering energy while she waited, and had shot it all in one single blast... Punching through the army base and the rocks underneath, leaving an incredibly deep hole behind.

Aurite vanished just before Pluto got to her, and reappeared half a mile away, a few seconds later, laughing before vanishing again.

Saturn turned to Black Lady. "She escaped, but you won't."

The woman smirked. "Wrong."

As her target vanished, Saturn turned to where ChibiMoon was, and noticed she was standing up. "Chibi..."

"Such a good leader I was, getting knocked out as soon as the fight begun..."

"Can't say it never happened with me," Moon noted.

"And the enemy's got most of the stones now."

"That was our fault," Dragon Mercury said.

"Black Lady's smarter than we gave her credit for," Mercury said. "We focused on her so much, that we didn't see what Aurite was up to. "

"I know what the problem is," ChibiMoon said. "We were too confident. Maybe not consciously, but since we had already beaten them once, we took victory for granted."

Saturn smiled. "I almost got her. My new attack wasn't in her plans, apparently."

"It was quite a show," Mercury admitted. "But that wraith..."

"I was the wraith," Saturn said, "it's not hard to explain, my soul leaves my body for a few seconds and drains my target. If my soul's hit it returns to my body. Of course, the attack Black Lady used did hurt me a lot, but I recovered when I drained her."

"These attacks keep getting freakier, right?"

Saturn looked at Mars. "That's from someone whose alternate could summon a fire demon."

"Touche."

"Let's go back to the base," ChibiMoon said, then looked at Moon. "Mom, are you going to help us?"

Moon nodded. "Yes. Next time Black Lady shows up, we'll beat her together."

* * *

"You really got beaten badly out there, boss."

Black Lady frowned. "It was all part of the plan."

"Admit it, you didn't expect Saturn to be that strong."

"She's not stronger than ChibiMoon, not even close," Black Lady said, "but her attack is different."

"How so?" Rubeus asked.

"Grim Reaper." Black Lady said, and a wraith shot forwards, passing through Rubeus. When the attack ended, the wraith turned into Black Lady again. "See?"

Rubeus fell on his knees. "Yes, I... Do see now."

"We need to rest for a while, but I am sure the Senshi will not find us."

"You never know, Onara, the Senshi are quite resourceful," Kaorinite noted.

"Yes, but up to today, they didn't know what to look for," Black Lady said, "I'm sure Mercury herself scanned me and could locate me even where we are now."

Onara grimaced. "That would not be good, we are still not ready for them."

"You are, pretty much," Kaorinite said, "you're lucky you have back-ups of yourself in here."

"Rest assured that being blasted to atoms by that bastardly Light Senshi was not fun in the least," Onara noted.

"Yeah, I'm sure it wasn't," Kaorinite said recalling her short fight against ChibiMoon.

* * *

Kino walked in, and everyone could see he was quite close to losing his temper. "Senshi, I want to know what happened."

"Uncle, we..." Jupiter started, then shrugged. "The enemy fooled us, that's all I have to say as a Senshi."

"The higher ups are quite upset," Kino said, his temper returning slowly. "I've just got an earful from them, they want to know who you are. They are thinking about pressing charges to compensate for the loss of that base."

"Tell me my father's involved," Mars said.

"He's not, in fact I've heard he's supporting your group."

Seia, who had been standing behind Kino, snorted. "I think I know why. If not for you, the enemy could've blasted the city up high, not just our base."

"They've done that before," Venus noted. "But General, as much as we are sorry for what happened today, we have bigger issues to take care of right now. Politics can wait."

"Pluto explained that to us already," Seia said, "it sounds like the usual with you, some superbeing is coming to take over the world and you have to stop it."

Dragon Mercury scowled. "But they won't leave us alone... The politicians, I mean. I think I'll have to call a certain head of an important company that shall not be named, and see what he can do about it."

"You mean, financing the rebuilt of that base?"

"Either that, or sending an army of superdroids and taking over the country," Dragon Mercury said with a poker face. After he let the words sink for a few seconds, he grinned. "Just kidding."

"As for knowing who we are," Moon said, "maybe we should drop the masks already."

"Usagi, you can't mean..."

"Why not?" Moon said.

"Being crowded by fans everywhere we go, for one," Dragon Sun said.

"It hasn't happened yet," Moon said, "I don't think it'll happen even if they knew who we are."

Mercury smiled. "Call me insane, but I agree with her."

"Me too," Venus said.

"You're crazy, Minako, so that's no wonder," ChibiMoon joked.

"I don't say we should go out right now and tell the world who we are," Moon said, "but after we're done with this group... I'm tired of hiding what I am, and most enemies lately knew who we are anyway. "

"As for your other proposal," Kino said, "I'll tell my superiors there's an anonymous benefactor who's offered to finance the base's reconstruction."

As Kino and Seia left the room, Mercury looked at the Dragon. "You sure your father will be okay with it?"

"It'll be easier to mask than all the money and tech I used in this place, that's for sure," Dragon Mercury said with a smile.

* * *

**A/N:** You know the saying, it's all fun and games until the army loses a base.

_SailorStar9_ It's not her. But it's going to be one of those 'not that again' moments of the story.


	191. Summon Nights

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 191: Summon Night.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: September 18, 2008_

* * *

"Guess they're taking their time."

Ami nodded. "Yes, but I've been unable to locate them yet."

Terry shrugged. "You should rest like everyone else, Ami."

Ami knew why he was saying that, but she wasn't foolish enough to repeat the stunt she had pulled once in the past. "I did rest, but I want to find them before they come back."

"Have you searched all through the city?"

"All through several countries, too," Ami noted, "had to hack into some satellites to do that, but..."

"You're turning into quite a spy," Terry joked.

Aiko appeared near them. "They're nowhere in this planet, unless their base is a few miles under the surface."

"What about the oceans?"

"Got them checked, nothing out of the ordinary there as far as I can tell."

Ami liked to consider herself smart, despite the failure the last two missions she'd taken part into had been. She considered all the options, yes, maybe the enemy base was buried deep underground... Or it was elsewhere. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong planet."

"What?"

"Or we're not covering all the planet yet, depending on your point of view."

Terry smiled, seeing Ami type in her computer fast enough to make it hard for him to follow. He couldn't tell what she was looking for, but he also knew she wouldn't give up until she found the enemy base.

"There."

"Where?" Aiko asked, looking at the screen, then cursed. "The Moon?"

"How can they survive up there?" Terry asked.

"They're supervillians, right?" Aiko joked.

"Actually, there's an underground complex near the Sea of Serenity, and it's apparently still operational."

"Okay, that's something I didn't even think about," Terry admitted. "Let's tell the others."

* * *

"It's been a while."

Mamoru smiled. Yes, it had been a while, ever since the whole mess with the Dark Mana started. Walking through the city, with Usagi leaning on him as they walked, he had missed this. "Are you okay now? I mean..."

"Let's not talk about our... Mission," Usagi said, giving him a look that told him she didn't want him to insist. "I just want to enjoy this little break while it lasts."

Mamoru was more than happy to oblige, and the two walked in silence for a while. He finally broke the silence as he looked back. "Someone's following us."

"Great," Usagi muttered. "Can't we have a normal day at all?"

A group suddenly appeared out of a side street, all wearing black coats and sunglasses, even though it was late night. "If you want to get through here, you have to pay the fee," one of them, a woman, said.

"Then I think we will just take another route," Mamoru said, sounding as polite as he could.

"That won't be possible."

Usagi turned to the voice, and saw they were surrounded. "I'm really not in the mood for this."

Mamoru stepped in front of her. "I'll take care of them."

"No need for that," Usagi noted. "Eternal Stardust."

Mamoru blinked in awe as the area was covered by small white particles. Their would-be attackers fell down, unconscious, and the particles vanished. "What..."

"It's a little something I created when I was... Thinking about never fighting again. It's strong enough to knock humans out, and even some weak monsters."

"You _created_ it?"

"Yes, unlike all our normal attacks until now," Usagi explained as the two walked away from the unconscious gang, "I found that I can actually modify my attacks freely in this form."

"Can't wait to get there," Mamoru admitted. "But you know, you should have let me defend you. I'm supposed to, Usagi."

"Even if they had the chance to attack," Usagi said, "they wouldn't even scratch me."

"Yes but..." Mamoru stopped when Usagi silenced him with a kiss.

"I appreciate you wanting to protect me," she said as they broke the kiss, "but you need to remember what I really am."

Mamoru sighed. "I guess I'll have to do that, yes."

Usagi summoned her communicator and smiled. "Yes?"

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Aiko asked.

"No."

"Okay, then... Come back to the tower as soon as you can. We made a quite amazing discovery minutes ago."

Mamoru took Usagi's hand as she put the communicator away. "Fun is over, I suppose."

Usagi just smiled at him, then concentrated, and the two vanished.

* * *

Black Lady could feel the power in these creatures. A power so great, it made her uneasy to be in the same room with these six entities. "I have summoned you here to fight for my cause."

"And what would that cause be?" One of them asked. It was impossible to tell them apart, as the six were nothing more than black energy clouds.

"I want to kill all the Senshi and become the ruler of this world. "

"If you help us recover the last two fragments of our soul, then we will help you gladly."

"There's one condition," Black Lady noted, "Once the Senshi are gone, you must leave, too. I don't want you destroying this world. "

"Why should we care about your wishes?"

"Because," Black Lady explained, "if you break the pact, I'll bind your souls to the Sigils again, and send them into the Sun so you may never be restored."

"We agree to your terms," another of the clouds said after a rather long silence.

"Good. The Senshi are on Earth, and they have the Sigils we're missing. We will go there and..."

"There's no need for your assistance in this battle," another cloud noted, "once we're close to the ones who hold the last two pieces of our soul, we can get them out of the Sigils ourselves, and become that who cannot be defeated."

"Right. Go and have fun, then," Black Lady said, "and kill a few of the Senshi if you want to."

"So we shall," the clouds all said before vanishing.

Black Lady snorted. Whether the parts of that demon were strong enough to take on the Senshi or not, was yet to be proven. But she had to tell her underlings about what the clouds were planning, and be ready to destroy Zagul, should he (was it even a 'he'?) try and betray them.

* * *

One hour had passed since Ami made her discovery, and she had told the others about it. None of them were too shocked with that, and she couldn't blame them. After living videogame characters, dream creatures, an alien invasion fleet and their little trip to the alternate world, an enemy having their base on the Moon wasn't out of the ordinary for them.

"So we just need to get some spacesuits and go kick their asses."

"That quite sums things up," Ami admitted, "only we don't need spacesuits."

"We don't?" Minako said.

"Our powers will keep us alive even with no atmosphere around us," Ami explained, "so all we have to do is get there."

"And that's where I can help," Setsuna said appearing in the room.

"I had almost forgotten how you looked like in your civilian form," Kage admitted.

"I think our trip will have to be postponed," Usagi said.

Ami looked at the computer. "I agree. There's several entities out there, their power is above Eternal."

"Six of them," Usagi said, "which means they're from the six stones the enemy gathered."

"You're not going to tell us to stay out of this one?"

"No, because I will need everyone's help this time around," Usagi noted. "And also, Rei, you saw what happened last battle with Hotaru. "

"You say we may be able to power up again?" Rei asked. "Not that I would mind..."

"I see things in others now, things I can't explain with words. All I can tell you is that it all depends on what happends during this battle."

Setsuna frowned. "I'll take you there, but I have other things to take care of before I join you."

"You're going to miss all the fun," ChibiUsa said.

"Possibly," Setsuna admitted, "but it won't be the first time."

"It'll be the first time you actually tell us you're vanishing," Mako noted.

"That's right," Setsuna said. "Now if everyone's ready..." The others nodded and transformed, and she smiled. "Go and defeat that demon."

As the others vanished, Aiko frowned. "I was wondering... Do you know where the Mooncats are?"

"Yes, I know," Setsuna said, then vanished.

Aiko stood there, staring at the spot Setsuna had been standing on, then growled. "I should've known she would do that."

* * *

First thing Moon noticed when they arrived, were the six clouds floating near them. "Those are..."

"Weather's going insane in this city," Dragon Venus joked.

"So these are the mighty Senshi," one of the clouds said. Which one it was, they couldn't tell.

"They remind us of the one who sealed us."

"Indeed, they have the same kind of power."

"But not in one single entity. That means they're weaker than she was."

"She?" Moon said.

"We see no harm in telling you. We were strong, we took over this world and were unmatched for eons. But there was one female who made a pact with powerful beings. Beings not as powerful as us, indeed, as we killed them when we realized their plan. We were too late, however, to stop her from getting the power they had created for her. "

"That wasn't in the legend," Mercury noted.

"Since when are legends completely true to the facts?" Nemesis mused.

The clouds continued. "We fought her, but she was stronger than us. She was getting her power from all the planets in this system, and we knew we couldn't defeat her directly. So, instead, we attacked her daughter. The mother was foolish enough to stop our attack, as was our plan, and was hence defeated. Or so we thought, but she gathered her power and blasted our body to dust, capturing our soul before we could escape, and sealing it within devices her allies had created before we destroyed them."

Moon frowned. "What was her name?"

"Name... The name of that creature was Serenity."

"Okay, now that's not so unexpected, is it?" Earth mused.

"I am Serenity, too," Moon said, "I may possibly be one of her descendants."

"We know that now. You are the one closest to her power. You are the one we have to destroy."

"You should also know you are all weaker than me, and you won't win this fight."

"Not in this form, no, we are weak like this," the clouds said, "but that is about to change."

Before the Senshi could ask what they meant, the two last Sigils appeared, hovering above the dark clouds. ChibiMoon frowned. "What? How did they..."

"There's so much you don't understand about your own powers..." the clouds said, "... and it's too bad you won't live to learn those secrets."

Mars cringed when the clouds all gathered around the two stones, which broke in a million shards. "Damn, I can feel their evil energy. It's like nothing I've felt before."

Moon paled. "Zagul... Whatever it is, it's here."

As the clouds merged into one large cloud, the sky above went dark. "What the heck's going on?" Venus asked.

"Behold the infinite power I command," the cloud boasted, its form slowly changing.

"We can beat it, no matter how strong it is," ChibiMoon said, though she wasn't so sure about that herself.

"No, you can't," the cloud said, its form finally changing into a very familiar one. "Those who use the power of Serenity are my enemies, and they shall all be destroyed!"

"What? One of those things again?" Venus asked the others, who were as surprised as her about what their newest foe looked like.

* * *

"I think you're ready to join the others now."

Dragon Mars shrugged. "I hope I'm strong enough to protect Rei now."

Dragon Moon frowned. "But hey, what about the others?"

"They'll join you soon enough," Pluto said. "And I hope you understand nothing of what happened while you were here must be told to the others."

"Yes, we know, _she_ gave us that rant too."

"I know she did," Pluto said with a small smile.

* * *

**A/N:** Episode's title taken from one of the best RPG series I've played lately. This episode raises a few questions, and only one of them will be answered in the next episode. The others will have to wait.


	192. Eternal Awakening

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 192: Eternal Awakening.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: September 23, 2008_

* * *

"Wait one damn moment there," Mars said. "You really mean... Zagul, the ancient demon, the one of incredible power, yadda yadda... Is just one of those annoying mantis freaks?"

Zagul was, indeed, one of the mantis, though its body was crystalline, giving out an eerie green glow under the moonlight. "I take it you faced some of my spawns, then... I am glad some of them survived to this era."

"About that, well..." Dragon Venus said, "we killed them all. Or at least we hope we did, since your kin keeps on showing up now and then."

"Guys, be careful," Mercury said, "Zagul's power is beyond anything we faced before."

"The usual, then," Lilith commented.

"You keep on calling me Zagul," the creature said, "but I suppose whatever records of the first era you have are at fault here. My name is Cygale."

"Saw that coming from a planet away," Dragon Mercury muttered.

"In any case, are you really going to fight me, humans? I will need soldiers to conquer this world, and you would be perfect for that job."

"The answer is no," ChibiMoon snapped.

Cygale looked at her, then at her mother. "Those eyes... The same defiant look of Serenity. You two must really be her descendants after all."

"Moonlight Flash!"

Cygale took the hit, only staggering back slightly. "Raw energy mixed with the power of this planet's satellite. Impressive."

"Shit, if not even Moon can hurt it..." Dragon Sun noted.

ChibiMoon snorted. "Let's try with something new."

Moon looked at ChibiMoon. "You found out about..."

ChibiMoon smiled. "Yes. Eternal Moon Heart Ache!"

Cygale saw the girl shooting a beam at his feet, but all it apparently did was draw a pink line around him. A heart-shaped line, he noticed. "Is this supposed to be an ultimate attack?"

"That's not an attack, just a beacon."

"Oh, I see," Mercury said as she looked up as a whistling sound filled the area.

"A beacon for what?" Cygale asked, then looked up as well and muttered something in a language only Mercury was able to understand.

The impact generated a shockwave strong enough to make buildings around it shake, their windows breaking in a million shards. The Senshi were all thrown back by it, and when they stood up, they all saw something quite familiar.

"So that's what the 'heart ache' bit meant," Uranus noticed as she stared at the massive pink heart now crushing Cygale.

"It's not bigger than your old heart, so why is it able to cause such a big bang?" Saturn asked.

"Because the heart was created a good thousand miles over our heads, " Mercury explained, "and fell down at supersonic speed."

Cygale punched through the heart and stood over it. "I don't really know if I should be impressed by the attack, or ashamed about being crushed by a giant heart."

"You know, he can handle our attacks, but why isn't..." Venus started, but Dragon Venus clasped a hand over her mouth.

"Mina, don't you dare giving the enemy ideas."

"This is fun, kids, but since you attacked me, I should return the favor." Cygale slashed the ground with its scythe-like arms, and several creatures similar to him came out of the fissures he created.

"Hey, I saw that trick in Dragon Ball Z," Dragon Venus commented.

"If I'm counting right, there's one of those for almost all of us," Mercury said.

"Oh, they won't fight all of you, only those who are weaker than the rest."

"So you'll fight those of us in Eternal level," Moon said.

"These creatures are barely below our power," Mercury noted.

"Then we can't let them fight..." Moon started.

"Usako, stop underestimating us," Mars said. "Leave the small bugs to us, and take care of the big one."

Moon sighed. "Don't get killed, guys."

"You don't have to tell us that," Jupiter said.

* * *

"The Senshi are fighting their enemies in the middle of the city? This won't really help their case."

"I know that, sir," Seia said, "but it can't be helped."

Kino nodded. "So, what do you think, should we send in any troops?"

"Evacuation of the area is almost complete," Seia said, "though from Tomoe's scanning, we may have to evacuate the whole city."

"Again?" Kino asked.

"If Tomoe's readings on that creature they're facing are right, then we'll have to do it."

"Then start the evacuation right away."

* * *

"Nightmare Illusion!"

Nemesis' attack hit its mark, but the insect just stood there, unphased by it. "Give up, human, you cannot compare to the power of Augale."

The names were, as usual, dumber than the ones they'd used before. Nemesis risked looking around her, and saw the situation was the same for everyone, these creatures were strong enough to shrug off their attacks, and were just playing with them.

Even Moon and the others were strugging, as they were outmatched by Cygale. Nemesis knew her friend would need help defeating that monster, but what could she do, if she couldn't even defeat this underling?

"If you're not going to attack," Augale said, "then I will!" Twin beams came out from his eyes, but Nemesis dodged them. As they missed their mark, the beams kept going, blasting through a building and causing it to collapse into itself. "Oops, missed."

"I've had enough of you, bug," Nemesis snapped, "it's time for you to be crushed. Nemesis Darkness Power!"

Her enemy waited for the transformation to end, as he wanted to have some more fun before killing the little human. "Oh, you got a new suit, what else did you get?"

Nemesis smiled, the dark aura around her growing for a second. "Glad you asked. Waking Nightmare!"

Her foe blinked in confusion as Nemesis didn't move. "Huh? Are you just going to stand there and stare me to death?"

As it finished its question, however, it felt something punching through its neck. Nemesis pulled the spear off the creature, who fell to the ground in a heap, and chuckled. The new 'attack' was something that surprised herself, too. She had created a copy of herself, then traveled through her shadow, and the shadow of her enemy, and appeared right behind it. It wasn't really an attack on itself, but it allowed her to travel through shadows and surprise her enemies.

She looked to her sides as the clone she had created vanished, and frowned. "White wings? Why couldn't they be black so they match the rest of my suit?"

* * *

Mars staggered back as the scythe-like arms of her enemy kept on raining on her. Her fire shield was stopping the blows, yes, but she didn't know how much longer she would be able to resist.

"Hah! So much for the Fire Senshi, all you can do is cower behind that shield of yours and wait for your death."

Mars growled at that, but another slash from the creature made her stagger back. Yes, her shield wouldn't take much more punishment, and she wasn't strong enough to defeat this creature. She looked to the side and saw Nemesis transforming. The insect slashed at her shield again, and she turned to glare at it. "Stop underestimating me, roach. Mars Fire Power!"

"Oh, now the real fun begins," the insect said, "but it will still not be enough to defeat Dugale."

Mars' transformation ended, but her glare wasn't lessened. In fact, with the thin fire aura around her, she looked all the more intimidating now. "Just shut up. Mars Inferno Blaze!"

As Mars shouted that, the fire shield appeared, but not around her. It was now surrounding the insect, and she could hear it trying to get out of its fiery prison. Not a chance on that happening, though, as her shield had also powered up. She walked calmly to the dome and put a hand on it. She could feel the temperature inside the dome rising up, and saw, even through the wall of flames, the insect inside being burnt to ashes. The dome vanished and she smiled. "This was almost too easy."

* * *

Jupiter punched the creature with all her might, then frowned. All she could do against this foe was to make it stagger back, and her electric attacks were useless. "Let's try something fun. Magnetic Core!" True, she didn't like using that one because it wrecked the place, but in this case, it could be the only thing that worked.

The mantis, however, didn't even flinch as it got hit by the magnetic blast. It actually cancelled the attack with its body, and laughed. "You know, for an electric Senshi, your attacks are not shocking at all."

Jupiter scowled at the pun, but she knew the monster was right. It couldn't be, she was a weakling compared to this creature? "I've had enough of you."

"Oh, so you did... And what are you going to do about it?"

"Jupiter Lightning Power!"

"Oh, that," the mantis muttered. Jupiters transformation was quite fast, and the creature saw she had arcs of electricity running through her arms and legs now. "I think you've managed to spark my interest, girl."

"You want sparks, sparks you'll get," Jupiter snapped. "Shock Bomb!"

The blast looked much like her previous form's attack, only this time the sphere was a lot brighter. The mantis leapt out of the way, but the sphere corrected its course and still hit its mark.

Jupiter walked to the creature calmly as her attack slowly fried it from within. "Oh, it's good that blast didn't kill you instantly," she said, "because I wanted to try out my new form's might."

"A weakling like you... Can't beat me... The great... Mugale..."

Jupiter snorted, then punched the creature's chest, sending it flying up and through several buildings. "And just in case... Shock Bomb!" The second blast caught the mantis at the peak of its flight, and caused its body to explode. Jupiter looked around the area and soon spotted something. "Time to show this power off..."

* * *

Venus stood on top of a building, panting. True, her speed made it literally impossible for her foe to see her, let alone hit her, but the constant rain of fists, kicks and chains she had sent its way had only managed to amuse the creature. It couldn't be, she was too weak to fight that insect, so what chances did she have of facing the bigger one? She took a look around from her vantage point and gasped. She could see Mars helping Lilith to the north, Jupiter protecting Earth to the east, and Nemesis was facing two creatures that the Dragons apparently couldn't handle. But there was something about the three girls, something she now realized she was missing.

It was just then that the mantis she had been facing leapt into the roof. "Finally, you decided to give up."

"Not a chance, was just catching my breath before kicking your ass. "

"I'd love to see that."

"You won't," Venus snapped. "Venus Light Power!"

The transformation was fast, and she was already moving as it ended. Her speed was even higher now, so the creature didn't really know where she was. "Oh come on, that's cheating."

"That's true," Venus said stopping right in front of it, "I'll be a nice girl and play fair."

The mantis snickered. "Stupid human. Die!"

Venus looked at the scythe-arm slashing down dismissively, then caught it by the 'blade' and ripped it off the mantis. As the creature screamed in pain, Venus smirked. "I lied, why play fair when you can just kick butt?" She vanished again, and this time circled around the mantis, fast enough to pick up a breeze on her wake. "Light Comet!"

The mantis looked up and saw a massive, bright, deadly-looking rock pummeling down towards him. "Oh boy, this is going to hurt."

Venus stopped right as the comet hit, the explosion that ensued only managing to mess her hair a bit. "And that's what you get when you mess with the Goddess of Love. Oh hohohohohohoho!" She heard an explosion nearby and looked around. Yes, there he was, and yes, he was getting his ass kicked again. "A goddess' job never ends..." she muttered before flying head on towards the creature that was about to slash Dragon Venus in half.

* * *

Dragon Sun leapt back, firing several plasma bullets at his foe. True, it didn't really cause much harm, but he needed to make up some sort of plan. Or, he noticed risking a look around, to wait until one of the brand-new Eternal Senshi noticed him.

Help did arrive just as the mantis prepared to charge at him, though it wasn't the kind of help he was expecting.

"Fire Spear!"

"Werewolf Night!"

Dragon Sun saw... Yes, there was no mistake, it was an armored werewolf, and it was holding a fire spear. It rushed in from behind the mantis, hitting it with the fire spear before adding a few claw slashes of its own.

That didn't really hurt the insect, though, but did distract it from the real danger that was approaching. Before anyone realized what had happened, their foe was nothing but a pile of ashes, and Mars was standing near it, smiling.

"I see I wasn't the only one who powered up while I was away."

Mars rushed to Dragon Mars and hugged him. "I missed you."

"Me too," Dragon Mars said, "but I see we're still lagging behind. "

Dragon Moon looked around. Most Senshi were done with their own battles, and he could also see several of them were in Eternal form now. "Yeah, I really don't know what we came back for. This battle's quite over, isn't it?"

Right after he was done asking that, all the members of the Dark Alliance appeared a block away from them.

"Guess I shouldn't have said that," Dragon Moon muttered as the others glared at him.

* * *

**A/N:** So many new Eternal Senshi for one episode... And so many new ways to kill stuff, too. Dragon Moon's new attack comes with a pun, though I think most can figure it out without help.

_NightmareSyndrom:_ Your guess was right, it was one of those bugs... And it's not a pushover like the ones they've faced before.

_SailorStar9:_ I try. But then also I keep on recycling enemies, too. Why bring in a new one when the old ones still work? (And the proof's in this episode.)


	193. Fall Of The Alliance

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 193: Fall Of The Alliance.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 3, 2008_

* * *

She leapt back, dodging an energy blast that tore through several buildings, bringing them down. "Stop destroying this city, will you?"

"I'm only destroying it because you dodge."

Moon sighed. Yes, the creature was right, but dodging was all she could do right now, since her attacks didn't affect this creature much. "Here's the deal, then, let's see if you can handle close combat."

Cygale saw Moon run to him and smiled. "You'll be surprised, human. "

Moon sidestepped Cygale's first blow, countering with a high kick which was blocked. "It's strange, if you're that strong, why are you obeying Black Lady?"

"Because she will make a mistake sooner or later, and I'll be ready to destroy her when that moment comes."

Even in close range, the creature was stronger than her, and she had a hard time keeping up with its arm swipes. It was just a matter of buying time, she could feel some of her friends had already powered up, and she could guess others would as well.

If everything went as she expected, then this battle was already won from the start. If it didn't, well... She'd rather not think about such a possibility.

* * *

Kaorinite yawned. "You two just won't learn."

Uranus frowned. "I think it's you the one who won't learn."

The redhead villain saw her two foes running to her and smiled. "Give me your best shots, girls."

"Aqua Whirlpool!"

"Tornado Hold!"

Kaorinite snorted as the attacks hit, then punched the vortex of water and wind, sending small blasts of water shooting in all directions. "I think we've been through this before. I'm not going to be defeated by your weak attacks, and you don't have your princess to save you this time around."

Neptune looked at Uranus. "She's right. We can't beat her like that. "

Kaorinite almost laughed at that, but then noticed the way the two were looking at each other. She knew from her past encounters with these two, that they didn't need to talk to know what the other was thinking. "What are you two..." She stopped sensing their power raise. "Oh, I see. That will only make things more interesting."

"Uranus Wind Power!"

"Neptune Ocean Power!"

"Not enough!" Kaorinite snapped, shooting twin beams of energy at the two new Eternal Senshi as their transformation ended. And the beams hit, but the effect wasn't as expected. The two were knocked back, but stood up with no visible damage. "What?"

Uranus chuckled. "Guess you can't handle _two_ Eternal Senshi, witch. Our turn. Uranus Maelstrom..." Winds picked up all around the area, gathering around her in a few seconds, as she rose one arm. "Surge!" All the gathered wind shot forwards as a focused beam of air, hitting Kaorinite dead on and sending her crashing into a building.

Neptune saw Kaorinite walk out of the building, her clothes torn and her arms bleeding, and smiled. "Let's make sure she's dead this time around. Neptune Deep Ocean Pressure!" A bubble of water formed around Kaorinite almost instantly, leaving no air for her to breathe, and the villain could also feel her body protesting the impossibly high pressure that the bubble created.

Uranus walked to Neptune and smiled. "Yes, we shouldn't make the same mistake again. Maelstrom Surge!"

Kaorinite felt the wind blast hitting her, smashing her against the back of the bubble (which was, she realized, a lot tougher than a water bubble should be,) and she knew she wouldn't be able to resist another shot. She desperately tried to shoot at the green-haired Senshi, but her arms wouldn't move. An intense pain shot through her brain right then, and if she had been able to move her head to look down, she would've known why. Uranus' last blast hadn't just knocked her back, it had punched right through her.

Neptune saw Kaorinite's body slowly vanishing and sighed. "Finally. "

Uranus nodded then looked around. The others were also winning their own battles, or so it seemed. "Should we help Moon or the others?"

"Let's help Moon. If she gets rid of that big insect, then she can take care of those that should be dead."

* * *

Black Lady stared at her two foes. "You kids, don't you know you can't defeat me with raw strength?"

"But we also know," Saturn noted, "that you will use our attacks against ourselves if we shoot you."

"So that's it," Black Lady mused, "you'll keep me entertained until Moon defeats Cygale, and then help her beat me, right?"

"That pretty much sums it all up," ChibiMoon admitted.

"You're counting on your mommy beating that bug? That's priceless. "

"Yeah, we've heard the whole 'our faction is invincible' rant before, " ChibiMoon snapped, "and here we are."

Black Lady just smiled as the two Senshi run to her again. Yes, let them think defeating the bug will help them. That way, when the bug's dealt with, they'll have to deal with the real trouble. She could hardly wait for that moment, she could already taste the power. And the sweet, sweet revenge she would have on Moon herself.

* * *

The blast had taken her off-guard, true, and was hard enough to knock her out for a few seconds. When she recovered, she could see someone was protecting her from her two foes.

Dragon Mercury noticed something and smiled, turning to look at her, but sending one of his ice dragons at the two villains to keep them busy. "Fight now, sleep later, Ami."

Mercury frowned. "I'll take care of them."

"But..."

"Stay out of this, if you get killed..."

"So I should just run away?"

Mercury looked at him and knew what he meant. She knew he had promised himself he'd never run away again, after that time he had locked himself up in his mind. "I... Just don't risk yourself, okay?"

"I'll try. I'll get the parrot."

"It's..."

"We know!" Both Mercuries snapped at the birdman.

"This is not amusing me anymore," Onara noted. "So I will kill you both. Planet Attack."

The two Mercuries leapt out of the way, but were still knocked down by the shockwave, as the attack blasted a few blocks to dust. "Damn this creep... He's really insane."

Onara growled at the Dragon. "I am not insane, merely eccentric."

"You made yourself a robot, literally," Dragon Mercury noted, "so you're insane, period."

Vulture tackled Dragon Mercury, dragging him away. "You said you were going to fight me, didn't you?"

Dragon Mercury really wondered about it now, as Vulture clutched his neck and rose him off the ground. Just _what_ was up with villains and necks? However, he knew it was no time for silliness right now, he had to find a way to kill this dodo and help Mercury. He tried to slash down at Vulture, but the man slapped his sword away. He tried punching him, but it was apparently like a bee trying to punch a concrete wall down. No, he couldn't give up, he wasn't going to give up.

"Planet Attack."

From his current position, he noticed, he had a perfect view of the battle Mercury was having with Onara. And Onara had the upper hand, somehow. Mercury was down, he knew she was still alive, he could feel that, but Onara was getting ready for the killing blow.

"You're going to pay for the beating you gave me last time we fought, " Vulture snapped at him.

Dragon Mercury looked down and smiled. "No, I'm not. Mercury Ice Power!"

Vulture cursed under his breath as he staggered back. His arm had been inside the blue aura that now surrounded his foe for only a second, but even that was enough to freeze it down to a point where he couldn't tell if his arm was there anymore.

He looked at the Dragon and snorted. Eternal or not, he could still beat the blonde joke anyday. "This is going to change nothing, human!"

Dragon Mercury looked at him and smiled. "True, I'll still win this battle. Mercury Frozen Tomb!"

Vulture couldn't even start wondering what the attack was about, before he was encased in ice. Ice that was, from what he could tell, pretty close to the absolute zero point. He had to get out of there before... He looked at the Dragon outside the ice, smiling at him, and flinched. It was already too late, apparently.

"Bird of prey or not, today you were the hunted one, Vulture. Ice Dragon!"

Well, at least he got my name right this time, Vulture thought just before the massive dragon construct tackled right into the ice block, breaking it (and his body,) into countless little pieces.

Dragon Mercury didn't waste even a second with the battle he had just won, as he knew he still had another battle to fight. "Hey, Robocop!"

Onara turned to him. He had been about to kill the unconscious Mercury, but instead had decided to wait once he sensed the Dragon's transformation. He could kill the idiot before Mercury woke up, and that would break her will to fight. Also, he couldn't deny he liked playing with foes weaker than him. "Your sense of humor is senseless."

"I've been told that," Dragon Mercury snapped. "Frozen Tomb!"

Onara broke right out of the ice. "I've improved my body, it can now take on anything you may throw at it."

Dragon Mercury was about to snap back at him, but then shrugged. "It's a good thing we don't have to rely on magic, then."

"What..." Onara started, then felt the blow. Turning his head back, he could see Mercury smiling at him, and could feel her fist inside his chest. "... That is not nice, lady."

"Freezing Pulse," Mercury said.

Onara knew what the attack was like, and was glad he had taken measures to avoid getting killed by it. His head detached from the robotic body, flying off into the distance. "This isn't the last you hear of me, Senshi!"

"I still remember the sweet, nice Ami who didn't like to fight."

"After all these years around you," Mercury noted, "I guess I was corrupted."

Dragon Mercury smiled. "Corrupted, huh?"

Mercury looked at the Dragon's new suit. It was similar to her own, without the bow and skirt, of course. "Nice."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"The suit. First time I see an Eternal Dragon."

The Dragon looked around. "We should go help Moon."

Mercury nodded. "Actually, gather the Dragons and go after Onara. We'll take care of whoever's left here."

Dragon Mercury frowned. "But we could help..."

"If Onara's running away, it means he has a backup plan. Letting that plan surprise us won't be good for us."

The Dragon nodded. "Then I guess it's head hunting season."

Mercury cringed, seeing him fly away. "No matter how much he upgrades, his jokes won't ever improve..." She turned back and fled in the direction her computer told her Moon was.

* * *

"Shock Bomb!"

Rubeus punched the electric ball away, blasting several buildings down with it. "Thanks for the help, I wouldn't be able to destroy the city so easily without you."

"Why you..." Jupiter snapped.

Rubeus laughed, but then something hit him from behind. As he stood up, he saw two more Senshi were there. Not that it would change anything. "Oh, the plant witch and the lucky bitch are here. This will be fun."

Lilith growled. "Who're you calling a..."

Earth tried to tackle Rubeus again, but this time, he grabbed her hand, then tossed her over his head and right to a building.

"That was fun," the villain said turning to the other two, "so, who's next?"

"A building," Lilith said with a wink.

"Huh?" Rubeus asked a split second before the building he had tossed Earth into fell on him. He blasted his way out of the debris and glared at Lilith. "You stupid kid and your stupid luck..."

"Hey, don't blame me," Lilith said, "luck's got nothing to do with you being braindead."

Rubeus charged at Lilith, but something else stopped him. Jupiter stood there, arm outstretched, fist closed, and smiled as he saw Rubeus smash through a few dozen trees. "Stop hitting my friends," the electric Senshi said.

"You're strong, no kidding," Lilith noted.

Earth limped to them. "Yeah, but I think we'll need more than that to beat this goon."

Jupiter idly noticed Rubeus running back to them, and she walked right up to a building. "This one will do."

"What are you..." Earth started, then saw Jupiter punching the building, and catching it as it fell. "No fucking way."

"I agree," Lilith said, looking on as Jupiter held the building as if it was weightless.

Rubeus had also noticed that, and had stopped his charge to stare at Jupiter. "No fucking way." Apparently, he also agreed with Earth.

Jupiter smiled. "Fetch!"

Earth could only gawk as Rubeus was dragged away by the building, wrecking the city even further before the makeshift 'missile' stopped. Seeing Jupiter walk to her, she shook her head. "Girl, I'm so not fistfighting you ever again..."

"We should check on him, right?" Lilith said, "He could be alive."

Rubeus appeared right next to them, his suit raggy, and his hair a mess. "You stupid muscle-brained slut..."

Jupiter smiled. "Compliments will do you no good."

Rubes snorted. "Then how about this?" He looked at Jupiter, his eyes flashing red. "I'll crush you right here, right now!"

Jupiter pondered what he meant, but only for a second. The air around her suddenly felt heavier, too heavy even for her to move a muscle. "What the... Heck..."

"Oh, not enough?" Rubeus smiled and increased the pressure. This attack had failed against Sailor Moon in the past, but the improved version of it would be enough to crush this fly. He had hoped to save it for Moon herself, but desperate times required desperate measures.

Earth saw Jupiter fall to her knees and paled. "Mako!" Jupiter turned to look at her, and even though she didn't speak, she knew just what she meant. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of there."

Rubeus snorted. "How, with your pathetic attacks, or your pathetic punches?"

Earth chuckled. "Earth Nature Power!"

Lilith frowned. Yes, this foe was too strong for her current form, she needed something else to beat him. "Lilith Chaos Power!"

Rubeus laughed. "Priceless. So, what can you do?"

"Gaia's Rage!"

Rubeus blinked in shock as two tall walls of rock appeared to his sides, then both slammed into each other. If not for him teleporting out of the way, that would've really hurt. "You missed, now it's my turn." He looked at Earth and smiled as she fell face-first on the ground. "The funny thing is, since you're weaker than your girlfriend here, you'll die a lot faster." He then turned to Jupiter. "That'll be cute, right? Watching her die and not being able to do a thing about it?"

"Aren't you forgetting about someone?" Lilith snapped.

"And what will you do, throw another building at me?"

"Actually, I'll let you attack first."

"... Whatever works for you," Rubeus snapped and used the same trick he had used on the other two. He laughed as Lilith fell to the ground, then looked at her. "Any last words?"

"Yes. Chaos Call."

"What is..." Rubeus started, then fell to his knees. "How... What did you do?"

Lilith stood up, idly noticing her friends were also up and ready to fight again. "Nothing can be worse than having your own attacks backfire, huh? Mess with Lady Luck and she'll kick your ass."

"You bitch, I'm going to..." Rubeus snapped as he stopped his gravity attack and stood up.

Jupiter growled. "You're going to die!"

The villain had no time to teleport out of the way this time, and as Jupiter hit him, he could feel something fly out of his back. He was dead before he hit the ground, a block away from where Jupiter was.

Earth grimaced, seeing the random bits of unknown alien guts scattered all around Rubeus' body. "That's one nasty way to die."

"Okay, now I'm officially freaked out at your strength," Lilith noted.

Jupiter shrugged. "Okay, this is over, now let's go help Moon."

Earth looked back to see Rubeus' corpse vanishing. "Yeah, I want to see if that mantis thing can handle one of your punches."

"And if that fails," Jupiter said, "I'll just hit it with the Tokyo Tower until it dies." She floated up a few meters before noticing the other two were just staring up at her, and groaned. "Just kidding, girls."

"Sometimes, I can't tell if you are just kidding," Earth said as she and Lilith followed Jupiter.

"Of course I am. I'll just use the building like a spear."

"... Whatever works," Lilith muttered.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, I'm still alive. I got Spore, so expect a slowing down in updates for a while.

As you may have guessed already, this is yet another final battle. Most of the Alliance is gone now, so what will Onara, Aurite and Black Lady do? Only thing I can say is, it will not be fun for the Senshi.


	194. Aurite's Gamble

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 194: Aurite's Gamble.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 4, 2008_

* * *

He looked at the planet and smiled in satisfaction. Another planet for his race to live in, but... It just wasn't enough. He needed more than this for his race to exist safely.

He scanned the dull, grey, lifeless plains of this planet. A planet that had once been colorful, bright, and full of life. So disgusting, so repulsive, he got nausea only remembering what the planet had been like. But he had corrected it, he had turned it into something his race could use as a new home.

Only that, once he was done, he had realized there was something missing. Something, but what? he would just have to continue his search, and maybe, someday, he would find a world he could bring up to the perfection of his old home, the home which was now lost forever.

* * *

Moon leaned on a wall, her breathing heavy. She had several cuts in her arms and legs, and she really doubted she could keep going against this creature for much longer. Cygale was far stronger than her, something she was somehow used to, but that didn't mean she liked getting slapped around like this.

Cygale noticed Moon's glare and laughed. "You may have Serenity's name, but I was wrong. You're not like her, you're a weakling."

"But she's not alone, insect."

Moon smiled as she saw all the Sailor Senshi (not counting Saturn and ChibiMoon) standing near Cygale. "Took you long enough, guys."

"Sorry, we had to kill some idiots that couldn't stay dead," Earth said.

Cygale looked at the others idly. "It's no use. Even all of you wouldn't be a match for me. But I'll stop playing now, otherwise you may hurt me."

Mercury knew what her computer was sensing without looking at it, and it wasn't good. "Its power is as strong as that alternate ChibiMoon..."

"I take it's a bad thing?" Nemesis asked.

Moon paled. "This monster's too strong..."

Cygale laughed. "About time you realized that, little human girl."

"Moonlight Attack!"

Cygale was knocked down by a while light beam, and he stood up, furious. "Who did..." He stopped, seeing four more Senshi were there. "Who the hell are you?"

Moon and the others also looked at the four newcomers. Of course, they knew who they were, but the suits... They were like those of the Eternal Senshi. "Luna, is that you?"

Luna smiled at her Princess. "Yes. You can thank Pluto for this, becuase I didn't know our powers could be upgraded too."

Pluto smiled. "No need for that, it's my job to help you all."

"Nice suits, guys," Venus said.

"Mina..." Artemis growled.

"What?"

"Stop staring at me, will you?"

"Eeeh... I wasn't staring."

Diana had been looking at their foe the whole time. "That monster, we're not strong enough yet."

Pluto looked at Moon. "We must use the Planet Attack once again."

"But what will keep that creature from hitting us?"

Instead of answering, Pluto aimed her hand at the monster, who was still powering up. "Time Splitter!"

Mars grinned, seeing the insect freeze in place. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

Moon looked at the others. "Okay guys, let's put an end to that creature's evil."

"Are you sure you want to risk it?" Mars asked.

"Just shut up and shoot," Moon said with a wink.

The other Sailor Senshi complied, and the four newcomers also added their own attack to the mix. It was much like the Planet attack, with the other three mooncats shooting energy beams at Luna, who focused them perfectly into one bright beam, then also shot it at Moon. "Moon Guardian Attack!"

Moon took all the hits, but didn't flinch, nor she did have to concentrate at all. Maybe it was from all the times she'd already used that attack, or because of her power levels. She didn't know, and she really didn't care. She gave the creature one last glare before her hands swung forwards, and she channeled all the energy from the attacks she took into one single beam. "Eternal Planet Attack!"

While the beam itself wasn't too different than the ones the others had seen, its effect was indeed different. As the beam reached its target, all its energy exploded out, blasting a few blocks around its impact point to dust. The Senshi were knocked down by the shockwave, but in their current level, it didn't hurt them much.

"You could've warned us about the shockwave," Jupiter snapped at Pluto.

"Oops," Pluto muttered, then turned to look at the mooncats, who had all returned to their normal forms. "Are you four all right?"

Luna nodded. "Yes, but we can't still keep these forms up for too long."

"So, the creature's gone," Venus noted. "Now what?"

"Now, you all die," a familiar voice said.

* * *

ChibiMoon, Saturn and Black Lady had also been knocked down by the shockwave, and Black Lady couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, that stupid girl did it..."

ChibiMoon frowned. "What..."

Saturn had already summoned her one-eyed scanner. "Cygale is no more. Moon destroyed it."

"Just its body, but its energy..." Black Lady started, then gasped. "No! That stupid whore..."

ChibiMoon and Saturn blinked in confusion as Black Lady run away, then followed her. "I guess her plans aren't working," ChibiMoon noted.

"If what my scanners are picking is what I think it is, then you shouldn't be laughing," Saturn noted.

* * *

The Dragons, meanwhile, had followed Onara a long way from Tokyo. Namely, they were right now on the Moon, and Onara was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey look, it's a full Earth," Dragon Venus said, pointing up.

"I see your jokes suck in every planet," Dragon Sun noted.

"This isn't technically a planet, you know," Dragon Moon corrected.

"Let's focus in what we came here for," Dragon Earth said.

"Yeah, we were heading here to get that mad scientist."

Dragon Mercury looked at Dragon Venus and groaned. "_heading_ here..."

"You kids must not bother yourselves with searching. I am now ready for battle."

"What the fuck is that thing?" Dragon Sun asked.

Onara was in a robot body, but it was packed full of cannons, and its hands were covered in spikes. "This is the Ragnarok, the ultimate Omega model."

"Does he think he's Robotnik or what?"

"You kids should not have followed me here. Now you are far away from those who could have a slight chance of defeating me, and I will not allow you to escape."

"You know, I may be a joker, but I really hate it when someone like you underestimates me," Dragon Venus said. "It's time to get serious. Venus Shining Power!"

Dragon Earth couldn't agree more with what the other Dragon had said. "Earth Stone Power!"

"You fools... Even if you all were at Eternal level, you would not be able to stop me!"

"Let us try, then. Dragon's..." Dragon Venus' wings shone with light energy as he glared at the robot. "... Light Wings!" The energy shot out of his wings as a twin beam that drew an arc in the sky before falling down, hitting Onara dead on.

Dragon Earth wasn't in the mood for speeches, so he just rose his sword. "Earth King's Judgement." Nothing happened for a second, but then a shower of large boulders rained on Onara from above.

"He's still alive," Dragon Moon noted.

"I told you it wouldn't be enough," Onara snapped. "Now it is time for you to die." His cannons all lit up and he smiled. "I have waited for this moment for a long time."

* * *

If she had been her old self, she would've asked Mercury for explanations. But she wasn't the same old Usagi anymore, and her powers let her see things maybe even Mercury's computer couldn't see. Aurite had appeared out of nowhere, seconds after she'd dealt with Cygale, and had absorbed its energy. But Aurite wasn't attacking yet, she was too busy screaming in pain, and the wide, black aura around her was just unsetting.

"I think that demigod is eating her from the inside," Lilith noted.

"No," Moon said, "that's not what's happening. It's..."

Mercury nodded. "Aurite's assimilating Cygale's power, and her body is changing."

"Changing?" Venus asked, then turned to Aurite just as two large, moth-like wings appeared on her back, and black spikes on her elbows. "Eww, she's ugly."

"Uglier than she was before."

The Senshi turned to see Black Lady there, and frowned. If that creep was here to attack them along with Aurite, then things could get uglier than Aurite's face.

Black Lady seemed to know what they were thinking. "Chill, Senshi, I'm not here to fight you. Not right now, at least."

"So what..." Moon started, then smiled. "Oh, I see. Things didn't go as you had planned them."

Black Lady growled at her. "That's right. I should be the one that gathered that power. I would be able to handle it without deforming myself, too, but I guess youma just love looking ugly."

Aurite laughed. "You stupid, stupid bitch. I was the one who thought out this plan from the start, remember? I couldn't defeat you before, but right now... Thanks to Sailor Moon, I'm invincible."

"I'll tear that power out of your dead body!" Black Lady snarled before charging at Aurite.

"I'll enjoy this, 'boss,'" Aurite teased.

Surprisingly, Black Lady's first punch sent Aurite rolling back. Black Lady tackled her former ally, raining punches on her for a minute, and not letting her foe block or counter. She then picked Aurite up and pinned her against a wall with one hand, energy gathering in her other hand. "You weren't that strong after all."

"And you weren't that smart," Aurite countered before shooting an energy blast right through Black Lady's stomach. She didn't leave the pink-haired woman a second to recover, and instead punched her away, shooting another energy blast which caught her in mid-air, just as she was about to crash into a building.

"Okay, that takes care of Black Lady," Mars said, "what about Queen Moth there?"

Moon looked back to where Black Lady was lying and winced. No, she wasn't dead yet, but she would die in a minute with her injuries. "I guess we'll have to do our best, it worked in the past."

Aurite laughed, flapping her wings as she did. The wind waves from said flapping toppled a couple buildings behind her and she smirked. "Oops, my bad."

"Show off all you want, but you know how this will end," Moon snapped.

"Of course I know. I will win and take the place my former, weak Queen couldn't take."

"Power's making you delusional," Moon noted. "Eternal Flash!"

Aurite stood there and took the hit, only staggering back slightly. "That tickled, moongirl."

"Saw that coming," Jupiter muttered. "How can we defeat her?"

"You can't," Aurite said before shooting a massive energy beam at the group.

* * *

Dragon Mercury staggered up and winced. His left arm was bleeding quite a bit, and he saw most of the others were out cold. "This isn't good."

Dragon Sun nodded, also scanning the area. "That asshole is a lot tougher than I thought he could be."

Onara laughed. "I see some of you do not know when to give up."

"I was about to say the same thing about you," Dragon Mercury snapped back.

* * *

**A/N:** Both Sailors and Dragons are in for a lot of pain now.

As to what that first scene was about: it'll all be revealed in a few episodes. I'm currently revising the next arc, so it might take me a while to get a new episode up.

I'm just going to say it'll be darker than all the previous arcs.


	195. An End To Evil

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 18: The Alliance.**

**Episode 195: An End To Evil.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 7, 2008_

* * *

There they were, away from home, with most of their group knocked out, and facing something straight out of a mecha fan's worst nightmare. Things weren't looking good at all, he had to admit.

His weapons did nothing against this foe, which really added to his frustration. He watched as Dragon Mercury went ninja on Onara, and was promptly knocked out. Onara turned to him and he grimaced. There was really no other way out of it, and even doing what he was about to do was a longshot. And he also needed time to find the right way to do it.

"The swordsman is down, so only the gunner remains."

Dragon Sun smiled. "I was wondering... Why are you doing this? Why nag us for so long with your robots, why ally with those evil creeps?"

"Why? Because mankind let me down. They never recognized my genius. They never took my creations for what they were, the ultimate weapon. But taking genes off the best humas just was not enough, so I chose to perfect my creatures by gathering genes of the strongest warriors. The so-called Senshi, who I saw as the ultimate test. If I managed to defeat them, then I would prove myself, and the world, that I was not wrong, and that my creatures were indeed the ultimate weapon."

"That's a nice goal, freak show," Dragon Sun snapped, "too bad you'll never see it come true. Sun Plasma Power!"

"Oh, that is indeed nice. I shall let you try and hit me, since you will be dead in the end either ways."

Dragon Sun smiled, his transformation ending quite fast (in fact, he realized, Eternal level upgrades happened in only a second, not letting their enemies much time to plan anything.) "It's your last mistake, then. Sun..." Dragon Sun started shooting his guns upwards, and the bullets started swirling meters above his head, slowly forming a large ball of fast-spinning plasma fragments. "Supernova Orb!" The Dragon aimed his guns at Onara, shooting at him, and the massive orb above him homed in on those bullets, smashing dead-on into the robotic body.

However, the damage done wasn't critical, by far. "That was indeed amusing, kid, now let us finish this battle..."

"I'm not down yet, you know?" Dragon Mercury snapped. He was glaring at Onara, but he knew he had little energy to use before he was out of the fight for good. Unless... "And I'm not out of tricks, either. "

"You are delusional, boy. But come, let us see what is it that you can do."

"Funny thing to say before you die," Dragon Mercury said to Onara, then turned to the one other Dragon that hadn't been knocked out yet. "If I fail, try to get back to Earth and tell the girls about this."

Dragon Sun frowned, but nodded. "Will do."

"Good." He looked around and smiled. "Hope I don't blast the Moon down with this. Saturn Spirit Power!"

Onara looked at the Dragon dismissively for a second before he noticed the power readings he was getting. "What? It is not possible, his power is out of the scale!"

"Hey, it's nice to hear that about myself instead of my foe for once, " Dragon Saturn joked. He could, however, feel this new upgrade sapping his energy, and fast. "No time for chatter, though, so let's end this quick. Ground..."

Onara laughed as the Dragon sped straight to him. "Foolish kid, you cannot defeat me!"

The Dragon said nothing, but suddenly split in two. The 'clone' looked like a ghastly version of Dragon Mercury, and held the Mercury sword, while the original held the Saturn one. "...Zero!" the two shouted in unison as they stabbed Onara through.

And then came an explosion which, Dragon Sun had to admit, hurt a whole damn lot. As he stood up, he saw the other Dragon was out, and back to his Mercury form, and Onara was no more... Or that it seemed at first.

"Hahahaha! You stupid kids, do you not see defeating me is impossible?" A new Onara snapped as he walked to the only Dragon still standing. However, he realized something wasn't quite right here. There was one Dragon missing, but where could he...

Dragon Sun noticed an explosion in the distance, then saw Onara wasn't moving anymore. "Okay, just what the fuck happened?"

Dragon Venus appeared right next to him. "Know what happens in first person shooters when you leave your base unprotected?"

Dragon Sun laughed. "Oh, I get it. When did you wake up, though?"

"Right before the blonde joke blasted a new crater on the Moon," Dragon Venus said, "so I kinda... Teleported blindly to avoid the blast, and ended up inside their base. From that point on, it was just finding where the energy source of that place was, and blasting it to ashes."

"You think that... Thing, is dead?"

Dragon Venus poked Onara with his sword. "Looks like it, maybe he linked himself to the computer. Think we can take it as a souvenir?"

Dragon Sun frowned. "No thanks, I don't think something that ugly can be used for anything."

"How about target practice?"

"Oh, that could work." He looked around and sighed. "Okay, let's wake everyone up and get out of here. Don't bother with the ice guy, though, I can bet he'll be out of it for a while."

* * *

"Aww, that was too fast. And here I was hoping to play with you girls for a while."

Moon glared at Aurite. She had hurt her friends, she had blasted a large section of the city to dust (which, she realized, was becoming a standard for villains,) and she was gloating like she had this battle won. "You won't win this as long as I live."

"I thought so, but I'll let you play for a while."

"Play?" Moon glared at Aurite. "This is all a game for you, right? Causing suffering, destroying what others took years to build, stalking us from the shadows... You're pathetic."

"Say whatever you want, princess, but I'm the one with the ultimate power here."

"I don't like fighting, I don't like killing, but this time around... Against something like you... I just..."

"Aww, are you scared, little human girl?"

Moon didn't bother answering that. "Eternal Moonlight..." She reached her arms out, a large disc of light forming around them, and the raw magic flowing into her body was actually visible. "Redemption!"

A few of her friends recovered in time to hear what Aurite had said before that attack, so they weren't surprised at Moon's reaction. However, what did surprise them, was that the energy beam she threw at Aurite was strong (and wide) enough to pierce its way through the city, and keep on going until it vanished from view.

* * *

Dragon Mars looked at the thin white line coming out from the Earth and paled. "What the fuck was that?"

"My sister," Dragon Moon said.

"Usagi was a Saiya-jin and never told us... Tsk, tsk," Dragon Venus mused.

"Shut up and keep on flying," Dragon Earth muttered, "We have to get down there, and fast."

"Didn't that blast finish Goldielocks off?" Dragon Moon asked.

"I hope it did, but let's hurry just in case," Dragon Earth said.

* * *

Aurite stood up, her breathing heavy, and looked back. "This girl... " It was simply impossible, some lousy human girl couldn't have that much power! "... Your attack is quite impressive, girl, but still not enough to kill me."

Moon was still standing, but she was also out of energy. "No... I wasn't strong enough..."

"Indeed. You're a weakling, girl, you're nothing but a wea..." Aurite stopped gloating and looked down. Two sword tips, one metallic, the other crystalline, were coming out of her chest. "That fucking hurt, you idiots."

ChibiMoon had attacked Aurite while the woman was distracted, but she hadn't noticed Black Lady until she was almost up to where the villain was. However, Black Lady gave her a look she knew meant she wasn't going to fight the Senshi, at least for now. "Touche," the two said in unison as they pulled the swords out of Aurite's body.

"Impossible, you two shouldn't be able to..."

"I'm Sailor Moon too," ChibiMoon said.

"And, despite how much I hate admitting it, I have some of her traits too," Black Lady added. "Now die, goldie."

"Not going to happen," Aurite snapped. Though she wasn't all that sure anymore. Moon's attack had hurt more than she thought, it had failed to kill her but still leave her weak enough for other attacks to work. It wasn't a good thing, but she wouldn't run, either. She had gotten this far, and she wasn't going to turn back. But then, to her surprise, and everyone else's, she heard a few words that knew meant real trouble for her.

"Pluto Holy Power."

Moon had to shield her eyes as she tried to look at Pluto. A white, blinding aura surrounded the Time Senshi, and she could feel the power this woman had, her ultimate level, something impossible to measure in human terms. "Pluto..."

Pluto glared at Aurite. "You've underestimated us, once and again, and that's your ultimate defeat, Aurite. Begone. Garnet Disruptor!"

The attack was almost invisible, but it was actually a wave of focused energy, which hit Aurite dead on. Everyone expected yet another massive explosion, but instead, Aurite simply vanished.

ChibiMoon blinked a few times before she found her voice. "Just what happened to Aurite?"

"I sent her to a certain dimmension where she won't survive."

Mercury blanched. "Not to _that_ one..."

"Yes, that one," Pluto said with an unsetting smile, then turned to Black Lady. "As for you..."

"Hah! If you do that to me, I'll just find a way back here. You will never get rid of me, Senshi!"

"It may be so, but I'll take the risk. Garnet Disruptor."

ChibiMoon was standing close enough to Black Lady to feel the energy wave's passing. "Now that's what I call power..."

Pluto frowned. "Power I don't like to use. Not only because of its chances of messing up the timelines are high, but also..." she yawned, "... because it uses up a lot of energy. Goodbye."

"Hope we have peace for a while," Moon said, "I'm really sick of fighting."

Pluto had been about to leave, but looked at Moon with a smile. "You'll have a short break, indeed."

"I hate when she does that," Saturn muttered, looking at the spot Pluto had last been standing on.

"Which is probably why she does it," Mars pointed.

Just then, the Dragons landed near them, looking at what was left of the city in shock. "I guess we missed one hell of a battle here."

Venus frowned. "Where were you guys anyway?"

"We had to follow that idiot all the way up to the Moon," Dragon Moon explained. "Then it was the usual, we got kicked around, some upgrades here and there, and Dragon Saturn technically killed Onara. "

"Dragon Saturn..." Mercury said, looking at the unconscious Dragon Mercury. "Guess he saw no other way to win."

Dragon Venus nodded. "He destroyed that bastard, but I found the enemy's base and destroyed it, so he won't be cloning himself anymore."

"Okay, that was fun and all, but let's go to the base," Moon said. "Uhm... Is there even a base to go to anymore?"

Aiko appeared near them. "Your last blast missed it by a few meters. "

"Good, so let's..." Moon saw someone appear near her and frowned. "You... You're one of those rebels."

Barite laughed. "That's right, I, the mighty Barite, son of Aurite, will destroy you, Senshi, and claim this world for the mighty..."

"Eternal Moon Heart Ache!"

The others looked on as Barite was crushed by the customary, massive pink heart, then turned to look at ChibiMoon in shock.

"What?" ChibiMoon muttered. "I'm also tired of fighting non-stop. I'm not going to stand there and let a weakling hurt my ears with his delusions of power."

Saturn chuckled. "I'm just suprised you still had energy to do that. "

"Barely," ChibiMoon said, then fell on Saturn's arms.

"..." Saturn noticed the pinkhead was asleep and shook her head. "For someone with so much power, she can sure be silly sometimes."

"That's true for all of us, I guess," Mars noted.

"Not me. I'm never silly," Saturn said.

"Sure you're not," Venus mused.

"Let's just get out of here, guys," Moon said, "before the army and Rei's dad come to rant our ears off."

"They know where to find us, though," Jupiter noted.

"Yes, but I'd love to see them trying to break through the door," Moon said before the group vanished.

* * *

**A/N:** I just realized half the cast in the old version didn't even get a transformation shout for their Eternal level, as they gained it off-screen. Had to correct that 'error' in this one, I guess.

This ends another war for the Senshi. What's next? Why answer that now, when the story itself will answer it next episode? And no, it's not what happened in the old version after the 'Alliance' was destroyed.

_Khajmer:_ Never touched a 360 other than to play some demo at a shop, so yeah, that's not me. As for copying Nova, it's not like I can ask for copyright money. She does, after all, have elements of several kick-ass psychic girls from several other shows.


	196. A Slice Of Life

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 19: Eternal Night.**

**Episode 196: A Slice Of Life.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 8, 2008_

* * *

Usagi loved days like these, where she could just sit in her front yard and do nothing at all. She wasn't back to her old lazy self, however, so she went back to her latest book after she had enjoyed the weather for a few minutes.

To most of her friends' surprise, she had chosen a career as a book writer, writing fantasy novels. Most of her works were based in her life, and focused on girls with special powers fighting evil. Despite some people saying she was just ripping off Sailor Moon (was she really?) her books still sold pretty well.

"It's been five years already," she mused to herself. Five years since the last time they had to fight. Five years since the Senshi appeared in Tokyo. Five years of normal lives for her and her friends. Though not all of her friends had taken a liking to this peace and quiet.

Mamoru was working for Zephyr now. He had rarely talked about what he had been studying back when they were fighting war after war, but she now knew he was majoring in robotics, which wasn't a science Usagi herself understood a lot about.

Terry and Ami still lived in Tokyo, Ami was one of the top doctors in the city, and Terry was leading the Japan branch of Zephyr Robotics (as it had been renamed a couple years ago,) and, frankly, she wasn't sure the family's fortune could even be measured in human terms.

She sighed as she looked at the white screen in front of her. For some reason, her mind was in the past, so she couldn't get anything done today. She wasn't worrying, since she still had plenty of time before her next book's deadline. She decided to go for a walk, to clear her mind. And she knew the perfect place to visit today.

* * *

As Usagi walked in front of a TV shop, she heard something from a TV inside that once again made her remember the 'old times.'

"The mystery remains as to where the Senshi are nowadays. Nobody's seen the Senshi in Tokyo ever since their war against the Dark Alliance and the rebuilt of Tokyo..."

Back then, she was ready to tell the world who they were, but... In the days after the battle, she had seen how upset people was, for having their houses destroyed in their 'useless war.' The group had agreed to help rebuilding the city as a way to mend 'their' mistakes (though, honestly, most of the damage done wasn't their fault.) Afterwards, they used their powers only inside the tower, and as the group moved on with their lives, the Senshi Tower had remained only as a symbol of what they had fought against in the past, and as a reminder to the citizens that they were still there.

Usagi finally reached her destination. Kino Restaurant. One of several, actually, as Mako had also built her own little fortune with one of her life-long passions, cooking. The woman walked inside, scanning the place for a few seconds. It was a quiet morning, so maybe Mako wasn't...

"Hey, Usagi!"

Usagi turned to see Mako walk out of the kitchen area, smiling. "How's my favorite chef doing today?"

"Getting more and more bored every day that goes without something to fight," Mako muttered.

"Come on, it's not that bad."

"It is for me," Mako noted. "I have nothing to use my power on."

"Maybe you should go get a mask and punch some thieves down?"

"Umino's got that one covered," Mako said, "much to Naru's chagrin. So, what are you doing here? I hadn't seen you in quite a while."

"I'm not having any luck writing today, so I decided to walk for a while."

"Maybe that's a sign that you also need those wars."

Usagi didn't quite get what her friend meant. "Come again?"

"It's simple, your books are based in things that happened to you. Maybe you need to fight something else to think up a new story."

"That's a scary thought. Anyhow, since I'm here, may I see the menu?"

Mako smiled. "Sure."

* * *

"You know, Ami, I really wonder if we should keep that thing up."

Ami smiled at Rei, then looked at the tower, far in the distance. "It's good to have that around, Rei."

"I don't see why."

"So we don't forget what we are."

A small girl run out of the temple and smiled at them both. "Hi auntie Ami."

"Hello, Hisako, have you been a good girl?"

"Yep."

Ami smiled as the black-haired girl started running around the yard. "She's quite energetic, isn't she?"

"But she can be quite a pest sometimes. I think she got that from her father."

Ami laughed, but then sighed. "Still, you should be proud, you're the first Sen-- Uhm, of our group that had a child."

Rei noticed Ami catching herself and groaned. "Sometimes I wish I could tell her what I am, but..."

"Wait until she's older," Ami said. "That's what I would do."

"Nah, you would just build another one."

Ami shook her head. "Like I would be able to replicate whatever created Aiko's soul."

"How is she, by the way?"

"Doing fine, though I'm sure she also misses the action."

"Don't run, Mr. Crow..."

Rei flinched as she saw that, as customary with her, Hisako was chasing after Phobos and Deimos. "Hisako, stop that."

"Aww, but I want to pet them..."

Rei smiled and looked up at the two crows, who had decided to catch their breath on a nearby tree. "Chasing them around won't work." She reached out her arm, and the two crows fled off the branch, landing on it.

"The lady of birds," Ami mused as Rei kneeled down.

Rei smiled as Hisako walked to her and started petting the two crows. "I wouldn't trade them for a normal pet like a dog or a turtle... Or talking cats."

"You didn't really call me here to socialize, did you?"

Rei nodded. "That's true." She turned to look at her two 'pets' and smiled. "See, Hisako won't hurt you." Then she looked at Hisako. "Mom and aunt Ami have to go talk about some stuff, so stay here and play, and give me a shout if anything happens."

"'Kay, mommy."

* * *

Once inside the temple, Ami noticed Rei's face had changed. It wasn't quite worry what she saw in her friend, but a bit of confusion. "So..."

Rei sighed. "You know how little kids are, they sometimes won't listen... I've told Hisako not to stand to close to any flame time and again, but she didn't listen."

"Oh? She doesn't look hurt..."

"That's the problem. She put her hands on the oven, and I think she felt the heat, because she whipped them back. But she had fire around her hands, and once she noticed, she just laughed and stared at it."

"Interesting."

"Interesting? It's not good! What if she does that when there's others around?"

"You'll have to tell her not to do it in front of anyone else, and trust her judgement."

"Hmph, that doesn't help a lot."

"You could also chain her and lock her in her room," Ami noted, then saw Rei was staring at her in shock. "Just joking."

"She really surprised me. I mean, I can do the same, fire isn't a threat to me, but when I saw her do that, I was really shocked."

"I must admit I never thought your power would pass on to her, but... It's how things worked back in the Silver Millenium."

"She's not even four," Rei noted. "I never thought she would use her powers at such a young age."

"She's not really using them, not unless she's creating fire of her own and shooting it around."

"Mommy, come out here!"

Rei heard Hisako's shout and flinched. She sounded like something had scared her badly, but what was it? "Let's go."

Ami smiled. "Sure."

* * *

Both Rei and Ami gasped when they walked out. There was something spreading through the city, and it was something they had never seen before. There were a few hours to go before noon, but they could see the city west of them was shrouded in darkness. An unnatural, unsetting kind of darkness.

"Think Naru's testing her powers?" Rei asked.

Ami had her visor down, and shook her head. "That darkness is... Something evil. And it's spreading in all directions."

Rei grimaced. "I... I can't leave Hisako alone."

Ami smiled. "I know. I'll go investigate and see what I can find. You call the others and see if they're aware of the danger."

"Where's auntie Ami going?" Hisako asked.

"She just remembered she had something to do elsewhere."

"Oh... Mommy, what is that?"

Rei looked at the darkness that was slowly crawling their way and forced a smile. "Don't worry about it, the Senshi will take care of that shadow soon enough."

* * *

"Miss Diamond, I heard you were going to star in yet another action film. Aren't you afraid your fans will eventually get tired of seeing you in only one type of movie?"

Minako chuckled. "I'm sure that's a question many other actors had to answer in the past, and that's why I'm considering some romantic and comedy movies too."

The interviewer smiled. "That's interesting. Some people has this question, however, how do you manage to look so young?"

"I'm not old, you know?" Minako said.

"I didn't mean that, but your looks... It's like you're still in your late teens. It's not something we see everyday."

Minako smiled. "Well, I go to the gym regularly, have a balanced diet, and a rather active sexual life."

The interviewer laughed at that last bit. "That also answers another question, then."

Minako smiled. Of course, she looked like she was still seventeen, even though she was quite close to thirty. But she couldn't really tell them her true secret. 'I have a friend with a magical crystal that will supposedly allow me to live forever looking like this.'

This was just one of many interviews she had given the last few years. After she finished college, she decided to follow her childhood dreams, and became an actress. Of course, she only had minor parts in the first few films, but eventually got to a main role. As ironic as life usually is, her first leading role was in 'Sailor V in Europe,' a freeform retelling of Sailor V's adventures. The director had said, after filming, that she looked like she had been born to play that part. Not surprising at all, at least for Minako.

She rarely saw her friends nowadays, and that's the only thing she regretted about her choice. She had only been to Tokyo twice in the last three years, and both times were to promote her films. She had seen Hana in New York. She had gone 'back home' last year, with Usagi's brother tagging along. Coincidentially, Nova was now protecting New York from the usual crimes.

As for the rest of the gang, those who weren't in Tokyo, she had no idea, really. ChibiUsa and Hotaru had left Japan one year after their final fight with Aurite, and as far as Minako knew, not even Usagi was sure where they were right now, even though they called to make sure Tokyo was in one piece every now and then.

Uranus and Neptune had been spotted in India last year, apparently fighting off some minor alien threat. Seeing a Senshi nowadays was a rare thing, even in Tokyo, not counting her Sailor V movies.

As the interviewer was about to make his next question, the whole studio went dark. Minako noticed something strange, however: The lights hadn't gone off, but even the area close to them wasn't getting any light.

"What's going on?" the interviewer asked.

"No idea," a voice said from elsewhere. Even with her enhanced senses, it was hard to see a thing for Minako. Which meant... She swiftly went to check on the cammeras, and saw that, indeed, they were only filming darkness right now... But better to be safe than sorry.

In a blink, she was outside, although the lighting levels hadn't improved much. In fact, everything to the north was in darkness, while to the south she could see part of the city was still illuminated. "This is either the darkest night I've ever seen, or something's just not right here." Better to investigate this, she would make up some excuse for the TV station later. "Venus Light Power!"

Venus smiled as she looked at her suit. It was nice to use her real suit for a change, and not a fake one.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I did pull a 'Toriyama' between last episode and this one, but I am quite certain writing those five years of non-fighty, boring life would be rather dull and yawn-inducing. Reading it would be, I bet, worse (unless 'slice of life' stuff is your thing. Nothing wrong with that.)

By the way, Rei's daughter's name comes from Hisaki, which means 'flame tip.' I think that's the only name related to fire that isn't already used in seven hundred different anime shows and manga.

_SailorStar9:_ Because Maki Gero is what I based ol'Onara in? The 'made himself a robot' bit would be the biggest clue in on that.

_dainlord:_ That video's a lot like one of the alternate universes in this story. One that I may write a separate story on, someday (if I ever finish Cyber Moon, that is.)


	197. Exit Light, Enter Night

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 19: Eternal Night.**

**Episode 197: Exit Light, Enter Night.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 10, 2008_

* * *

Venus scowled. Just what the heck was going on? Only thing giving her any light was her own powers, she was literally glowing in the dark in order to see where she was going. Moreso, the city wasn't looking good right now. With such a pitch black darkness, accidents were just too easy, and she could see several pile-ups of cars around the city. In one of them she noticed a familiar figure, and decided to stop her (for now) fruitless search for a while. "Hey, Chibi!"

"Venus?" ChibiMoon smiled. "Didn't know you'll be in this city. Have any idea what's going on?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

Saturn was scanning the area. "So many deaths here... I'll be busy for a while."

ChibiMoon groaned. "It's no use, Hotaru. There will be hundreds of victims, but unless we can find whatever's creating this darkness, saving each of them will be impossible."

"But..."

"You can't help them all now."

"Right," Saturn muttered. "But I don't like this."

"Then we're all on the same page," Venus noted. "Can you try getting a reading of where this darkness may be coming from?"

Saturn nodded and summoned her one-eyed visor. She turned her head to the west and nodded. "It's in that direction, a few miles, inside a baseball stadium."

"Right then, let's go." ChibiMoon said, and the three vanished.

* * *

A continent away, Mercury was flying over the city, trying to pinpoint the location of whatever force was unleashing this darkness. She had a hard time focusing, though, since the city was right now in chaos. Traffic jams and accidents everywhere, and she had already stopped to extinguish a fire in a factory quite close to Karin's house. After a bit of searching, she found some of her friends. Moon and Jupiter, and they were both trying to solve this their own way.

Moon blasted the darkness away with a wave of unfocused magic. However, the darkness just started creeping back in as soon as her attack ended. "This isn't going to work."

"We need to get to the core of this force."

Moon looked up and smiled. "Ami!"

"The more, the merrier," Jupiter said.

"Usagi, have you found where this force is?"

"I can sense the biggest beacon of darkness is south from here," Moon said, "but I thought I could just blast the darkness away from here."

"That's apparently not working," Mercury said, noticing the darkness had already covered their surroundings again. "We need to find its source, whatever it is."

"I called the others, they're trying to find their way around the city," Moon noted.

Jupiter suddenly saw the darkness around them shifting and swirling, then Nemesis appeared a few meters away from her. "That's some entrance right there."

Nemesis frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Nevermind," Jupiter muttered. "We were about to go find the source of this mess."

Nemesis nodded. "I can feel it clearly, a large beacon of darkness." She then looked around. "Even though I'm attuned to darkness, this isn't natural."

Moon nodded. "I agree, so let's go find out who or what is causing this."

* * *

"Mommy..."

Rei sighed. She couldn't blame Hisako for being scared, they had been in this complete, unsetting darkness for at least half an hour now. "It's okay, don't be afraid."

"But..."

"The Senshi will take care of this," Rei said. She looked up and saw Phobos and Deimos, perched on a tree, and they were also seemingly upset by the darkness. She was about to say something else, when she heard voices. At first she thought some of her friends were there, but then she realized the voices were speaking in some sort of unknown language. Who, or what, was coming her way?

Then they came into view. Five cloaked figures, with eyes that shone in a dark blue light. Strangely enough, despite their black robes, she could see them clearly. He shouted something in a language she didn't quite understand, but she could guess they were somehow related to the darkness. And as four of them started walking her way, she took a step back.

"Don't worry, creature, we aren't going to to harm you as long as you obey us."

Rei frowned as she looked at her daughter, who was standing a meter behind her. These five were evil, she could see that. And she, by now, knew better than to trust someone with such a dark mind. On the other hand, she was going to have a talk with Hisako after this was over, but that wasn't as important as keeping her safe. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to disagree to your terms. Mars Fire Power!"

Hisako's eyes widened. "Mom?"

Sailor Mars looked back at her and smiled. "I won't let them hurt you." She mentally summoned her fire shield, but not around herself. "Stay inside that, Hisa, I'll be done with these monsters in a minute."

"You dare interfere with the Nightfall?"

"So that's what you call this darkness," Mars said. "This is my home, and I won't let anyone defile this holy place."

"Kill her," the one who had stayed behind said with icy calm. Apparently, that one was the leader.

Mars saw the other four walk to her and chuckled. "Time to test if those robes are fireproof. Inferno Blaze!"

They weren't fireproof, and as his four soldiers were burnt to ashes, the icy calm in the leader's face turned into a glare. "You stupid human, do you know what you're up against?"

"No, but I bet you're about to rant my ears off about it."

"This planet must undergo Nightfall before our race can live in it. "

"The planet's taken," Mars noted. "And we won't just move aside."

"So it appears," the creature said before vanishing.

Mars thought she had scared the monster off for a second, but then realized she was wrong.

"Mom, behind you!"

Mars turned around even before the warning, gathering fire for her attack, but wasn't fast enough. She felt something hit her stomach and fell to her knees. "What is this... I..."

"That was just a warning. Surrender to us and you shall live."

Mars smiled up at him. "Burn. Inferno Blaze!" She saw the creature be consumed by her fire, and then turned to look at the dome. She mentally dismissed it and looked at Hisako. "Hisa, are you okay?"

"Yes. But... Mom, you are one of the Senshi!"

"Sorry I didn't tell you before, but you have to understand this is a secret," Mars said, fighting the pain from the robed man's attack. Whatever he had used, it was strong enough to harm an Eternal level Senshi, which wasn't good news.

Hisako gasped as Mars fell on her back. "Mommy!"

"Hisa..." Mars flinched. She produced her communicator, and Moon's face appeared. "Hi there, Usako."

"Mars, what's wrong? I thought you were at the shrine?"

"I still... Am. Listen, I don't have time for chitchatting. Some creatures tried to attack us, and one of them shot at me. I don't know how long I have before I get knocked out, and I don't want Hisa to be alone here."

Moon nodded. "I'll send someone there."

"No need for that."

Mars looked up to see Dragon Mercury floating over the shrine. "Eh, you'll do."

Dragon Mercury saw Mars close her eyes and grimaced. "Time to get to work."

"Who are you?"

The Dragon looked at Hisako, who was kneeling besides her mother, and frowned. "Don't worry, girl, I'm going to heal your mom in no time. Saturn Spirit Power!"

Hisako stepped back in shock. "You are..."

He didn't listen to what she said next, his mind was focused in bringing Mars back. There was something, some kind of energy in her, damaging her from the inside. He managed to get that energy out of her and then started healing the injuries. "She'll be okay. You should be happy your mom is always there to protect you."

Mars had her eyes closed, but smiled. "Guess I'm like Usagi about that, letting maternal instinct take over like that..."

"It's not a bad thing, Rei," Dragon Saturn said, then groaned. "I... Just leave me where the fangirls won't find me."

Mars shook her head as Dragon Saturn fell face-first to the ground. "Silly as usual."

"Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine," Mars said. "But we need to have a talk about all this." Suddenly, the sky around them turned bright again. "Moon did it," she whispered, mostly to herself.

* * *

A minute earlier, Moon's group had found the source of all the darkness. Some sort of blocky, black machine was sitting atop a building, guarded by a dozen robed men.

"Shock Bomb!"

That took out four of the creatures, and also got their attention. "The natives are attacking!" one of the remaining aliens said. "Don't let them get to the Night Core."

Moon and the others were forced to dove aside as the creatures started shooting darkness bolts at them. "We can't get a clear shot like this," Moon said. "Any ideas?"

"I'm on it," Mercury noted.

Nemesis frowned. "Leave this to me." Moon was about to ask what she meant, when the darkness around them started vanishing. The creatures focused in her, which let the others unchecked, not counting their boss who had seemingly realized their plan.

Not that it would make a difference now that Moon was out of the line of fire. "Eternal Flash!" The blast didn't only destroy the machine, but also the creatures. "Guess that was overkill."

"The darkness is leaving!"

Moon looked around and saw that Jupiter was right. Now that the machine was gone, the darkness was vanishing at an amazing speed. "We did it."

Mercury nodded, "but I wonder if..."

Moon produced her communicator and smiled. "ChibiUsa!"

"Hi mom. I bet you already know about the Nightfall."

"If you mean these shadow monsters, we dealt with them."

"They were everywhere, mom," ChibiUsa said. "Half of the United States is in shadows now, as well as most of Europe... Heck, not counting Tokyo, New York and London, there's shadows everywhere."

"Kind of a reverse from the time when those big ships attacked," Jupiter noted.

Moon sighed and set her communicator to broadcast to all the Senshi. "Guys, listen. I don't care where you are or what your plans were, it's going to take all of us to stop this one. Regroup in Tokyo and we'll find a way to defeat this darkness."

* * *

"She can't be serious," Uranus muttered.

"But she's right," Neptune noted, "we can't hope to get all of the machines they've planted in Europe on our own."

Uranus looked at the burnt mark in her right arm and shrugged. "Okay then, let's go back home."

* * *

General Kino wasn't going to admit it publicly, but he knew he had missed these kinds of emergencies. Though as things were right now, the army would be busy, along with all other human forces of law and order in Tokyo, rescuing civilians from the many accidents that had been caused by the spreading darkness. But now, at least, the darkness was gone.

"General, we're getting reports from everywhere in the world."

Kino looked at Tomoe and frowned. "They're not good, are they?"

"Darkness took over most of the planet already. Only spot where it's not growing is Tokyo."

"Well, aren't we lucky?" Kino said. "Can your satellite get rid of some of those?"

Tomoe nodded. "The GiTS can fire low power blasts, they would be enough to destroy those machines without causing much collateral damage."

Kino was almost afraid to ask, but did it anyway. "GiTS?"

"Gun in The Sky," Tomoe said keeping a poker face. "That's the codename for our orbital weapon."

"Oh, at least it makes sense."

"Why wouldn't it make sense?"

"Because you named it."

"Actually, my daughter suggested that name," Tomoe noted.

"Figures."

* * *

**A/N:** I won't spoil it for you all, but something major will happen in this arc. You may guess what it is, but I'm not going to say a thing until it happens.

In case someone didn't pick that up, I used three references to things everyone should watch/read/listen to in this episode. That's got to be a record.


	198. Starless Sky

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 19: Eternal Night.**

**Episode 198: Starless Sky.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 15, 2008_

* * *

"Mommy, is that really you?"

Mars smiled at Hisako. "Of course it's me, Hisa. But you can't tell this to anyone. You have to promise me you won't tell them what I am. "

The little girl nodded. "I promise."

Mars realized she would have to trust her, it wasn't like she had any other choice. She suddenly produced her comm and heard Moon's message. "I have to go visit some friends of mine now."

"Can I go too?"

"Yes, I can't leave you here on your own."

"Isn't daddy coming home?"

Mars sighed. "Yuu is going there too, Hisa."

Hisako's eyes widened. "Is he one too?"

Mars nodded and mentally summoned her wings. She noticed Hisako's stare and flinched. "Don't worry, these are..."

"You look like an angel, mommy."

Mars laughed, then picked Hisako up. "On second thoughts, I won't use them right now." As she said that, the two vanished.

* * *

As Rei walked in, she could see Aiko was looking at a virtual wall full of monitors, but there was nothing but static in all of them. Before she could ask, Aiko turned to look at her, the virtual wall vanishing, and sighed.

"There's nothing out there. Everything's in darkness."

The rest of their group was also there, along with the 'sidekicks,' and they all seemed pretty upset. "It's no use. We freed New York from that thing, but it's already returned."

Hisako had, once Rei had put her down on the ground, started walking around the base, gawking at everything. Usagi saw that and smiled, then looked at ChibiUsa, who was also looking at the little girl. ChibiUsa noticed the stare and turned to her, but Usagi said nothing.

"It's only a matter of time before they try to get back in Tokyo, too," Aiko said, "and from what I can see through satellites, the whole Earth is... Well, see for yourselves."

An image appeared in the large monitor behind Aiko, it showed the Earth, but the planet was covered in darkness.

"Only spot not taken is Tokyo," Minako noticed. "This looks bad."

Usagi frowned. "We haven't lost yet, guys. Aiko, Ami, I want you to scan everywhere, find out where they're coming from. Meanwhile, let's go out there. If they try to get back into Tokyo, we'll face them together."

"What about us?" Hana asked.

"We'll need all the help we can get," Usagi said.

"Just try not to get hit by one of their blasts," Rei noted, "it could be deadly."

"What about the little firegirl?" Mako asked.

Rei walked to Hisako. "You'll have to stay here until it's safe out there, okay?" Hisako simply nodded. "Good."

Yuichiro put a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Sorry I wasn't there earlier on."

"Don't worry," Rei said, "I figured things had turned pretty hectic once the darkness started."

"Yes, it was a riot, and not in the good sense of the word."

* * *

The group split up to keep an eye on the city, waiting for those robed creatures to attack again. ChibiMoon and Saturn were flying around the south-eastern sector, but nothing seemed out of place there.

"Can I ask you something?"

ChibiMoon nodded, not looking at Saturn. "Go ahead."

"You were looking at Hisako back at the base, and the way you were looking at her was... Strange."

"Was it?"

"Yes. What was that about? Wondering how it would be to..."

ChibiMoon looked at Saturn. "Are you worried that's going to make me leave you?"

Saturn frowned and looked away, but then nodded. "A bit."

"Well, I was thinking about that, yes, but that wasn't the main thing in my mind... And you know how I feel about you, Grim Reaper. "

Saturn smiled at that. After so many years around the pink-haired girl, she had started to like that nickname. "So what else were you thinking about?"

"There was no Hisako, as far as I know. Rei never told me about her. "

"I'm sure the others didn't tell you about the kids they had through a thousand years," Saturn said.

"Some of them did."

"Maybe Rei didn't want to remember," Saturn said, "Maybe our lifespans don't carry over to the next generation."

"So I'm the exception to the rule, huh..."

"We won't know until we get there."

ChibiMoon spotted something and stopped flying. "Guess we found them. " She summoned her communicator, keeping an eye on the figures down below. "ChibiMoon here, we found them."

"Same here." That was Venus' voice.

"And here," Mars added.

"They're everywhere," Lilith said.

"I sense them in five different locations," Moon said through the comm, "I'm heading for the unchecked one with my group. The rest of you, head for the zone you're closer to."

Saturn chuckled as ChibiMoon put the comm away. "I see she still knows how to lead."

ChibiMoon looked down and frowned. "Damn, the area's crowded."

Saturn nodded. "So we'll need an attack that can pick them up and not hurt anyone else. I think I can do that." She summoned her visor and frowned. The darkness was already spreading, but she could still see the dark figures down there. "Death Legion!"

The wraiths shot out of Saturn's glaive, taking out each and every one of the creatures. ChibiMoon looked at the machine and then summoned her Luna-P, turning it into a spear, then threw it at the black artifact.

Saturn blinked a few times before shaking her head. "Didn't remeber you still had that thing around."

ChibiMoon looked at the ball and smiled. "Hadn't used it in years, but it's quite useful."

"If dad saw that thing, he'd want to dissect it."

"Over my dead body," ChibiMoon muttered.

"Yeah, I figured that out."

* * *

Nova looked at the four figures and snorted. "Only four of you? This will be boring."

The cloaked figures attacked as one, well aware that this woman meant to destroy their Night Core. They all shot darkness blasts at her, and she vanished. "Stupid creature, underestimating us was her doom."

"Actually, underestimating me was yours," Nova said. The figures turned to see Nova standing on top of the Night Core, and that was the last thing they saw.

Nova had released a psichic wave, all around her, and it destroyed the strange machine in a second. However, it didn't cause any damage to anything else. Unlike the Senshi, she hadn't slacked off the past five years. They could afford to, but she knew she was way out of their league, and knew she had to catch up with them if she wanted to be of any help. She could possibly hold for a minute against an Eternal level Senshi, true, but only if she went berserk. That's what she was training for, to be able to control even that much power.

She looked around and smiled. The darkness was slowly vanishing from Tokyo again. They had won this battle, but the war was far from over.

* * *

Moon was about to blast the machine to dust, but Mercury stood in front of it. "Mercury, get out of the way."

Mercury looked at the artifact. "Maybe if we know how they work, we can find a faster way to eliminate all these machines."

Moon waited as Mercury put a hand on the machine's surface, but then saw her friend back away and grimace. "Ami?"

"That thing is a generator, can't be reversed," Mercury said, "but now I know something about them."

"Them?"

"Can't really spell their name in our language," Mercury explained, "but they are a race that can only exist in the most complete darkness. They need an atmosphere close to ours too, and also, they use any creatures they find in the worlds they conquer as... Food. "

Moon paled. "That's... But how can those robed men walk around the city?"

"They don't bring the artifact, it's actually the reverse. They travel inside the machines, the Night Cores, and once darkness starts spreading, they crawl out to defend it or to scout the area. "

"Anything else we should know?"

"Yes, these creatures we're facing, they're just the weakest of their soldiers. And one of them managed to hurt Rei badly, so we should be careful around them."

Moon scanned the city and paled. "There's more of them coming."

Mercury looked up to the sky and nodded. "They want to cover the planet completely, only then can their stronger soldiers take over. "

"We can't let that happen." Moon said. "We won't let that happen."

Pluto appeared right then. "I've seen the kind of future mankind will have if this war is lost. I'm going to do everything I can to stop that from happening."

"Can't you locate their base?"

Pluto turned to Mercury, then up to the sky. "That's not possible, they're coming from another dimension, a dimension I've never visited myself."

"So, what are we going to do about those machines?"

Pluto pointed her staff up. "Garnet Disruptor!"

Mercury looked up and saw several explosions in the sky. "What was that?"

"I moved _part_ of those artifacts to another dimension."

"Can you do that with living beings too?" Moon asked.

"Possibly, but I've never tried."

* * *

Aiko looked at the girl sitting on a couch and smiled. She had been quiet ever since her mother left to fight, but Aiko could guess she was probably still trying to make sense of the fact that her mother was a Senshi. "Are you okay?"

Hisako looked at her and smiled. "Yup. Are you a Senshi too?"

"Me? No, I'm not. I just help them with scanning and other things. " She sensed something, however, and looked up to see they were back from the battle, along with something her scanners were telling her. "We've beaten them here."

Moon nodded. "But they will try, again and again, until they take over Tokyo. We don't need more than one or two Senshi to defeat one of their groups, so I suppose I was wrong."

"Does that mean..."

Moon looked at Neptune. "Yes, we'll need to split, to fight them in many fronts at once. We'll banish darkness from this world."

"Sounds like a plan," ChibiMoon admitted, "so let's get to work."

* * *

**A/N:** There's about twenty episodes to go for this book. Not going to tell the exact episode count yet, that would ruin the suspense.

_SailorStar9:_ It could be worse. I was going to call it BFG 20, 000.


	199. Hell's Fury

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 19: Eternal Night.**

**Episode 199: Hell's Fury.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 16, 2008_

* * *

"We've won back around twenty percent of the planet."

Usagi smiled. Those were good news, but there was still much to do. In three days, they had managed to get the upper hand against their new foe. Some Senshi had remained in Tokyo, to take care of any new Night Core that would show up, but the rest were spread around the world. The ones in Tokyo were right now at the Hikawa shrine.

ChibiUsa looked around "this place hasn't changed at all."

Rei sighed. "It had one major change last year."

ChibiUsa nodded. "I know. Sorry about your grandfather."

"I suppose I'll have to get used to that, if we're going to live for as long as..." She fell silent as Hisako walked in. "What's the matter, Hisa?"

"I'm bored."

"You have plenty of toys in your room."

"I'm bored of them."

Rei sighed. "Hisa..."

ChibiUsa smiled. "I guess I was like that too, when I was younger. That's one of the reasons why they gave me the Luna-P."

Yuu picked Hisako up and smiled. "We'll be outside."

Terry looked at ChibiUsa. "Just what is that thing?"

"You should ask yourself that in a thousand years."

"You mean I built it?"

"As far as I know, only you knew... Will know, how to build it."

"Maybe because I had one to base my blueprints on."

"..." Hotaru groaned. "Damn time paradoxes."

"Not all of them are bad, right?" ChibiUsa asked with a sly smile.

"Yes, there's one of them I wouldn't change for anything in the world."

* * *

"According to our sources, the strongest opposition to Nightfall is within the area the natives know as Tokyo. Our Obscure aren't enough to defeat them."

The man looked at his subordinate, then mulled on that piece of information for a minute. Finally, he spoke, his tone commanding and deep. "Then we need to eliminate that threat. Send a dozen Night Cores there, and prepare a squad of Dark Ones."

"At once, Darkness."

The man didn't smile. In fact, he wouldn't be able to, his race knew not about emotions. They only knew of Nightfall, and that was the only truth they needed. And soon, his race would have a planet to live in, after a very long search.

* * *

Yuu watched his daughter run with a bit of concern. "Don't run too fast, you could fall and hurt yourself."

Hisako smiled. "I know, mommy tells me that all the time."

The man noticed something and looked up, in time to see a massive artifact falling down. He leapt out of the way, picking Hisako up, and run into the shrine just as darkness started spreading.

He run to where the others were, and saw they were all already up and ready to fight. "Oh, I guess you know."

Moon nodded. "I felt them coming. There's only two of them, though. "

"Let's go out there and beat them back to wherever they're coming from."

Mars looked at Hisako. "Stay in here."

"But mommy..."

"You'll be safe here, Hisako," Mars said then run out of the room, along with the others.

* * *

When they walked out, they saw a half dozen creatures there, which were the usual numbers for those guards. However, these creatures were different, wearing black metal armors and plain helms covering their faces completely. "New type of creep, that's cute," ChibiMoon said.

"Attack!" one of the armored creatures said. The six closed in to where the Senshi were, and they started shooting at them.

The Senshi knew better than letting them hit, so they dodged. However, these creatures were attacking relentlessly, not leaving them a second to focus and summon their attacks. The fight went on for a couple minutes, but neither side had managed to land a hit.

"This is getting stupid, I'll take care of them," Saturn said, then vanished. She reappeared right behind one of the creatures, and stabbed through it with her glaive. Or, actually, tried to, as the glaive was stopped by the armor. "... Damn."

Another creature had seemingly anticipated her move, and shot at her before she could phase away. The creature didn't have time to gloat, however, as a pink blast of energy pierced a hole through it. ChibiMoon rushed to Saturn's side and flinched. "Hotaru, are you okay?"

"I'll live..." Saturn said weakly as she knelt on the ground. "Only thing that saved me was my healing skill."

The other five creatures weren't stopping their attack, however, and the Senshi had no time to think up a strategy to win. "This isn't working," Moon said as she dodged a couple darkness blasts.

"I agree, we need to find a way to..." Mars started, then saw something out of the corner of her eye. "Hisako, go back in!"

One of their enemies saw her distraction and used it to his benefit. He shot a blast of darkness straight at Mars, but he didn't know about her special trait.

Mars felt something hit her fire shield and turned to the creature, then saw the blast of darkness which had bounced off her shield, and saw it was going straight for... "Hisa!" But the blast, once again, missed its mark.

Time seemed to froze for an instant as the others realized what had happened. Dragon Mars had seen Hisako in danger and had reacted, shielding her with his body. As he fell, most of them realized it was already too late. Mars had been the first to know that, and had surrounded herself, Hisako and Dragon Mars with fire domes.

"This can't be..." Moon said. "Guys, we have to..." She felt something, though, and that made her stop. It was almost unnatural, a great surge of power. It was Mars "Oh no..."

Mercury had her visor down, and was looking at Mars' dome. "We have to get out of here!"

"But..."

"Usagi, there's no arguing this. If we're here when her anger explodes..."

Then they heard Mars' scream, a scream full of anger and sorrow. They looked at each other and knew what the domes were for, to protect Hisako and Yuu from what would probably be hell on Earth. They all vanished, reappearing a good mile away from the shrine. "She's lost it," ChibiMoon said, "she really lost control."

"Can't blame her for it," Saturn noted.

"Whatever she's going to do, she's going to release it soon," Mercury announced.

It only took a few more seconds before the whole shrine burst aflame, fire slowly yet relentlessly expanding until it had eaten the whole place.

"No, we have to stop her, we..." Moon started.

"Mom, we can't get close to her," ChibiMoon noted.

"I know that, but..." She looked at her crystal and sighed. "I have to try."

* * *

Mars' very soul was burning right now, burning with rage. She knew that this attack, the Hellfire Rage as she knew its name was, had killed the shadow creatures almost instantly, and turned their machine into a blob of melting metal. But that wasn't enough for her, no. She would reach out and kill them. All of them. They had taken Yuu from her, and she would not stop until she had burnt them all.

_'Rei, you don't have to do this.'_

That was... Usagi's voice? "What do you know? Do you know how I feel? I won't buy another of your rants, airhead!"

_'Then let me show you what you're about to do.'_

Mars fought against the images that showed up into her mind, but they were all too real, and she could not close her mind up to them. She saw the fire from her attack expanding in all directions, burning all of Tokyo. She saw her friends having to escape the city, but even that was hopeless, as the sphere of magical flames eventually reached the planet's mana wells, causing an explosion that destroyed the Earth. She then saw the creatures she hated, the ones she wanted to burn simply shrugging off and moving on to the next planet in their list.

"No, that's a lie, that's..."

_'I know you can feel it, Rei. Your power's out of control. You are stronger than anything I've ever seen right now, but at what cost? If you keep this up, you'll only manage to kill yourself... To kill us all. Even your daughter.'_

That did it. All her rage, all her fury was gone when she realized what her outburst would cause. No, she had lost her grandfather, she had lost Yuu, she just couldn't lose Hisako too. Mars saw the fire vanish, and then saw Hisako kneeling over her father's body, crying. They were still where the shrine had been a minute ago, but all that was left now was a smoking, scorched crater. What she had been about to do finally sank in, and all she could do was kneel on the ground and cry.

Mars' friends appeared around her, but none said a word. They didn't know what to say, they could only guess how Mars felt right now. And also, this was what they had been fearing for quite some time, this time there was no turning back, and two of the Senshi looked at each other, knowing they were both unable to bring him back.

Finally, Moon decided to speak. "Rei, please, you..."

"Leave." Mars' voice was devoid of emotions, and she didn't look at any of them as she spoke. After a few seconds, she growled. "I told you to leave! All of you!"

"We won't." Moon said. "We won't abandon you."

Mars looked at Moon. "It was my fault. If I had just..." She stood up, looking at Dragon Mars' body. "If I had let that blast hit... It wouldn't have killed me, but instead... He's dead because..."

"He's dead because of those darkness creeps," Dragon Mercury said. "If you want to put the blame on someone, put it on them. Focus your rage on them."

"Rage..." Mars looked down. "I can't. I can't fight anymore. I just..."

Moon nodded. "I understand, Rei."

Mars walked to where Hisako was and picked the girl up. Hisako looked at her for a few seconds then sank her face in her shoulder, and started to sob again.

ChibiMoon hadn's said a word, but she knew how Rei felt, it was how she had felt in the future. But how could this be, she had seen Yuuichiro in future, she had... "Maybe history's not written yet," she said in a whisper.

"Huh?" Saturn turned to look at her questioningly.

"Nothing important," ChibiMoon said.

* * *

"Sir, our attacks are still a failure. The natives have managed to recover part of their world, and our attack to Tokyo was... Well, one of the enemy soldiers unleashed a wave of power so strong, for a moment it looked like it would keep on expanding forever."

"Those are interesting news," the man said. "We need to research more on those Earthlings and their powers. But meanwhile, send as many Dark Ones as we can afford to Earth. I want that planet, and I want it now."

* * *

Usagi looked at her friend and sighed. Three days had passed, and she knew it was way too soon for her to heal. Rei had spoken little during the funeral, and had spoken even less since then. She had also been emotionless when speaking to them, only showing any signs of the old Rei when she tried to cheer her daughter up. It was unsetting to see Rei like this, really, but she couldn't help her. Also, it wasn't that Rei was keeping her rage bottled up. Usagi couldn't feel any of it, as if all her rage and hatred had been burnt up along with the shrine.

She knew that, deep inside, Rei was still blaming herself for his death. It was the same as when Usagi had been possessed and killed ChibiUsa, but it was far worse because she knew... No, there had to be a way, a way to bring him back, it just wasn't fair. Still, reality couldn't be denied, and Usagi realized this war had just become a lot more complicated for them.

She walked out of the house, looking at the (for now) bright sky. What if someone died and, like Yuu, couldn't be brought back? What if Hotaru, or ChibiUsa, or someone else who had already been revived more than once died? She doubted she could stop her daughter's rampage if Hotaru died, like she had with Rei, and if her daughter died, well... Even Ami's scanners couldn't measure how much power Rei was channeling during her outrage. Setsuna had told her, after the funeral, that even her would have no chance against that much power.

And of course, Rei had been furious at Setsuna. But that... Setsuna said that what had happened wasn't mean to happen. She would have to talk to Pluto about that, since she had said nothing else.

"I know you're wondering about what happened."

Usagi didn't need to turn to know who the newcomer was. "You said it wasn't meant to happen. Were you just avoiding Rei's rage?"

"No."

"Then explain what you meant."

"ChibiUsa already asked me about that... And wasn't happy with the answer. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go inside."

"No, Rei is there. I don't think she..."

"I didn't avoid her rage by saying what I said... I avoided by not saying what I'm about to tell you. And I want her to know, too."

Usagi took a few moments to think about it before nodding. "Let's hear your explanation, then."

* * *

**A/N:** I've known I would have to write this episode for quite some time now. Almost from the first day of writing this fic. Originally, Yuu wasn't going to be a Dragon, and thus I had to change a few things, but the end result was the same. It was still one of the most difficult episodes I had to write thus far.


	200. Destiny's Twilight

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 19: Eternal Night.**

**Episode 200: Destiny's Twilight.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 20, 2008_

* * *

Rei looked up as Setsuna walked in, but said nothing. She wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone right now, much less with the one who could've warned them about what would happen.

Usagi walked to her and smiled. "Rei, Setsuna is going to explain something that she said during..." Hisako was there, so she didn't say anything else.

"And I suppose you want me to hear it, right Usagi?"

"Yes."

"Right," Rei said, then turned to Hisako. "Stay here, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Hisako looked at her, as if she feared Rei would also disappear, but after a few seconds nodded.

* * *

Usagi closed the door after Rei walked into the room. This was her 'writing room,' but lately she hadn't been writing much, for obvious reasons. "So, you were about to explain what you meant."

"I remember your words," Rei said, "even though I wasn't in the best of my moods that day. What exactly do you mean by 'not meant to happen'?"

"History isn't written, and many things could happen depending on what decisions anyone makes at a certain time. Of course, the decisions made by those who fight for the sake of the whole world are usually a lot more important for the timelines. One right decision makes everything go as it would ideally go, while a bad decision makes things stray off that middle point."

"If this is going to be a time mechanics class..." Rei muttered as she sat down on a couch.

"You must understand this if I want to explain why I said what I said."

"Yeah, I got it, and I guess I knew it for a long time. A bad choice means a bad future."

"That sums it up nicely," Setsuna said. "However, there's certain things that happened in the last few years that made us wander off the 'ideal,' we are no longer heading for the future you saw years ago."

"Wait, you mean there won't be a Crystal Tokyo?"

"If we make it out of this war, there may be one, but I can't really tell."

"So, what exactly happened that changed it all?" Usagi asked.

"First was the Hunters," Setsuna said. "I see it now, that was meant to happen, ChibiUsa was meant to come back in time and stay here, but... You were supposed to kill Rex, not her."

"That couldn't have changed everything for worse."

"Not on its own," Setsuna said.

After a few moments, Usagi realized Setsuna wasn't going to continue. "What are the other things?"

"You won't like it. I'm warning you... This will reopen a wound you've worked hard to heal."

Usagi was sure she knew what Setsuna meant, but that made it more important for her to hear it from her. "Tell me."

"During the Dark Mana attacks, Mercury had been right about one thing. If ChibiMoon hadn't knocked her off, then the two of them would've been strong enough to stop you. Strong enough to stall the Dark Mana long enough for you to break free of its control, and to destroy it."

"So... I wasn't mean to kill..." Usagi sat down on the long couch where Rei had been sitting from the beginning of Setsuna's speech. "I could have solved that without killing her?"

Setsuna looked at Usagi and grimaced. "I told you this would be painful."

Rei frowned. "Still, what's that have to do with... Yuu?"

"In the best possible future I envisioned, he would still be alive. In this 'branch' of reality we're in right now, that battle also had its worst possible outcome. I don't know what else could go wrong. "

"That's just great," Rei said, and Usagi could feel some of the anger coming back.

"Moreso, there could be other events that will change things for worse. But I can't really tell right now. I have yet to explore all the possibilities."

"Your job must be a lot harder than I first thought," Rei said.

"Are you saying it's my fault... And ChibiUsa's?" Usagi asked to the Time Senshi.

Setsuna shook her head. "No. You're not to blame for the choices you made. They seemed to be for the best at the time. I've been working to correct the course of history ever since, but not even direct intervention helped much."

"So if we survive this war... After this, then what?"

"I don't know. There's a chance timelines will be so far from the ideal, that Crystal Tokyo never comes to be."

"But hold it, what about ChibiUsa?" Rei asked. "If Crystal Tokyo vanished, then so would she."

"She's still here. That means Crystal Tokyo is still in our future," Usagi guessed.

"I hope that's true," Setsuna said, "but now, I must go. The planet needs all of us, even me."

There was a hidden hint in that last phrase, something that the two women in the room knew the meaning of. Rei looked at Usagi and shook her head. "I'm not ready yet."

"I know," Usagi said, "we'll try to keep this world in one piece until you are."

"I don't think I'm needed out there," Rei said. "Besides, right now, Hisa needs me by her side."

Usagi smiled. "I know that too."

* * *

The world was already lost, not counting the Senshi and those who, like them, had ways to see through the darkness. Nova was one of them, and she was right now in Europe, tagging along with the two who were once known as 'rogues.'

But this was a lost battle, and they knew it. Everywhere she scanned, she could see Night Cores falling down. Europe was covered by darkness, and there were too many of these shadow soldiers around, too many Cores to destroy, they would need all the Senshi for this.

She noticed Uranus talking through her communicator. "Yes, things are also hectic around here. What do you think?"

"We should go back to Tokyo, we're stronger when we gather."

That was ChibiMoon's voice. The second leader of the Senshi (no matter how much she tried to deny it,) and one of the few people Nova knew that could end this war. Trouble was, this time there were no 'generals' gloating at them, there was no base to invade, there was no way of stopping the relentless darkness. This time, it was an all-out war, and they were losing.

* * *

Usagi looked at her communicator and sighed. Anything that would take her mind off what Pluto had said was good right now, even those darkness creeps. "Aiko, what's wrong?" She could tell what, though, as she could sense the darkness.

"The enemy's sending a literal rain of Night Cores everywhere. Every city is been flooded by darkness, and from what satellite input tells me, all activity worldwide has stopped."

It was unavoidable, normal humans just couldn't see a thing in this darkness, and their minds were used to light. Even if someone knew their own house, in a total darkness such as the one these evil creatures brought, they would still be wary to move.

"Pluto's been doing her best to keep the Cores out of Tokyo, but she doesn't know how long she will be able to destroy those things."

Pluto... Usagi knew what kind of power she had, but even then, she could feel what Pluto was doing right now, she was blasting those machines out of the sky as they fell. She couldn't cover the whole city from one single point, so that meant she was burning up energy by teleporting, too.

"Usagi, I also had an incoming transmission from the others. ChibiUsa told me they would be coming back. They can't fight the darkness out there."

Usagi sighed and then nodded. "Then this is it, Tokyo will be our last stand. But we will win, I know we will." That was a lot more to convince herself than to reassure Aiko, though. She could not think of a way to win this war. There might not... No, she couldn't think like that, she knew her friends always counted on her. She would win this war, even if it costed her life.

* * *

Yuki, or rather Warwitch, looked at the city from atop a building. There were explosions in the sky every second, she knew that was Pluto's doing. Also, the people was looking up at the sky, waiting. There was no point in running away or hiding, they knew darkness couldn't be blocked out once it fell. They had experienced it. She had experienced it, too, and for the first few battles, she was as good as blind. But now she was ready for what was coming.

"I see the whole crew's here."

She turned to the voice, and saw most of the Senshi there, along with a few of the sidekicks. "How are things going out there?"

"Pretty dark," Dragon Venus said, and for once, it wasn't a joke.

"We lost most of the planet," Nemesis said. "Only Tokyo remains."

Moon, Jupiter and the two Mercuries appeared near them. "They won't take this city too," Moon said.

"Where's Mars?" Uranus asked.

"She... Won't be fighting," Moon said.

"I see... Then we'll have to do this without her."

Pluto appeared just then, leaning on her staff. "I stalled them for as long as I could, but there's a large Night Core heading this way now."

Moon could see the machine... Well, 'see' wasn't the right word to use, but she knew exactly where it was right now. And she knew letting it land wouldn't be good. "Eternal Moonlight Redemption!"

"There she goes again with her Kamehame-ha..." Dragon Venus muttered.

"Damn it!"

ChibiMoon frowned at Moon's outburst. "What, you missed?"

"No, I hit it dead on, and didn't even scratch it."

"I'll take a wild guess and say that's the boss' ship," Dragon Mercury said.

"About time we saw the enemy's true face," Jupiter muttered.

"And I bet Rei would love to see him, too," Saturn said.

Moon wasn't really paying attention to them, she kept her sight locked on the distant machine, which was speeding to the Earth at an incredible speed. But that last bit Saturn said. Maybe it was better this way, if Rei was here when that monster appeared... She didn't know if she would be able to stop her rage again.

* * *

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, but pulling this stunt is risky."

"You mean, destroying the city and all that..."

"We've evacuated the area already. And a good five miles around it, just in case."

"Good. As for the city, I think it's worth a try. If we don't destroy that thing, we will at least buy time for the Senshi to do it."

"Maybe this time, the Sentinel will work."

Kino looked at Tomoe for a few seconds. "Wasn't it GiTS?"

"Yes, but Seia kept pestering me about it being a stupid name, so I changed it."

"Nevermind that. As soon as that giant Core falls, fire the 'Sentinel' at it."

Tomoe looked at the monitor again and groaned. "There's several more, smaller cores coming. Apparently, the big one won't be enough to cover the city."

"We can only guess," Kino said. "Get ready to fire, professor."

"Will do."

* * *

**A/N:** The feedback for last episode wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe I'll kill off someone else.

I kid, I kid. I had a reason to kill Yuu off, but I'm not spoiling anything yet, as usual.

Two hundred episodes... I should be celebrating, but I'll do that when I finish the whole saga.

_JaysonFour:_ That's one nice conspiracy theory guess. Too bad it's not how things will go.


	201. Nightfall

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 19: Eternal Night.**

**Episode 201: Nightfall.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 22, 2008_

* * *

Finally, the large Core landed. It was pretty much like the others, a dull, metallic block, but the darkness that spread out of it as it fell was much faster, and the Senshi could feel the very air around them stop moving, as if this darkness took the life out of everything. A single creature poured out of the Core (no other way to describe the way these beings appeared from out of their machines, ) and it was also a large creature. Large, armored, and its face was also covered by a mask.

"Your group is delaying Nightfall. I will offer you the opportunity to surrender. If you do so, your lives will be spared."

Moon frowned. "Too late for that, you already killed one of us. And to be left alive while the rest of our people dies? That's not an option at all."

The creature nodded. "I expected as much. You creatures lack the perfection of the Night. Emotions are a flaw, and one that should be eliminated."

Suddenly, a beam of energy shot from above, homing in on the alien and its artifact. The explosion blasted a good half mile of the city to dust, and knocked all those in the area to the ground.

* * *

"Did we get it?"

Tomoe looked at Seia's face in one of the monitors, then the monitor that was showing them the battle. He cursed under his breath and shook his head. "Not even a scratch. Our strongest weapon can't even scratch that thing."

"It's all up to the Senshi now," Kino said. A second later, the whole base was covered in darkness.

* * *

"Queen Apatite, the Earth's almost completely covered by darkness. "

"I see. This is apparently one war the Senshi can't win on their own. "

"Should we send some soldiers out there?" Cuprite asked.

"This isn't a small war, Cuprite," Apatite said. Despite his title of King, both of them knew who the leading force was. Youma wouldn't take it any other way, either, not after Beryl and Goshenite. "This time, we'll send all our warriors there."

Cuprite took a few moments to think about it, but couldn't find a reason not to agree. "Yes, if the Earth falls, we'll fall too. There's no doubt about that."

Apatite stood up from her throne. "Assemble every soldier in the main plaza. I'm going to tell them about the danger we're facing myself."

* * *

Moon saw the creature standing there, unphased by the energy blast that had hit him moments earlier. Was this monster really indestructible? No, as Ami had told her once, there was no real immortality nor indestructibility, those terms were misused by humans all too often.

No, this one enemy wasn't indestructible. This war wasn't lost yet. Not while she could still fight. "Eternal Moonlight Redemption!"

"I take it that was meant to do me harm," the creature said.

"Let me guess, you're invincible, we're just a bunch of flies for you, blah blah blah and so on?" Dragon Sun asked.

"That is what I was about to say, yes."

"Pluto, what about you?"

The Time Senshi gave Moon an apologethic look. "I'm out of power, I will need some time to recover."

They were running out of options. There was one last option in her mind, but one she didn't want to use. One she wouldn't use. Her friend had suffered enough already. However, she knew she hadn't tried all her attacks yet. "Guys, let's try a Planet Attack."

The creature laughed. "Try all you might. The outcome of this battle will still be the same."

Overconfident bastard... Moon looked at ChibiMoon, who nodded at her. "We blew a starship out of the sky with this... Wonder what it will do to the city?"

"Not much more than your big blast or the army's big blast did," Saturn said with a poker face.

The creature was just standing there, so Moon turned to the 'sidekicks.' "Guys, you know what to do."

"Stay and watch?" Warwitch joked, then saw Moon wasn't going to take a joke about it this time around. "Yeah, I get it."

"Don't you guys die here," Nova said.

"We'll be okay," Moon said as they left. "Okay, everyone ready?"

"Been a while since we last used this, think you can handle it?" Venus asked.

"Won't know until I try."

ChibiMoon nodded. "Do it now, we're ready."

"Venus Light Comet!"

"Mercury Tsunami Glacier!"

"Jupiter Shock Bomb!"

"Saturn Grim Reaper!"

"Neptune Deep Ocean Pressure!"

"Uranus Maelstrom Surge!"

"Nemesis Waking Nightmare!"

"Earth Gaia's Rage!"

"Lilith Chaos Call!"

"Moon Werewolf Night!"

"Earth King's Judgement!"

"Mercury Frozen Tomb!"

"Venus Dragon's Light Wings!"

"Sun Supernova Orb!"

Pluto gathered what little energy she had recovered and summoned one of her strongest attacks. "Time Splitter!"

Moon and ChibiMoon took the barrage, and they channeled all the energy into twin balls of energy. "Double Eternal..."

"Planet Attack!"

The others looked on in awe, as this time, the attack didn't cause an explosion. Instead, the man was knocked back by it, and stood up slowly.

"What happened?"

"Nothing bad," Moon said as she knelt down on the ground, "We realized how much power that attack would have, so we focused it even further before shooting. That way, all the damage's done to the enemy." She then looked at the creature and frowned. "Even our strongest attack..."

"There must be something we can do," Venus said.

Mercury nodded. "Aiko's taking care of that... And you won't believe what I just detected."

The creature apparently knew what Mercury was talking about, because he started turning his head in all directions, as if he could see something the others didn't. "This isn't possible, so close to the Nightfall... I'll destroy you all for this!"

"What's wrong, something got you angry?"

"No, but I now realize you were just a distraction."

"That's not true, we..." Moon stopped for a second, finally sensing what the creature meant. "I knew I was forgetting something, I should have called them from the start."

"Okay, what are you talking about?" Nemesis asked.

Moon smiled. "Nevermind that, let's kill this one, the rest of the planet's already on it's way out of darkness."

* * *

"Mommy..."

"Don't worry, I'm here."

"I don't like the darkness."

Rei felt something in her mind and flinched. She produced her communicator and saw Aiko's face in it. "What's the matter?"

"Rei, the others are losing. They need you."

"I can't help them. I can't fight. I just..."

"The leader of those aliens is there, and he's strong. Even Moon can't handle his power."

Rei's mind clawed at those words. The leader of the aliens. The leader of the race that had killed Yuu. She had to... No, she couldn't leave Hisako alone now. "I... Can't."

Aiko frowned. "You can't? Oh, I get it." She appeared right next to them and smiled. "I'll stay with her."

Rei seemed about to complain for a moment, but then turned to the young girl. "Hisa, I have to go... I have to help my friends."

"But..."

"If I don't, they could die," Rei said. "I lost Yuu to this war, I don't want to lose anyone else." As Hisako didn't say anything else, she turned to Aiko. "I'm trusting her to you."

As Rei vanished, Aiko looked at Hisako. "Don't worry, girl, your mom is going to be okay." At least that's what her 'human' side told her. Her program side, a bit more inclined to trust data than feelings, was telling her this war could be lost in the next few minutes.

Fortunately for her, she could completely ignore the program in her at times like this.

* * *

These machines were, Warwitch had to admit, pretty volatile, once you found the right spell. And taking care of the machine itself proved a far better method of fighting than taking out the 'shadows' first. She idly noticed they still didn't know the name of their race, or the name by which these soldiers went. But it wasn't something that was needed, after all.

They had all decided to help in their own way. While the Senshi took care of the biggest problem, the 'sidekicks' (who, she realized, really needed to get a better name,) were taking care of those darkness machines. But that couldn't have been one of her friends, since they had each taken on a sector of the city. So who... She saw a lion-like creature run by, ignoring her completely, and realized what was going on. "Youma..."

It was a bit ironic to think these beings of darkness, these creatures who had been the Senshi's first enemies, ended up being allies one could count on when things got really out of hand. Or maybe it was no irony, but a matter of survival. In any case, these were good news, Tokyo would be free from darkness again in no time thanks to these unexpected visitors.

* * *

**A/N:** Title of this episode taken from one of the best novels by Isaac Asimov.

Someone sent me a mail about this, so I guess I'll clear it out: Mars' newest attack, the Hellfire Rage, is something that has more power than even a Holy Senshi's attack, but that kind of attacks can only be used when a Senshi's rage explodes.

Been a while since I had Senshi use full attack names... I'm still not sure if they look better without the planet or not.

Episode run a bit short. This will be a short arc, but the next one will be both longer, and darker. And also the last one for Cyber Moon Chronicles.


	202. Hell Unleashed

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 19: Eternal Night.**

**Episode 202: Hell Unleashed.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 23, 2008_

* * *

Moon now saw why this creature hadn't attacked at first. As much as she hated to admit it, the monster was too strong for them. Even Pluto couldn't harm it. Maybe if she had saved her energy for this... No, Moon knew Pluto, and knew why she had 'wasted' her energy. If not for her, they would've been overrun by the smaller shadow creatures.

She looked all around. This creature, this monster, wasn't fighting for the kill. No, it was keeping them alive, though the darkness he shot was still hurtful. She could tell that by looking at her friends. A few of them were trying to stand up, but she couldn't really expect them to help her fight.

No, this was her fight now. Another fight for the sake of Earth, for the sake of her friends, and a fight she wouldn't lose. "I'm going to destroy you, monster!"

The man looked at her and nodded. "Yes, you can try. Again and again. Until you can't fight anymore. And then, I'm going to turn you all to the darkness, I'm going to make you all my elite soldiers. "

Moon frowned. This man, whatever his name was, was insane. An emotionless, evil, insane monster. And while she didn't like to fight, there was one thing she hated even more: Watching her friends suffer. "Enough talking," she snapped and rushed at the creature.

The man stood there, intending to take a few of her harmless hits before knocking her out. However, as the first punch hit his chest, he realized that had been a mistake. He could now see her fists were shining. Shining with raw magic energy, so much energy the air around them shook with every impact. And she kept that up for a minute before he could finally react. He blocked one of her punches, then hit her straight in the face before she could throw the next one.

"Damn it..." Moon staggered up, her head spinning from the blow. "I can't lose, I won't lose..."

"Usako, that's enough."

Upon hearing that voice, Moon forgot about her foe for a moment. "Rei?"

Indeed, standing there, surrounded by an aura of fire, was Sailor Mars. And she seemed more than ready (and willing) to fight.

* * *

Seia looked away from the battle and smiled. She had to admit these youma weren't that bad when they were not draining people out of life. But she still wondered... She produced a small device (which looked _a lot_ like a Senshi's communicator) and pushed a button on its side. "General, the city's almost clear now."

"Good to hear," Kino said through the comm. "The situation's the same worldwide. With youma and human armies are fighting this invasion, the enemy's clearly outnumbered."

"What about the 'boss'? I can't see a thing from here."

"The darkness around that area is so dense, not even our best scanners can tell us what's happening there. All we're picking are high levels of magic energy."

"So we won't know until the darkness vanishes. _If_ the darkness vanishes."

"I'm giving the Senshi ten more minutes," Kino said, "then I'm going to tell the youma to attack that area."

Seia blinked at that. "Can you do that?"

"Yes, Moon herself gave me their number, so to speak. She said it was just in case they were defeated."

"Let's hope we never need to call anyone because of that."

* * *

The man hadn't even been able to notice the woman, before she started punching and kicking him. Unlike the one they called Moon, this one wasn't backing her barrage with magic. No, there was something else there. He didn't need feelings, but that didn't mean he couldn't tell what inferior beings felt. And this one woman, she was getting strength out of sheer rage.

"Rei, be careful!"

Mars kicked the man away, then turned to Moon. "Don't worry, Usagi. I'm not going to let rage control me. Not this time around."

"Rei..." Moon could feel her friend's energy, rising along with the fury in her. A fury Moon thought was gone, but now she saw it only needed the right trigger to appear again, with more power than before. "... Don't do this, if you lose it I may not be able to... "

"Don't you trust me?" Mars said, idly noticing the creature was standing up. "For Hisa's sake, I'm going to destroy this asshole."

"You? Destroy me?" If the man had a sense of humor, he would have laughing out loud. But he didn't have that kind of flaws.

"Yes, me," Mars said, before finally letting her full rage out. The aura of fire around her grew, but not like the dome of fire she had created the day Yuu died. No, this time the magic energy concentrated and gathered around her, until she looked like a walking human flame. "This planet belongs to mankind, and we won't let losers like you take it from us."

The man could feel the magic energy of other beings, which he had always thought made him superior to most of them. But in this one case, he would rather _not_ sense how much energy this fire witch was channeling. So much energy, it was simply impossible, her very body should be a pile of ashes by now. But no, there she stood, unphased, and not even her suit seemed to feel the heat surrounding her, a heat that rivaled that of the star this planet orbited. "Impossible..."

"As we keep on telling idiots like you, nothing's impossible for us, " Mars said. "Mars Fire Star Immolation!"

Moon gasped in shock. Mars had tackled the man in a split second, and her body, surrounded by flames as it was, had looked like a comet for a second, but right now... All the flames, all the magic fire she had gathered, was shooting into the creature's body. Burning it from within with a heat that had vaporized the concrete under Mars on its wake. She was now clutching the man's neck, as if she feared the fire burning them both wouldn't be enough to kill him.

And then the man let out a scream, a scream of pain, shock and... fear. Moon couldn't help but smile at that. Much despite herself, she had to admit that the fear he felt was a fair trade for all the fear and death he and his kin had caused.

But as Moon looked at Mars again, she noticed the man was gone. Not even ashes remained. The fire around her vanished, and she started walking to where Moon was. "Rei?"

"I feel... Cold," Mars said, then fell to the ground.

Saturn had already recovered from the dark energy (which had, actually, vanished at the same time the alien boss did,) and she was standing next to Mars the second after she fell. "Damn, too late."

Moon looked at Saturn. "Revive her."

Saturn looked down at Mars. "I don't know if she wants to... Maybe she knew this was going to happen."

"For once, I'm not just asking this, Hotaru. Revive her. I'll let her shout at me for hours if she doesn't agree with it."

Saturn nodded and put a hand on Mars' body, then flinched. "Damn!"

"What's wrong?" Moon asked, then noticed Saturn's gloves were burnt on their front side. "How..."

"Her body temperature is far beyond normal," Mercury said as she scanned Mars' body "The ground under her is bubbling hot."

Saturn stood up and summoned her glaive. "Guess I'll have to improvise." She summoned a wraith and then 'touched' it, her glaive shining white for a few seconds. She then pointed at Mars. "Go."

The wraith shot straight into Mars' body, and for several seconds, nothing happened. Then Mars coughed and stood up, looking around in confusion. "What, but I..."

"You died, I told Saturn to bring you back."

Mars walked to Moon, glaring at her, but then looked down. "Thanks... "

"... Rei?"

"I'm serious. I let revenge drive me, I knew if I used that much power I was going to die, yet I did it... I kept telling me it was for Hisa's sake, but at the last moment, after he was gone, I realized I was going to leave her alone."

Moon could see tears falling off Mars' face. "Rei, it's over now."

"Yes, it is," Mars said coldly, "but killing him didn't bring Yuu back."

"You'll have to live on," Moon said. For you and Hisako."

Mars nodded at that, then looked at the others. "What are you all staring at me for?"

"That was... Uhm, scary," Lilith said.

Mercury still had her visor down. "You may not realize this, Rei, but that attack you used was out of the scale. At least twenty times stronger than anything Pluto can throw."

"Nice," Mars said, "but it's somethign I hope I'll never use again. "

"Because you could die using it?"

"No, because of what triggered it. I don't want to lose anyone else. "

ChibiMoon saw Mars walk away and frowned. "I wonder if..."

"What is it?" Pluto asked looking at ChibiMoon.

"If any of us went through the same she went through... Would we... "

"Have an attack like that?" Pluto asked. "It's possible. And I don't think you get what Mars did today, it wasn't the same she did days ago."

Dragon Venus nodded. "She used up a lot of mana."

"She used up _all the mana_ Mars had," Pluto said, "I mean the planet itself."

"No damn way," Dragon Venus muttered. "But she was controlling it now, that's the only difference, right?"

"No... See, wildly trying to gather as much mana as you can in moment of fury can give you quite a lot of power to play with, but... To be in control like she was, to be able to drain the planet out of mana and use it in one attack like she did... That gives you power not even I would dare fighting against."

"So, this war's over... What's next?" Dragon Sun asked.

Pluto looked up to the sky. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"What, shouldn't you vanish after saying something like that?"

"Not in the mood," Pluto said with a shrug.

* * *

"Sailor Mars!"

Mars saw a man walking to her and groaned. He was alone, which meant he was up to something. "Father?"

The man stopped. "Rei, I'm here to tell you what I told you at the funeral. If there's anything you need, anything at all..."

"What I need, you can't give it to me," Mars said, "and I don't mean that as an insult. Do you know how it feels, to lose someone you love like that?"

The man nodded. "Yes, I know. I loved your mother, Rei, even if I took too long to realize I loved her more than my career."

"Then..." Mars sighed. "Don't worry about me, I'll be okay. I can afford a new house on my own."

Hino shook his head. "You still hate me."

"Father... I don't. I don't hate you. But I was never good at forgetting."

"I hope you can, someday." He turned to leave, but then stopped. "And I will go visit Hisako whenever I can."

Mars smiled as the mayor walked away. The old man could almost be human when he tried.

* * *

Most of the Senshi had left, but ChibiMoon still stood near the place where the 'boss' had been defeated, along with Pluto.

"So, how come those aliens aren't still throwing out Night Cores at us?"

"I took care of that."

"But you're still here... Oh, it was her, wasn't it?"

Pluto looked at ChibiMoon, a bit of shock showing. "How do you..."

"Mom, and by that I mean Queen Serenity, told me about her. But she also told me it was one of the biggest secrets you two had."

Pluto smiled. "That comes to show how much she trusts you."

"So I was right, then. I didn't know she had that kind of power."

"You'd be surprised at how strong she is, Princess."

"Will I meet her someday?"

"Only time will tell," Pluto said. "And since we're talking about time, it's time for me to leave."

ChibiMoon smiled as Pluto left. "If she's still around, that means Crystal Tokyo is still possible." She looked at the setting sun and sighed. It would be dark again soon, but this was a darkness they didn't need to be worried about.

* * *

**A/N:** I said this was going to be short. Also, notice this boss didn't even have a name... Or did he? Sometimes it's not about how they're called, but how fast they can burn.

As for the next arc, those lucky(?) enough to know the old version are in for a few changes, though the battle will be against the greatest evil the Senshi ever faced.

And who was the person Pluto and ChibiMoon were talking about? That's one of the secrets that will be unveiled in Cyber Moon Crystal.


	203. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 20: Crystal Wars.**

**Episode 203: Something Wicked This Way Comes.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 28, 2008_

* * *

"Will I be like you when I grow up?"

Rei cringed at her daughter's question. "I've asked the same question to those who could answer it, and they aren't sure." Well, she knew some of them could be actually keeping it a secret, but she couldn't be sure about that anymore.

"I haven't seen you as a Senshi since..." Hisako looked down.

"I know," Rei said with a small smile. Her daughter was growing up, that was for sure. She was only nine now, but Rei could already see she had some power of her own. Nothing to rival her own first level magic, but it was still there. She hoped, however, that her daughter didn't go and choose something like 'ChibiMars' as a battle name.

"Maybe Hikaru will be a Senshi, too."

Rei nodded. "It's possible. But we didn't get our powers until we were older than you are. ChibiUsa is the only exception to that rule I know, and nobody knows how she could transform at such a young age. "

Hikaru was Minako's daughter, but she was only four, and wasn't showing any special trait yet. As for Hisako, she could control fire quite well, and was quite immune to it. But she still couldn't create fire on her own. Maybe she would never be able to, but Rei wasn't about to break her daughter's hopes by telling her that.

But there wouldn't be enough Senshi for a second generation, anyway. If things worked as she thought they would, then they would be missing a new Saturn, a new Jupiter... A new Earth? Maybe not, maybe that's where ChibiMoon was different, even though she had no control over rocks and ground like her father.

She felt something right then, something evil. And it was coming for them.

"Mom?"

"I'm just thinking about some things, Hisa."

"Can we go to the tower?"

"Don't you have homework to do?"

"Already finished it."

"Good." She thought about it for a minute then nodded. "Okay, I guess we can go there."

* * *

Usagi looked at the sky and frowned. Another war. There was always another one, even if they were spread out, unlike in the past. It was good that they were this way, everyone had been able to live normal lives (or, at least, normal compared to their Senshi lives,) and now it would be time for battle once again. "You can't feel it, can you?"

Luna looked up at her. "Feel what?"

"There's thousands of creatures coming to our planet. I can sense them. And they will be here soon."

"Then peace is finally over," Luna said.

"Are you going to help us?"

"If this enemy is strong, then yes."

"The creatures out there aren't strong, but something tells me we'll need your help."

* * *

Hisako would probably never get used to this kind of transportation. One second they were at home, the next, they were inside the big, black tower. As usual, Aiko was there, she liked that place for some reason, and was rarely seen outside. "Nobody here today?"

"Hi there, firegirls," Aiko said with a smile. "Usagi doesn't come here too often, mom and dad must be busy trying to make a Mercury junior, and I don't think Mako even remembers this place anymore."

After their battle against the Shadow (only name they could think of for that race, a race that had never bothered telling them how they were called,) the team had split again. That was six years ago, and the Senshi had only appeared now and then to stop some minor, unchallenging threat.

And they all still looked like they were in their late teens, despite being into their thirties. A few more years and they just wouldn't be able to make up a believable excuse for it anymore.

"You don't come here unless you have a reason to, Rei," Aiko noted, taking her off her brooding.

"Visiting one of my friends isn't a good enough reason?"

"I know you," Aiko mused. "So, what is it?"

"I've felt something. There's an enemy out there."

"Oh? I can't see anything, anywhere in the world."

Usagi appeared a split second before Aiko was done saying that, and smiled. "That's because it's not here, at least not yet. Can you check past Mars?"

Rei frowned. Usagi was in full 'battle' mode, that could only mean trouble. But how could she feel those creatures herself? Rei's senses had always been focused in a quite short range, or at least, short compared to where their new enemy might be right now.

Aiko flinched. "There they are. Take a look at this..."

Hisako looked at the large monitor behind Aiko and paled. "What is that?"

"Insects. There may be millions of them, and they're all heading to the Earth."

"Can you pinpoint their target?"

"If they keep their current course and speed, they'll be here in two days, and by that I mean, here in _Tokyo_.

"Guess it's time to gather the team again," Usagi said.

"Should we call the youma too?"

"Not a bad idea," Usagi admitted. "They really helped us last time. "

* * *

"It's time, once again."

Hotaru sighed. "Will these wars ever stop?"

"If future is as I was told it was, there won't really be any threat for us for several hundred years after Crystal Tokyo is built."

"How was it built, and why?"

"That's one of the things they never told me," ChibiUsa said. Despite her age, the nickname was still there, and she wasn't phased at all by it. "Maybe they didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"About this enemy... Be careful."

"I know. You too, Hotaru."

Hotaru nodded. "We'll have to watch each other's backs."

"Then we'll be fine. That's what we do the best."

Hotaru smiled at that. They had been fighting on their own for a over a decade now, not counting the war against the shadows. They had faced some strange enemies, like those plant creatures who saw animals as a virus that should be destroyed. And they had fought some annoying enemies, like a small cult of necromancers which was easily and swiftly dealt with.

But they hadn't faced any _strong_ enemy for years. She could almost miss the times where their lives were on the line, and battles were actually worth fighting. Almost.

* * *

Several hours passed before the Senshi were, once again, gathered. Usagi looked up, as if she could see the insects through the tower's roof. "They're really close," she said, "but I must warn you about something. I'm feeling something out there, something else... Something powerful. And whatever it is, it's using these creatures as a distraction."

"So what are you saying, that we should let those bugs eat the city and wait for the big boss?"

Usagi looked at Rei and shook her head. "No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying we should be careful out there. Really careful."

"If I didn't know you, I'd say you're scared," Kage noted.

"I'm worried, some of you should stay out of this..."

"Mom, I think I speak for everyone when I say that's not going to happen."

"Yes, it happened once," Rei said, "but it's not going to happen again. We won't let it happen again."

Usagi sighed. "Guess I'll have to trust your judgement."

"Whatever is out there," Luna said, "we can defeat it as long as we don't underestimate it."

"That's right," Terry said, "even these insects have quite a lot of power. They're easy for us, but there's numbers to take into account. Everyone, don't think of this as an easy battle, think of this as one of the hardest fights you will ever face."

"Only one hour left before they arrive."

"The youma will be here in fifteen minutes," Aiko noted.

"Good, we'll fight millions with millions that way."

"Nova and the others will help too," Shingo noted. "And before you say they shouldn't risk themselves, you should see what Hana can do nowadays."

Usagi rose an eyebrow at that. True, she hadn't seen Nova, Warwitch or any of the others fight for several years. Maybe some of them still trained. Maybe they were close to their own power. In any case, this time she couldn't let any help pass, this was an invasion. "Aren't you worried about her?"

Shingo nodded. "I can't help but be worried, but I know what she can do. Those insects won't be a challenge for her."

"In any case, what will we do until they get here?"

"They will land everywhere in the city," Ami said, "so I suggest we split in groups and cover as much of the city as we can."

"A good plan, as usual," Usagi noted. "We'll have to do that."

Pluto appeared right then, and didn't waste any time to tell the others why she was back. "This is worse than you think. Those insects are nothing compared to the danger that's lurking out there. "

"A new enemy?"

"No, an old one. And one that's apparently both insane and incredibly powerful now."

"An old one..." ChibiUsa muttered. "Please tell me it's not who I'm guessing."

"I would be lying if I said that," Pluto noted. "She's coming back, and she's using these insects as a distraction."

Ysagu paled. "Black Lady?"

Pluto nodded. "She somehow found a way out of the universe I sent her to."

"You knew this was going to happen," Rei said.

"It was meant to happen," Pluto countered, "but with how timelines are right now, I can't foresee the outcome of this battle."

"Oh come on, we beat her in the past," Minako said. "How stronger can she be?"

"Strong enough to resist the fury of a Senshi who can destroy planets on a whim," Pluto said, then looked at ChibiUsa. "And strong enough to resist my Garnet Disruptor."

"So, this time we have to defeat her for good," Terry said. "That will be fun.

"No," Pluto said, "it won't. You were right, somehow, but this won't just be one of the hardest battles you ever fought. It will be the hardest one."

* * *

"Everything ready, sir."

"Then let's do it."

Tomoe looked at Kino. "Are you sure about that? We won't be able to use that canon again."

"I'd rather lose the canon than the city."

Tomoe nodded. "Right. Maybe we can use the canon one more time after we shoot."

"What are you scheming, Tomoe?" Seia asked.

"Wait and see, lady, wait and see."

* * *

Only a couple minutes were left before the insects landed... And they could be already seen, a black cloud in the sunlit sky. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the cloud split in half. As the cloud reformed, a second flash hit it, this time weaker.

"What was that?" Moon asked through her comm.

Mercury chuckled. "The army. Their orbital cannon is gone, but it took nearly half those insects out before exploding... And the explosion itself got quite a few of them, too."

Pluto frowned. "That... Things are just not going as predicted."

"Is that good or bad?" Lilith asked.

"Wish I could know either way," Pluto admitted. "But enough talk, the enemy's here."

Moon put her comm away and nodded. "I don't care what Pluto says... I'm going to create destiny with my own hands."

ChibiMoon smiled. "We'll all help you with that."

Saturn said nothing, but phased out, reappearing meters away, just as the insects started landing. In a matter of seconds, she had cut through a dozen of them.

"She's better than I remembered," Moon noted.

"We've trained, and fought many battles in the last few years," ChibiMoon said, "her endurance is no longer a problem."

Moon looked up and frowned. "Here she comes."

Black Lady materialized near them, and smiled. "It's been a while, moon girls. I've waited for this, for a chance to destroy you both... "

"We're ready for you," ChibiMoon snapped and summoned her sword.

"No, you aren't," Black Lady said and vanished.

Saturn had sensed Black Lady's arrival, and then she wasn't there anymore. She rushed to the other two Senshi in the area and saw they were trying to find the evil woman. "Where is she?" she asked, then felt something hit her. "Damn... How could you..."

Moon realized what Black Lady had in mind one second too late. Saturn slumped to the ground as the pink-haired villain chuckled, a bloodied crystal sword in her hand. "No..."

But it wasn't Moon who acted next. Black Lady was still wondering what had hit her, when she saw a pink blur heading her way. "Just as expected..."

Moon paled. ChibiMoon hadn't screamed, hadn't said a word, she had just started attacking Black Lady relentlessly. She looked at Saturn's body and flinched. No, it was too late, but Terry could bring her back. Right now, she couldn't see a way to stop her daughter's rage. And, much despite herself, she didn't _want_ to stop her. No, Black Lady deserved a thousand deaths for what she had done.

She produced her communicator. "Everyone... Hotaru is... Black Lady got her."

"I sensed that," Dragon Mercury said. He was trying to keep his cool, but Moon could see his face through the comm, and he was quite ready to explode. "I say screw this... These insects are nothing compared to Black Lady."

"But we can't..." Jupiter said.

"If that bitch stays alive, she's going to kill us all," Dragon Mercury said. "Then she'll have her way with the city. We have to kill her first."

Moon sighed. For just this once, she couldn't argue with her friends. "Guys, come to where I am, that bastard is here. ChibiUsa's beating her down right now, but... I'm going to help her too."

"Usako, wait for us!" Mars said.

"Sorry, but I won't," Moon said and cut the link. She then looked at the battle. Yes, ChibiMoon was on the winning side, but that didn't mean help wasn't needed. She had to help. She had to make sure nobody else was killed by this evil creature.

* * *

**A/N:** There will be less than two hundred and twenty episodes for this thing, after all. And things will just keep getting better in these last few episodes.


	204. The Last Senshi

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 20: Crystal Wars.**

**Episode 204: The Last Senshi.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 30, 2008_

* * *

_The first hours of Black Lady's time in her new home hadn't been very pleasant. They were, also, a bit unclear for her, but she soon knew what was going on._

_Aurite, the foolish, stupid, overconfident (much despite herself) Aurite, had tried fighting that monster. There was no way to describe her, really, but a monster, an unstoppable, insane monster. _

_A monster that was intimidating, not only because of the power they could sense in her, but because they simply couldn't sense the _limits _of her power. A monster that was none other than ChibiMoon herself, but from a different, strange universe._

_Upon arrival, the first thing the two villains noticed, was that there was no Earth, or Moon, anymore. All that was left of the planet was an irregular field of asteroids, and from the residual energy surrounding them, the destruction of that world had been recent._

_Then, before the two could start looking for what had done this (or run from it,) it came to them. The same pink-haired brat, the girl Black Lady hated the most. But this one, everything was wrong about her._

_Her suit was form-fitting, completely pink, and skirt-less. The gloves and boots had seemingly fused with the rest of the suit, and there was no tiara anymore, but the crescent moon mark shining on her forehead was a much more fitting addition. Also, her wings (all six pairs of them) were white, and seemed to shine on their own._

_But what really got to her, what really told her she had to run from there, was the girl's eyes. She had never seen eyes like those before, and for a moment she almost felt sorry about her. The eyes of this girl, this impossibly powerful version of ChibiMoon, were eyes devoid of any emotion, of any hope. Those were the eyes of someone that had nothing to live for anymore._

_Eyes of someone who was neither good nor evil anymore. Someone that..._

_"Aurite, we have to get out of here!"_

_"Heh, that's not going to happen. I'm going to get this brat, then look for her friends and kill them too."_

_"You're ten years too late for that, asshole," ChibiMoon snapped as Aurite rushed at her. "Now die."_

_Black Lady saw no attack at all, but Aurite suddenly gave a muffled scream, and her eyes became fearful. "What is..."_

_Aurite could feel something in her. Something that was stopping every muscle in her body, even her heart. She had to make a great effort even to speak. "It can't end... Like this... I can't..."_

_Then, suddenly, Aurite's body exploded. Black Lady had watched it all, and as much as she was proud of never being afraid of any enemy, this time she knew the difference in power was incredible. And she knew she was next._

_"Leave."_

_Black Lady blinked at that. "What..."_

_"Leave. You're not like that bitch, you're scared of me. I see no fun in fighting someone who's aware of their own weakness."_

_Black Lady looked around. "This... What happened to the Earth?"_

_ChibiMoon gave a humorless laugh at that. "My mother, that's what happened. My mother, taken over by evil. My mother, who I had to kill before she killed me." She looked away, as if trying to block something out of her mind. "But I think I told you to leave. If I ever sense you near me again, what I did to your friend will look merciful to you."_

_Black Lady didn't have to be told that twice, and she sped away, as fast as she could. As she fled, she kept on hoping the woman would blast her to pieces too, but even as insane as she looked, ChibiMoon had kept her word._

* * *

_And thus, she traveled aimlessly, and after a while, time lost its meaning for her. There was one thing she didn't understand about that basketcase Senshi. If the Moon and the Earth were no more, then where was she getting power from? The best answer she could get to that question was also one that scared her the most. Maybe that power was in her, in ChibiMoon herself, just waiting to awaken. She could guess what had happened to her to make her like that._

_Yes, Black Lady was evil, but she had once been inside ChibiMoon's mind. She knew how the girl thought. Moon had been possessed and killed all her friends... That could've awakened that power. It was scary to know Sailor Moon could have enough power to destroy a planet on her own, but it was... It was worse to know the power didn't stop there. No, that lunatic pinkhead had killed Aurite on the spot, but she wasn't even trying. Her power was simply unmeasurable now._

_Black Lady wanted revenge on the Senshi, revenge on those brats who sent her here, but she wasn't like Aurite. She knew her own limits. And fighting a godlike creature whose only desire was to kill was something she knew would only end with her own death._

* * *

_She had found that planet by chance. She detected very strong creatures in it, but there was no trace of civilization. As she landed, she could see what the creatures were. Giant insects, of many different kinds, and they were all... She realized her mistake as the insects all rushed at her, these creatures were powerful enough to kill her!_

_She fought for hours, feeling her energy dropping slowly as more and more insects joined the fight. She was going to lose, she was going to die there, it was hopeless. No, she couldn't let it end like that. She wouldn't lose to mindless creatures like these. She had to live, to live and go back to the universe where she had been created. Live to, one day, defeat the ones she hated the most._

_Thanks to nothing but her desire to live, she got power from... Somewhere. But where? The planet she was in was almost devoid of mana, so where was her newfound strength come from? She knew the answer soon enough, it was her own power, her hidden power. She was like ChibiMoon in more than one way, no matter how much she tried to forget about that. But with this new power, she could destroy her foes._

_After a few more minutes of fighting, it was over. The insects didn't win, but they weren't as mindless as she had thought them to be, since they all ceased their attacks, content to look at her from a distance. She saw it then, that she would never defeat the Senshi on her own. These insects could be a good distraction, she wasn't counting on them to kill any of the Senshi, but they could cause the Senshi to split. A plan formed in her mind, to send these insects first, have them ravage Tokyo, and the Senshi would foolishly split up. And divided, they weren't as strong._

_But there was something she still needed for that plan to work. The means to return to her 'home' universe._

* * *

_It hadn't been easy, she had to search for a civilization that was advanced enough. That civilization, of course, had Senshi defenders. She didn't pay attention to their names, she didn't need to. They were dealt with in a matter of hours, and then she took over that world._

_And, after months of work, she got what she had asked for, a device to travel through dimensions. It hadn't been hard to convince these aliens to create one for her, as she had said she would leave their world once it was done. She didn't need to lie to them, since she had no use in their world once that was done._

_She had seen the device in action. She tried it herself, and it worked. But she wasn't stupid enough to let a civilization such as that one live. One that now knew the secret she had wanted the most, one that could follow her to her own universe. A race whose homeworld was the perfect target to test her own powers. Yes, it only took one blast, one massive, powerful blast, for her to make sure that race wasn't going to follow her._

_As she looked at the fireworks, she smiled. Yes, everything was ready now. She would soon have her revenge on the Senshi, all of them. For a moment, she considered blasting the Earth to dust, but then realized that would be just too easy. No, she would enjoy their struggle, and leave the two she hated the most for last._

* * *

Of course, the plan had been easier than the actual thing. She didn't realize how much power the army's weapon had, and that had costed her nearly half of her troops. There were enough insects left to keep the Senshi busy for a while, but she knew things could still go wrong. She now found herself facing these two, the 'Double Moon' as some called them, and saw they had improved since the last time she saw them.

"Moonlight Redemption!"

"Moon Princess Energy Storm!"

As the two blasts hit her, she realized she couldn't fool around with them. She had to get rid of them both if she wanted to kill the others. "I guess it's time to get serious."

"Don't joke," ChibiMoon snapped.

"Am not. Dark Princess Nightmare Surge." A dome-like blast of energy shot out of the villain's body, knocking them both away, and also destroying many buildings around them. She knew there were civilians in some of those buildings, but she wasn't really one to care for them.

The blast hadn't been enough to kill them, she had purposefully avoided that. No, she would kill all their friends first, as she had planned. It could either break their will, or make them stronger. If the first happened, then she would win. And if the second happened, then she would just have to use her full power against them.

"Eat this!"

The blast hit her, but she wasn't surprised. She could see them, their energy, and thus was aware of the two Saturns. The idiot had brought the Grim Reaper back, which was good. It would be priceless to see ChibiUsa's face when she realized Saturn had died twice and she hadn't been able to do a thing about it.

"Saturn, get out of here, tell the others to come."

"But Terry..."

"If you die again, it's over."

"Same goes for you."

Dragon Saturn wasn't letting the matter down. "Go, I have a little surprise for this bitch."

Saturn seemed to know what he meant, and smiled. "Good luck."

The Dragon turned to Black Lady as Saturn left. "You know, pink brat, I've always wanted to beat you down. And this is a perfect chance to do so."

"Hmph, as delusional as ever, Terry."

"So you think. Saturn Holy Power!"

Black Lady flinched. That, definitely, wasn't part of her plans.

The Dragon summoned his talisman sword, which split into the two original swords. "Never challenge death itself."

"Hah, that's cute." Black Lady shot a blast at Dragon Saturn, which blasted him to pieces. "Hmph, so easy..."

"Zero Requiem."

Next she knew, Black Lady was surrounded by a cage made of bones. She was about to punch her way out of it, when a ghastly dragon appeared right in front of her. Before she could try to hit it, the dragon vanished... No, it hadn't vanished, it was inside her!

Dragon Saturn heard the screams inside the bone prison and smiled. "Die already, freak."

The cage, however, exploded, and a very angry Black Lady stood where it had been. She looked a bit shaken by the attack, but other than that, she was still up for a fight.

The Dragon, however, sank to his knees. "Fuck..."

"Just as I thought. You can't hold that transformation for long."

"I know that. If I keep this up any longer, I will die."

"Good."

"But if I fight you in my normal form, I'll die anyway, so... I hope Ami forgives me for this."

Black Lady saw the Dragon running at her and frowned. "You suicidal, stupid baffoon..."

"Absolute Zero!"

The villain could see her foe's form splitting into several figures, and they all stabbed her through with ghastly swords. And then, everything around her exploded.

* * *

**A/N:** Cliffhangers: I still like them.

Bet everyone was missing the flashbacks. I think it fits the mood more than having Black Lady turn into Exposition Girl and explain all that to the Senshi while they all stand there gawking at her.

That one ChibiMoon Black Lady saw was the same one Ami and Terry found while jumping around dimensions. Guess that takes the mystery out of who won that one battle.

_SailorStar9:_ Yes, this final arc is basically the same as the old one plot-wise, but I'm not even looking at the final battle in the old version while I write this, because I don't want to 'repeat myself.'


	205. Clashing Destinies

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 20: Crystal Wars.**

**Episode 205: Clashing Destinies.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 30, 2008_

* * *

Saturn appeared near where Mercury and Mars were, and the two looked at her. The insects they were fighting against were now few, their numbers dropped really fast with the help of the youma.

She was about to tell them something, when an explosion rocked the area. Saturn looked back and paled. The explosion was at least ten miles away from where she was, but still she could feel a breeze picking up. "What did he..."

Mercury stared at the explosion in shock. She could feel it. Or rather, she couldn't feel his presence anymore. She knew what that meant, but why...

"Ami, he sent me here to warn you about Black Lady. She's stronger than we thought."

Mercury fell to her knees, but said nothing. Mars looked at her, then at the few insects that were around. "We fell right into her trap."

Saturn flinched. "I let her kill me, if I hadn't been so careless, then Terry would..."

"But he's dead," Mercury said. "We need to get the others."

Mars was quite surprised. Despite her initial reaction, Mercury was now as calm and focused as ever. "Ami, are you really okay?"

"Of course I'm not," Mercury said, sadness creeping into her eyes for a second, "but I also know going head-on against her will get me killed. We need a plan."

"Moon and ChibiMoon were out cold, from what I saw," Saturn said, "so yes, she's quite powerful."

There were other explosions near the place where the first one had been, and the three gasped. "What was that?"

"The sidekicks."

"Damn, she even..."

And then, something hit their minds, and the three fell to their knees. "What is that?" Mars asked.

Saturn clutched her head. "Nova... She's out of control."

"Should we stop her?" Mars asked.

"No, maybe she can take care of that monster," Mercury said.

* * *

Minutes earlier, Black Lady had regained consciousness. As she looked around, she saw the blast range had been worse than she thought. There were no buildings left standing in a three miles area. She could still see Moon and ChibiMoon, and they were both out cold. Also, she saw Dragon Mercury near. "Hah, the idiot killed himself."

"Eat this! Moonlight Redemption!"

A white beam hit Black Lady, knocking her into a wall. She knelt down and flinched. "No way, you were supposed to be a pushover!"

Kyma snorted. "Stupid... I am only as strong as what I mimic." She smiled as she turned into a Sailor Moon replica. "Let's see how you hadle this. Moonlight Redemption!"

Black Lady was hit, and once again staggered back. "Damn... You're pretty strong for a pushover."

Two energy balls hit her from behind, creating a small crater where she stood. Black Lady picked herself up from the ground and frowned. "More idiots to kill..."

"Yaa!"

Another energy beam, this one cyan, hit her, and she found herself surrounded. Ail, Ann, Kyma and Game Master. The four were there, but the four had made one deadly mistake. They were all in blast range. "Dark Princess Nightmare Surge!"

She didn't need to check on them. The four fell down after the blast, and none of them stood up. Yes, this was just too easy, none of those weak idiots could... It was then that something hit her. Something powerful. And it was all around her, she realized. The air around her was rippling and shifting. "No way, you?"

Nova was there, floating meters away from her. "You killed him... You witch, I'm not going to forgive you!"

Black Lady snorted. "Nice speech, but now you..." She stopped as she noticed her arms weren't responding. "Damn, you can't be this strong!"

"I trained to fight along with the Senshi, but I never thought I would have to use my power for revenge."

Black Lady laughed. "Revenge, and exactly for what, dear Hana? I can guess why. You're still hurt inside because he left you, because he chose someone smarter and prettier than you. Because you weren't good enough for him when you came back. You're not angry because he died, but because he didn't die for you."

Nova's glare intensified as much as the psichic storm she was creating. "That shows just how little you know about feelings, and about love," she said, "now die!"

Black Lady was sure this was one of the most painful days ever. In a blink, all the psichic energy around them was gone. And then, before she could even move, it all erupted, like a geiser, from right underneath her. The blast knocked her up into the air, and she fell on a parked car, hard enough to crush it. As she stood up, however, she noticed two things. One, that Nova was down, though she was trying to stand up. And two, she was starting to feel the effects of so many direct hits. "You bitch..."

Nova fell to the ground, her energy depleted. "Guess I didn't train enough after all."

"Cheer up, you're going to meet him now," Black Lady mused, not even flinching at the glare Nova was giving her. As the wannabe-heroine stopped breathing, she noticed a new group of weaklings had appeared.

"Nova!"

Perfect, the Dragons were all there. She was quite curious about what could happen to the younger Moon if she killed the 'leader' of the Dragons. "Boys, boys, boys... You shouldn't be here."

"That's what I was about to say about you," Dragon Earth noted.

"She's mine."

"Shingo, don't be an idiot!"

Dragon Moon looked at Dragon Sun. "Shut up. Moon Werewolf Power!"

The other Dragons weren't about to let Shingo fight alone, so they all shoot their attacks at the evil woman. Black Lady was knocked back and grunted. "You're only delaying your defeat."

Dragon Moon rushed at Black Lady, summoning his sword, and slashed down furiously. The woman caught the blade with her bare hands, but that's what he wanted. "This is for Hana. Lunar Wrath!"

A beam fell on Black Lady from above, drilling quite a deep hole into the ground. She crawled out of the hole and coughed up some blood, but then noticed the Dragon wasn't a menace anymore. "Such a weakling..."

"If he was a weakling, then why are you bleeding?"

Black Lady smiled at Dragon Earth's question. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not invincible... But you guys can't defeat me."

Dragon Earth frowned. "Enough of that, this planet will never belong to you. Earth Holy Power!"

Black Lady smiled as she saw the Dragon rushing to her. "Oh, not another weakling..."

"Earth King's Armageddon!"

This time, even the other Dragons were knocked back. The blast would have vaporized several buildings around them, if they hadn't already been totalled by the attacks before. "Fuck, Mamoru, you should've warned us about that," Dragon Venus snapped.

"Sorry, but I think I got her."

Black Lady appeared near them, and laughed. "You are quite strong, I gotta give you that, but your fight is useless."

Moon and ChibiMoon woke up, and looked around. Moon froze as she looked at the bodies she could see in the area. Terry, Hana, Kyma... Shingo? "No... This can't be happening..." She then noticed Dragon Earth's looks. His suit was mostly the same, only now his gloves and boots were fused with the rest of it, and there were five pairs of wings on his back. "Mamoru..."

ChibiMoon glared at Black Lady. "You stupid bitch, I'm not going to let you kill anyone else!"

Black Lady smirked then shot the Dragons a sideglance. "Then stop talking and act. Dark Princess Armageddon!"

The attack was at the same level as Dragon Earth's one, but focused in a small beam rather than an explosion. It hit all the Dragons, and none stood up after the beam passed.

Moon and ChibiMoon both fell on their knees, though it was for different reasons. Moon was too shocked to move, but ChibiMoon... She was looking at her own hands, which were slowly becoming transparent.

"What is this?" ChibiMoon said in shock.

"As I thought, without him around, you can't exist."

ChibiMoon tried to stand up, but couldn't move a muscle. Saturn, yes, Saturn could revive him!

Moon saw ChibiMoon vanish. Was she... No, she could still feel her presence. She turned to Black Lady, who was just standing there, smiling at her. "Why... Your fight was with me, why kill them?"

"You're wrong. I want to be the strongest warrior. The strongest of them all. I have once been forced to run because I wasn't strong enough to face my opponent, but... Not anymore. I will not give up, I will not stop until I am the strongest being in this Universe. You are always babbling about destiny and about how you will fight for it with all your heart, so you should understand that very well. Being the strongest is my destiny, Usagi, and you're blocking my path to it."

"She's not the only one, bastard."

Black Lady smiled. She didn't need to turn back to know who was talking. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, the three who she hadn't fought as much as the rest. "I see, the backup team is here. It will be fun to test you two, to see if you can really stand to my power."

"This end here," Pluto snapped. "Garnet Disruptor!"

Black Lady smiled, stopping the nearly invisible ripple with an energy-backed punch. "That isn't going to work, hag. And even if it did, what would be the point? I can come back from wherever you send me to."

"Wait, let me fight her!"

Uranus looked at Moon. "No, you're still shaken by all that's happened. Leave this one to us."

"Even if we don't win," Neptune said, "she won't go out of this without a scratch or three."

"That's what _you_ think," Black Lady teased.

Pluto looked at Moon. "Go to where the others are, and try to focus on defeating this evil."

"But..."

"Princess, if you want Crystal Tokyo to be a reality, then you have to let us do this."

Moon looked down for a few seconds, but then realized something. The way Pluto had said this, there was no riddle in her words. And she knew she could trust Pluto on this "Right, hold on until I come back, Setsuna."

Pluto saw Moon vanish and smiled. "So, I don't suppose you want to see my lattest trick, do you?"

Black Lady laughed. "I know better than getting hit by one of your blasts."

Uranus frowned. "Pluto, leave the first round to us."

"Right, but be careful."

"Yes, 'mom,'" Neptune said with a sly smile.

"I'm waiting, girls," Black Lady snapped, then saw the two 'rogues' heading straight at her. "Good, let the fun begin."

* * *

"Report?"

Seia flinched, the report she had wasn't good. "Sir, things are not good at all in here. There's still many insects around, and even with youma on our side, we won't be able to clear the city for at least another hour. We can't evacuate anyone until then, either, and that woman's destroyed several miles worth of our city already."

"This looks bad," Kino said, turning to Tomoe. "What about the Senshi?"

"Many of them died, that woman is stronger than before. From what the satellite is showing, Pluto is there right now, and also Moon."

"As long as Moon is there, there's hope," Kino noted. He hated having to wait like that, but what could he possibly do? Send all his men there to die? Send the _youma_ there? Youma were keeping out of the area where the battle was being held, and he knew why. Despite the power some of them held, they were way out of their league.

So it was the same as when the Senshi, and himself, were younger. The Earth's future was in their hands. But unlike the first few times he saw them fight, he now trusted them. As long as one of them was still alive, then that Black Lady monster could not win.

* * *

"It's time for us to join this fight."

"We have to protect our Princess."

Luna nodded at the other cats. "She's going to need all the help she can get to defeat this enemy."

Diana looked at the battle raging miles away from them. "Even if we die here, I know she will defeat her."

"We won't die," Artemis said. "She's not invincible, and the more she fights, the weaker she grows."

"Enough talking," Shade said, "let's kick that demon out of our world."

* * *

**A/N:** Been a while since I managed to get two episodes out the same day. It's too fun an arc to write, so I simply can't stay away from it for too long.

_SailorStar9:_ That was no comeback, just how things are. While the plot (and ending) stays mostly the same as it was in the old Cyber Moon, the battles are different (and in a different order, too.)

_PriestessHelene:_ She's not a _youma_ unless you go by the dub (and I only go by that _thing_ if I'm writing a parody,) so you're only half right there... As to what she really is, that's something that's going to stay unknown for a while. Just know that she's not just a clone of ChibiUsa.

_DavisJes:_ I may read it, but I'm not a fan of romantic stories (unless lots of things explode, are killed and/or get punched through other things in them.)


	206. A Senshi's Duty

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 20: Crystal Wars.**

**Episode 206: A Senshi's Duty.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 31, 2008_

* * *

The woman leapt aside as an invisible blast hissed by, piercing a hole into a grocery. "What would your princess think of that, Uranus?"

"I respect her," Uranus snapped back, "but I know better than falling for your trap."

Neptune flinched. Indeed, Black Lady was heartless, she had slowly led them to an area that wasn't still affected by the battle. Well, it hadn't been affected by it when they got here, but now, it was a quite different story.

But Pluto, where was she? She had seemingly vanished after their battle started. She knew her enough to know she wouldn't run from an important battle, but what exactly was she planning?

"Hmph, you two girls, if you've already reached the limits of your powers, then..."

"Heaven's Circle!"

A ring of energy appeared around Black Lady, closing in so fast she had no chance to dodge. As the ring touched it, it caused an explosion that blasted yet another part of the city to dust.

Uranus and Neptune stood up, and looked at the four new figures. "Them?"

Neptune was speechless. The four Mooncats were there, in their Senshi form, but their suits... They were full body suits, and the crescent moon in their foreheads (a black, inverted crescent in Shade's case) was shining. "They're Holy Senshi..."

"She's still alive," Luna noted.

Black Lady rushed in from out of nowhere, heading right for Luna, her face a mask of rage. "Die you stupid cats!"

"Heaven's Touch," Artemis said, and a large claw appeared from the ground, holding Black Lady still. "You shouldn't underestimate us, clone."

Black Lady laughed at that. "Yes, indeed, I've been hurt more than I thought possible today, and you morons keep on powering up. But there's one thing I have that no other villain you fought before had..."

The four Mooncats prepared to shoot another group attack. The last one, too, as they couldn't keep their forms up for long. "You are not going to win this."

"Oh, are you sure?" Black Lady snapped, then a black aura erupted around her, blasting the claw apart, and she rushed straight to them.

"Heaven's Circle!"

The attack hit again, but this time Black Lady stood through it. "That tickles."

The four cats were all in their normal form now, and were all lying on the ground. "That's impossible..." Luna said.

"How is that saying of yours... 'Nothing is impossible for us Senshi. ' I was created from ChibiUsa's mind and soul, and from her powers. I have the same traits as you, but the difference is, I'm not using them for justice and good and all that stupid..."

"Uranus Holy Power!"

"Neptune Holy Power!"

Black Lady turned around and saw the two 'rogues' transforming. "Heh, I was wondering when you would stop being wusses."

"Uranus..."

"Neptune..."

"Raging Typhoon!"

The villain was trapped by the giant funnel of water and wind, and for a few moments she was dazzled by its power. But then, she steadied herself and rushed straight out of the construct. "Now we're talking, girls."

Uranus looked up, shocked. "What, not even a scratch?"

"I'm beyond your power, now if you would kindly..." She noticed the two had vanished and looked around. "Hey, where the fuck are you?"

Uranus and Neptune appeared right next to Black Lady, each holding one of her arms, and they both shouted their attack in unison. "Raging Typhoon!"

This time, the attack lasted longer, and Black Lady couldn't get out of it, since she couldn't free herself from their hold. As the attack passed, the three fell to the ground, but only Black Lady stood up. "That was... Almost painful," she muttered, then looked at the two. "See, you two are weak after all."

"But we... Weakened you," Uranus said weakly.

"You have a limit too... And we know our Princess will push you beyond that."

The woman looked at the other two. They really trusted Sailor Moon, and she couldn't really understand that. "Maybe she will, or maybe I'll send her to join you."

"We did our part..." Uranus said, looking at Neptune."

"Yes, the rest is up to the strongest warriors."

That did get Black Lady's attention, but she noticed the two were now dead. Strongest warriors? Were they talking about Moon and ChibiMoon? She would defeat them both, but not before killing the rest of them.

"Chaos Call!"

"Gaia's Rage!"

She felt the two blasts hit and turned to the newcomers. "Now, now, why is it that losers like you even try?"

"You're going to eat those words," Earth snapped back.

"Don't bet on that, Karin."

* * *

Moon arrived where the others were, and saw they were all as shocked as she was about all that had happened in the last few minutes. There were no insects in this area, which was a good thing right now. "Girls, I'm sorry about..."

"You were right there, Usagi," Venus snapped, walking up to her, keeping her face neutral. Still, Moon could see the rage in her. "You were right there and did nothing!"

"Venus, stop it!" Mars snapped.

"Shut up, Rei. You should know how I feel!"

"I do, too," Moon admitted. "I do know, now. Shingo died before we woke up... When I saw him lying there, motionless, I just couldn't... I couldn't move."

Jupiter hadn't been shaken as much as the others by what had happened, but she could still feel her friends' anger. They were all near their boiling point, even Ami who was keeping a perfect poker face. "Girls, fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to solve a thing."

"She's right," ChibiMoon said, walking to Moon and Venus. "Mina, he's gone, and I know you're upset because you can change that. How do you think I felt in the future... I still feel a bit of that, when I remember that battle."

Venus looked down. "Moon, I'm sorry about my outburst... It's just that I don't know if I'll be able to live on without him."

"Minako, I know how you feel."

Jupiter looked at ChibiMoon. "You're not see-through anymore."

"I noticed," ChibiMoon said, "and if you think about why I started vanishing, that means there's still hope to win this."

"Still hope to..." Moon was cut by an explosion. A large one. And as she sent her senses into full throttle, she could see what was going on. "No, even them..."

"What? Who was it this time?" Mars asked.

Moon paled. No, not even she could defeat Black Lady? Then what were the chances of... There was someone else there now, someone Moon knew all too well. "No!"

Mars saw Moon vanish and frowned. "What's she doing?"

ChibiMoon flinched. "Damn, they're going to die... Girls, follow me!"

Mercury frowned as the others just stood there dumbfounded. "You heard her, let's go."

* * *

"Queen Apatite, our warriors are almost done cleaning up the city. Those insects were not a match against our numbers, but there's a bigger problem."

"Yes, I sense it, even from here," Apatite said. She was in the outskirts of Tokyo, but she could feel the presence of that evil woman, whose power rivaled... No, right now, it outmatched even Moon's own power. "We cannot let her win."

"But if we send warriors there, we will be sending them to their deaths."

Apatite looked at the scout, who sank under her gaze. "This is not a request, but a direct order. Every youma in Tokyo must engage the one known as Black Lady as soon as they're done with the insects. I will join this battle." The message wasn't only for the scout, she was mentally broadcasting it to all the youma.

"You should not risk yourself, Queen."

Apatite once again looked at the scout. Twice he had defied her judgement, if she had been anything like the former youma Queens, the scout would've been dust in the wind by now, twice. She was different, however, and didn't mind her subjects having a mind of their own. "Not risk myself? And how would I look to everyone if I just stay here and watch the battle from afar, while the Senshi Queen is in there, risking her life against the enemy? Even the human army, as weak as it is, did their part in this fight."

"I agree," Cuprite said, "Good leaders don't ask anything of their soldiers they wouldn't do themselves."

The scout nodded. "I understand. We will be waiting for you to join us."

As the scout vanished, Apatite looked at Cuprite. "Aren't you scared?"

"To death," Cuprite admitted. "Let's be realistic here... We can't hope to win."

"No, but we can hope to distract her, long enough for the Senshi to get a killing blow in."

* * *

The few remaining Senshi reached their goal just as Earth and Lilith's battle with Black Lady started. "Girls, wait!"

"Nag off, Usako, let us handle this!" Earth shouted.

"This is how we beat Galaxia, remember?" Lilith added as she dodged a dark energy blast from Black Lady.

Moon paled. Yes, that's exactly how things had worked with Galaxia. But with Terry dead, most of them wouldn't be able to come back.

"Usagi..."

She turned to the voice and saw Luna trying to stand up. "Luna, you too..."

"Artemis!" Venus rushed to where Artemis was, tears forming in her face. "You idiot, don't die!"

Nemesis had picked up Shade and was holding back tears. "Shade, no... "

Luna smiled. "Don't cry, Usagi, you're not supposed to be a crybaby anymore."

"You too, Mina," Artemis said as he noticed Venus kneeling besides him. "Be strong, you have to keep fighting, for our Princess' sake."

ChibiMoon looked at Diana and sighed. "I didn't like you at first, I'll admit that, but... You're a good friend, Diana. You have to hold on."

Luna sighed. "Unfortunately, we tried too hard to win this... We pushed our bodies far beyond our limits. Our time is up, Usagi, but don't ever lose hope."

The four girls realized the cats were gone as they saw them lay still. And neither of them moved as they stared at their friends, now gone.

"Shit, this day just keeps getting better," Jupiter muttered, a second before everyone was knocked down by another explosion. Even before she stood up, she knew what had happened, she could feel it. "Karin!"

Black Lady smiled, looking straight to Jupiter. "Come on, don't be shy. I know you want to die just like your girlfriend."

Pluto appeared in front of the Senshi just as Jupiter was about to charge at the villain. "Don't fall for her trap," she said, "you can't beat her now, and she knows it."

"Hmph... I'll punch her head off," Jupiter said.

"Mako, she's right," Saturn said, "She's beyond our power."

Pluto nodded. "Let me handle this."

Moon's eyes widened. "Wait, if we lose you too, then..."

"It will all be up to the strongest of our group," Pluto said.

Black Lady saw Pluto walking to her and laughed. "Really, I thought you had gone back to hiding in your pretty tunnel. It's good to see that you do have a Senshi's spirit after all."

"Do not talk about Senshi so lightly."

"I earned the right to do that. I've killed a lot of them while you just watched."

"They're not gone," Pluto said, "and I'll show you."

ChibiMoon saw Pluto concentrating, and guessed what she was about to do. "Puu, don't do it!"

Pluto turned her head slightly, and smiled at the nickname she hadn't heard in quite some time. "For your sake, Small Lady, I don't mind the consequences."

Saturn took ChibiMoon's hand as her friend was about to rush to Pluto. "Chibi, trust her."

"But you don't know what she's about to..."

"And you do? Then tell us."

"No need for that," ChibiMoon said with a resigned sigh. "You're about to see it for yourself."

Black Lady hadn't moved. No, she wanted to see just how strong this time bitch was. She wanted to see her strongest attack, to be able to laugh at it when it hit her harmlessly. A part of her mind was telling her that was foolish, and she knew it was right. But she trusted her own power, she knew she would live through whatever Pluto used against her.

"I am Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time, and not many things are out of my reach. I can even make those who are gone return, if only for a moment, by breaking the laws of time and space."

Moon's eyes widened. She could see several faint figures around Pluto now. Terry, Karin, Mamoru, Haruka, Michiru... Everyone who had been killed by Black Lady today! "What is that?"

"A forbidden technique," ChibiMoon said, "it's technically tapping into the realms of other Senshi," she added giving Saturn a short glance, "and besides... Well, you're about to see it."

Pluto rose her staff, and all the figures vanished. Her body shone with energy as she brought the staff down, shouting her attack's name just as it hit the ground. "Pluto Eternity's Curse."

The attack wasn't like the others she had used before. This one was... All the attacks of those who had fallen against this enemy. And all of them hit their target as one, knocking Black Lady through countless buildings as she was sent sailing back at an incredible speed. Pluto, however, fell to her knees as soon as the attack ended, her staff falling near her.

"Puu!"

Pluto turned to ChibiMoon and smiled. "It's okay, Princess, I know we will win this war." She then turned to Moon, who had tears in her face. "Sailor Moon, you must never forget this... You will never be alone, even if we're all gone."

The Senshi all looked at each other as the Time Senshi fell. ChibiMoon and Saturn seemed about ready to explode, moreso when they saw Black Lady was coming their way.

But Black Lady wasn't so confident anymore. That last attack had hurt her. Hurt her beyond anything she thought possible. It was good that Pluto was dead, because one more of those blasts could've killed her. She needed even more power if she hoped to defeat the others. Either that, or killing them all before they powered up.

She was about to land when she saw it. A black cloud in the distance, obscuring the sky. But those weren't her insects, no, those were...

"Youma!" Mercury said looking at the cloud. "There must be ten thousands of them there!"

Moon shivered. Even a million of them wouldn't be enough. They were going to die, they were going to sacrifice themselves for nothing. Everyone was doing that, they were counting on her to defeat this woman... But she was feeling it again, that feeling that kept her from fighting in the past.

There's hope, that's what everyone said, there's always hope. But Sailor Moon herself wasn't so sure of it anymore.

* * *

**A/N:** Maybe ten thousand youma will do what several Senshi couldn't. Or maybe not. Extra points for anyone who figures out who besides the Senshi hasn't tried their luck against Black Lady yet.


	207. Shattering Future

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 20: Crystal Wars.**

**Episode 207: Shattering Future.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 31, 2008_

* * *

The battle was familiar the few Senshi left in the area. It made them remember some of the wars they had fought before. Only this time around roles were reversed, and it was one evil creature against thousands of defenders.

"We're trusting the planet's sake to youma. Isn't that ironic?"

Mercury sighed. "I don't think that's irony, Mina. They are our allies."

"Maybe if we rush in right now..."

"No, I've noticed something about her," Moon said. "She can sense any presence around her, she must know where we are right now."

"So surprise won't work, what about just tackling her?" Jupiter suggested.

"She can shrug off Holy level attacks," Moon said. "Our power won't do."

Nemesis looked at Moon. "Usagi... You're giving up already?"

"I'm not, but we can't fight her in our current level."

It was apparently becoming a norm, and once again, Black Lady solved her problems by blasting everything down. The Senshi gasped as they saw the youma fall. All but two of the youma, who were still standing despite the pain they were feeling. "Those two?"

Apatite looked at Cuprite. "I guess this is it."

"Not yet, we still haven't used _that._"

"But that attack is..."

"We'll die anyways, love... I'd rather die fighting."

Apatite smiled. "Yes, let's do that."

Black Lady groaned. "If you're going to do something, go ahead. I want to have some more fun before I go kill the Senshi."

Apatite glared at Black Lady, then started gathering energy. A giant ball of energy, so large the Senshi instinctively took a step back. The youma queen knew her enemy would fall for it, pay too much attention to this threatening sphere to notice something else.

And it did work. While Apatite gathered all of her life energy into that ball, Cuprite managed to get around Black Lady, vanishing and reappearing next to her. He then clutched his hands around her arms, shooting his own electric power into her body. "Die already!"

Apatite didn't hesitate to shoot. She knew the blast would kill Cuprite, but he was already dying after using all of his own energy. "This is the true power of youma!" she shouted as she tossed the massive energy ball at their foe.

The shockwave resulting from its impact knocked everyone off their feet. Black Lady stood up slowly, again coughing blood and with bruises all around her body. "You stupid underling, you two died for naught!"

"Is that so?" Apatite asked, idly noticing Cuprite wasn't moving anymore. "We've weakened you, so the Senshi can do what they're good at, save this world..."

Black Lady snorted and looked at the Senshi, who were barely done standing up. "So, what's next, are you girls going to attack?"

"Devil's Flare!" A pyre appeared all around Black Lady, and as she screamed in pain, Warwitch floated down near the Senshi. "Sorry I'm late, but I will help too."

"Yuki, this..."

"Don't say a thing, Usagi," Warwitch said. "I'm not a weakling, you know? I've honed my own skills while I waited for a chance to use them at their full strength. And this bitch from hell is just what I was waiting for."

"Why you... Weakling!"

Mercury looked at Black Lady. "This isn't possible... Her power's going up again."

"Great, that'll make it more of a challenge," Warwitch said, then rushed right at Black Lady. "Joker's Trap!"

Black Lady shot an energy blast at Warwitch, but gasped as the girl's body turned into a pile of leaves. "What i-- Ow."

ChibiMoon smiled, seeing Warwitch was standing right behind Black Lady, and had stabbed her staff right through the villain's chest. "She got her!"

"Why, indeed," Black Lady said, smiling despite the pain, "I got her." She sent a blast back at Warwitch, but the witch once again turned into leaves as she was hit. "Stupid tricks won't work on me. I'll blast the whole city to dust to get you!"

Saturn noticed Black Lady's wound was closing. "She has the same power as me... Damn copycat."

"Where's Warwitch?" Venus asked.

"Goddess' Icon!"

"Rei, get your shield up," Mercury said as she heard Warwitch's voice.

"Wha..."

"Just do it!"

Just as Mars did as told, Black Lady noticed something coming her way. It was Warwitch, but her body was shining, and beams of water, fire, ground, electricity, light, darkness and wind spiralled around her. She tackled the villain head-on, and started punching her, each punch backed up by all the elements.

"Holy shit, how can she do that?" Jupiter asked.

Mercury grimaced. "She's putting her own life energy into those attacks, along with great quantities of mana. She's got as much mana control as us right now."

Mars couldn't really believe it, a normal human being able to match an Eternal Senshi's power? No, Nova's last desperate psichic blast had been just as strong, so this wasn't really impossible.

Moon's eyes watered. "Why, why does everyone..."

"Because it's what we need to do to save this world," Nemesis said. "Because even if we didn't chose to be heroes, we aren't going to turn our backs to the world like that."

"How can you be so... Calm about it?" Moon asked, looking at Naru straight in the eyes.

"Calm?" Nemesis snorted. "I'm quite ready to throttle that idiot, Usagi. She killed Umino, she killed many of our friends..."

"Goddess' Blessing!"

Mars' fire shield stood against the blast, but the place where Warwitch and Black Lady had been in became a deep crater. Warwitch fell near the dome, and Moon looked at her as the dome vanished. "Yuki... You too..."

"All that training, and I still couldn't be... The heroine. I guess it's all up to you, Senshi."

"No!"

Nemesis saw Black Lady standing up (her dress was a mess, and her body didn't look quite healthy either,) and growled. "That's it, she's going down."

"Wait, Naru, we need a plan," Mercury said.

"A plan? Did Terry's death shut your brain down, Ami?" Nemesis snapped, but didn't wait for an answer.

Black Lady chuckled. "Aww, the darkness freak comes out to play..."

"Shut up," Nemesis snapped.

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at your princess... At your childhood friend. Sitting there, doing nothing. She should be standing by your side, but no, she has better friends to stand with."

Nemesis didn't answer, just vanished. "Nemesis Holy Power!"

"What the fuck..." Jupiter looked all around her. "Where is she?"

"The shadows are hers to play with," Mercury noted. "And her power right now is incredibly high." She saw her shadow, and those of her friends, starting to twitch, then they detached from their bodies. "Oh, now that's a new one."

Black Lady was trying to find her foe, but she couldn't sense her. No, it wasn't that, but she could sense her all around her! That didn't make sense, how could she be everywhere at once?

Nemesis voice came from all around her, too. "You consider yourself a creature of darkness... But you have never seen Darkness' true face, Black Lady. Let me show you the horrors hiding in the shadows. Nemesis Darkness Purge!"

Moon couldn't help but gasp at the new attack. Black Lady's body was covered by shadows, shadows that kept on gathering until she really looked like a 'black lady,' like a walking shadow. And the villain's screams meant that attack wasn't just for shows, and that Naru was giving her quite a beating.

"This is... This much power, how can you be so near to Pluto's..."

"I am darkness itself. For all the deaths you caused, I'm going to crush you, right here, right now."

Black Lady fell to her knees. Now she finally understood what some of the others had said. The strongest warriors, they weren't just talking about Moon and ChibiMoon, but those who were still alive, those she had overlooked while she killed the others. Those she thought weak, but now she realized it was just because they hadn't reached their next level yet.

The darkness, she could feel it burning her from the inside. It was too much to bear! _'And that's it, you've reached your limits already. Such a strong warrior you are, you couldn't even kill the one you were cloned from. You're a failure.'_

That voice... It sounded like her own. She didn't know what it meant, but it was right. She couldn't be defeated by anyone, not even Sailor Moon. She wasn't just another evil creature for them to kill.

"You are darkness itself, you say?" she snapped at the shadows all around her, "then if that's the case, I'm evil itself. Begone!"

Energy shot out of Black Lady's body, blasting the shadows apart. Nemesis fell to the ground near the others, and staggered up.

"Naru!"

Nemesis stood there, looking at the others. Yes, she could feel it, the blood flowing from several cuts and bruises, her life fading, and fast. "This... I'm sure this isn't the end," she said as she fell to the ground, turning her head to look at Moon. "Don't let this be... The Senshi's end, Usagi."

Moon backed away. "No, this can't be, we have to get out of here!"

"Mom?" ChibiMoon was worried. If Moon wasn't up to fight, then they had already lost this battle.

"Usagi, get a grip!" Mars snapped. "There's nowhere to run, don't you get it? We can't run... We must not run, not unless you want all our friends' deaths to be worthless."

"Poor Moon Princess, she's broken for good."

"She might be, but I'm not," ChibiMoon snapped.

Saturn smiled. "Time for a rematch."

"Hotaru, you can't..." ChibiMoon's eyes widened as Saturn silenced her with a kiss.

"Let's make sure that isn't our last kiss," the Death Senshi said.

"Hmph, you two can't defeat me."

"You're right, but you're forgetting something about me."

"Hah, and what might that be?"

"I am Sailor Moon too, and I will never give up. Moon Holy Power!"

"Saturn Holy Power!"

Black Lady took a few steps back as the two powered up. Saturn wasn't really that strong, but ChibiMoon... She was... Her power was simply incredible. Even with her current level, Black Lady realized a fight against her was going to be painful. "Hmph... You're not really Sailor Moon. You're lacking a lot of her traits. But I'll have to admit one thing, I'm glad I was created from your soul and not hers... You, at least, aren't a coward."

"Oh, that's cute," ChibiMoon said, her voice emotionless. "You're going to regret calling my mother a coward for the rest of your life... It's a pity you don't have much time left."

* * *

**A/N:** Hope I don't have to describe the suits here... They're always the same for all the Sailors/Dragons, only the color changes.

We're down to the 'main characters' now. Will the body count keep on increasing, or will one of them be able to stop Black Lady for good? Keep on reading, there's not much left to go before this battle's conclusion.

_wildflower1014:_ Yeah, me too. Pluto didn't get enough screentime, and her attacks were not that impressive.


	208. The Strongest Warriors

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 20: Crystal Wars.**

**Episode 208: The Strongest Warriors.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: October 31, 2008_

* * *

"It's only been one hour since the fight started, but they've already destroyed twenty percent of the city."

"That's bad news. What about the evacuation?"

Seia shook her head. "We're going as fast as we can, but I don't think we will be able to evacuate even ten percent of the civilians. "

"Do as much as you can, that's all I can ask of you right now," Kino said, then turned to Tomoe as Seia's image left the monitor. "How are things going on the front line?"

"They're bad... The Senshi are down to only seven."

"Seven?" Kino asked, dreading the worse.

"Don't worry, Jupiter is still there. And take a look at these numbers."

Kino looked at the screen and blinked in disbelief. "Are those two... "

"Saturn and ChibiMoon, and yes, they're stronger than Pluto right now. By far, in ChibiMoon's case."

"Why aren't the others helping them?"

"I'm not sure, maybe it's their plan," Tomoe noted. He was quite impressed, however, at how his daughter was fighting. She wasn't the old, anti-social and physically weak Hotaru that Sailor Pluto recruited to help her fight the youma. No, this was Sailor Saturn, one of the strongest Senshi. He was really proud of her. "Or maybe they don't need to fight."

* * *

Aiko was also looking at the battle, and she wished she could join them in that battle. But it wasn't possible, for two reasons. First off, saying Black Lady was out of her league would be the biggest undestatement ever. And second, Hikaru and Hisako were there, she was keeping an eye on them until the battle ended.

But this was an unusual fight. Time and again had Black Lady been on the verge of defeat, but she kept on powering up. It was almost as if she had some of ChibiUsa's traits. They had never fought someone quite as her, someone who seemed to fight for her destiny even when all odds were against her.

And that was also the case right now. Aiko's scanners couldn't measure the power the two fighting her had, but it was clear Black Lady was both outnumbered and outpowered. Maybe this was it, Saturn and ChibiMoon could win this.

"Why isn't mom fighting?"

Aiko turned to Hisako. "I'm not sure... Mom must have a plan. I'm sure they'll join the fight soon."

* * *

Saturn dove to the side as Black Lady tried to stab her through. "That's not going to work again."

Black Lady saw the two slowly circling her and smiled. "That's pathetic, Saturn... You're just ChibiMoon's shadow, aren't you? Always supporting her like the little fangirl you are. The truth is, you can't beat me on your own, you're just a sidekick."

"You know, you're showing just how much of a loser you are right now," Saturn mused, "provoking us like that, trying to make us lose our temper, because you know you won't defeat us otherwise. That's what weaklings do, provoke their foes and hope for the best."

Black Lady growled at that and charged at Saturn. Before she could reach her, however, something hit her from the side.

"Moonlight Redemption!"

Saturn saw the villain sailing away and gasped. "Moon?"

Sailor Moon's hand was still shining. "This is enough, I'm going to defeat her myself!"

"Mom, leave this to us!"

Moon shook her head. "No way, if I lose you too, I..."

"Right now I'm far stronger than you," ChibiMoon said. "I don't need your help."

Moon looked at the others. Yes, her daughter was right, she needed to... She concentrated, and for a moment she could see the faces of all her fallen friends. That was the key, that had to be, but then why wasn't she powering up? "I can't..."

Mars saw Moon look down and grimaced. "Usagi, what's wrong?"

"I can't get to their level... For some reason, even when I think about those who died to stop that monster, I... I simply can't do it. "

Mercury frowned and looked at Moon, going over her scanner's data as fast as she could. "Strange, there's nothing wrong with you, not physically, and your powers seem okay, too."

"Then what..." Moon started, but stopped as she saw Black Lady was back. "Girls, please, help my daughter..."

"No, stand back!" ChibiMoon said. "None of you can fight her, you're just going to die if you try."

"That's true, but they're going to die even if they don't try," Black Lady taunted. "Show's been fun, but it's time to end this." She smiled as a black aura surrounded her again. "This time, I'm going to destroy you, ChibiMoon!"

"Her power's gone up again," Mercury noted. "She's stronger than them now."

"No..." Moon paled. Her daughter was in danger, and she could do nothing to help her. Why? She was Sailor Moon, the leader of the Senshi, then why couldn't she find more power within herself?

ChibiMoon had, meanwhile, stopped Black Lady's charge with a straight to the face. A punch backed with enough magic to blast a building to dust, but it only caused the villain to stagger back. "Heh, you're pretty strong, I admit it."

"So I am," Black Lady noted. She knew Saturn was up to something, but what? Oh, that.

Saturn brought her glaive down on Black Lady from behind, but Black Lady caught it with her bare hands. The villain was about to gloat when she realized Saturn's body was shining, energy arching around her. The Death Senshi looked at ChibiMoon and smiled sadly. "Guess that was our last kiss, after all."

ChibiMoon paled. "Hotaru, don't do it!"

Black Lady realized her mistake a little too late. She tried to move away, but couldn't move a muscle. It was then that she realized several wraiths were around her, keeping her pinned in place. "You stupid bitch, whatever you try, it's going to fail."

"How little you know about my power... I am Sailor Saturn, the Senshi of Death, but my power can go beyond that. Let me show you the forbidden skill which created the asteroid belt. Death Reborn Revolution!"

Black Lady was still frozen in place, and still holding the glaive's blade. That stopped Saturn's attack from splitting the Earth in half, but it didn't stop her from creating an explosion that made all other blasts in this battle seem harmless. Even though Mars had put her shield up, the Senshi were still knocked off their feet, and were sent flying away.

As the blast died out, ChibiMoon staggered up. She hadn't been knocked away, but that blast had still hurt her quite a lot. But at least, that bitch was gone. It was then that she felt something, something she hoped wasn't true. "No!"

Black Lady walked out of the crater Saturn's blast created, and smiled at her. "That was impressive, yes, but in my current level, it only hurt a bit."

ChibiMoon froze for a second. Hotaru was gone. She had died trying to destroy this woman, and had failed. She was...

Black Lady used her shock to get close to her, and swung her fist at ChibiMoon's face, channeling an enormous quantity of mana into it. However, she was quite surprised when ChibiMoon stopped her punch with one hand, still not looking her way. "You brat, why aren't you broken?"

"My will can't break," ChibiMoon said. "Just like my mother's will. "

"Hah, that's funny. Last I knew, she was just standing there waiting to watch you die."

"Stop speaking ill of her, scum."

"What are you going to do, try to blow the planet up like your girlfriend? You two made quite a nice couple, the wraith and the angel-wannabe. Too bad she won't be here to see you d--"

ChibiMoon smiled coldly at Black Lady, her sword now piercing the villain's chest. "You talk too much, moron. Moon Princess Anihilation!"

One could say ChibiMoon's new attack was just another 'beam coming out of the ground' attack. But Black Lady's brain was quite aware of the damage it caused. She fell to the ground, grunting, and something became clear to her. That wasn't enough, her power wasn't enough, she had to find a way to kill this enemy!

As she stood up, the wound in her chest closing as fast as she could manage, she could see something was different with ChibiMoon. "No damn way in Hell."

ChibiMoon smiled at her, holding Saturn's glaive with both hands. "It's only fitting that I kill you with this."

Black Lady saw ChibiMoon vanish, and smiled. It was only a matter of sensing where she was, and then attacking when... But she couldn't sense her. It was almost as if she had stopped existing. What...

Then the glaive hit her, slashing a line down her back, but as she turned, ChibiMoon wasn't there. "How the hell..."

"A little trick I've taught myself... I know what you're really sensing is our power, our magic energy. But I can shut down my power for as long as I want, and I can also come out of that state whenever I want during a battle. To you, unless you can see me with your eyes, I am invisible."

Black Lady frowned. Okay, this was a new one, even for her. She had the advantage while she could sense where the others were, but right now, that was gone, and ChibiMoon had the element of surprise in her favor. But the battle wasn't lost, she would just have to try and find a flaw in her skill.

* * *

Moon woke up and tried to stand up. She immediately regretted doing that, as every muscle of her body shot warnings at her brain. "What... What happened?"

Mars was sitting right besides her, and smiled. "Saturn used her forbidden skill, that's what happened. The blast popped my shield like it was a soap bubble."

"And it took out about fifty percent of what was left of the city," Mercury said. "But the bad news are... She's gone."

Venus flinched "Damn, but at least she took care of..."

"No, she didn't," Moon noted. She could feel it, Black Lady was still alive, but... Why couldn't she feel ChibiMoon's presence? "Girls, we have to help ChibiUsa!"

"Yes, we're ready for that," Venus said.

"We will show that bitch not to mess with us," Jupiter added.

"For everyone that died today," Mercury noted.

"We will defeat her, even if it costs us our lives," Mars said.

Moon smiled, but on the inside, she was worried. Why couldn't she do it, with all the grief, all the anger she was feeling, she should have been able to power up. What was missing?

* * *

Black Lady frowned. She had a deep cut in her right arm, and a shallow one in the back of her leg. The little bitch was playing with her, was she so sure of her victory? "I thought you heroines fought fair."

"I stopped fighting fair the moment you killed Hotaru."

It was annoying, she couldn't even sense where her voice was coming from. Another slash, this time from the front, and she now had a diagonal wound across her belly. "Damn bitch..."

"That's how it goes, clone. Keep on healing, I know that power also has a limit, I've been with Saturn long enough. I'm going to show you all the pain you've caused each of us. And then, before your mind shuts down from the damage, I'm going to kill you."

"Hmph... You're a brat, you're trying to sound so secure, but the truth is, you are just waiting for your mother. Yes, waiting for her to come and kick my ass, that's what you're doing. What an obedient little girl you are, ChibiUsa."

"As Hotaru herself said, that won't work with us. I'm not blinded by rage, I'm using rage as a weapon."

Black Lady sensed it at the same time ChibiMoon did, and turned to see the five Senshi appear. "Welcome, Sailor Moon, you're right in time to see your little girl die."

Mars saw Black Lady shoot at them and rose her shield. As the blast was deflected, she looked around. "Where's ChibiMoon?"

"Still here, I'll tell you how I do this once I'm done killing this bitch."

"This bitch will kill someone first," Black Lady snapped. "You Senshi seem to forget your enemies' true power all too soon." She aimed her hand straight at Moon, she couldn't see her, but she could sense her behind the shield.

"That's not going to work," Mars noted. "Your attacks can't get through this barrier."

"That's absolutely true, my attacks can't. Dark Princess Anihilation!"

Moon's face lost its color as she sensed just how much energy that attack had. But it never reached the shield, as something blocked its path. She knew who that was, and also knew she would have wished to die herself if it meant not having to see what she was seeing. "ChibiUsa!"

Black Lady snorted. "Always the protector, that's your downfall."

Moon rushed to ChibiMoon's side, while the four other Senshi stood in front of her, protecting her from Black Lady. "ChibiUsa, please, don't... You can't die."

"What is wrong with you?" ChibiMoon said weakly. "I can see it in your eyes, you're not going to win like this. Please, mom, don't give up hope."

Moon's tears were flowing freely now, she knew her daughter wasn't going to live for much longer. "I can't fight, I can't go on without you."

"But you have to... You're the only one who can do this, Sailor Moon. "

Mars flinched as she looked back. ChibiMoon was gone, and Moon was crying her heart out now. She couldn't blame her, she really couldn't, this wasn't the old Usagi, the crybaby, this was a warrior who had seen her friends and her family fall. She didn't know what she could do against this enemy, she didn't know if she could compare to ChibiMoon's power, but she would still try. "Mars Holy Power!"

Mercury looked at her friend's transformation and smiled. "I see it now, keeping my anger bottled inside and trying to pretend I was planning something... What an idiot I was. But now I know what the plan will be. Mercury Holy Power!"

Jupiter looked at Moon and could feel her anger boiling. "Don't worry, Princess, we'll avenge your daughter's death... We'll avenge everyone's deaths. Jupiter Holy Power!"

"For the world's sake, for future's sake, we can't give up. We will defeat this enemy. Venus Holy Power!"

Black Lady was apparently unphased by this, but deep inside, she was quite worried. These four... Individually, they couldn't compare to Moon or ChibiMoon, but if they all fought as one... They were the strongest warriors.

The question was, right now, was she ready to face them? Was she strong enough to defeat these four, or would her destiny escape from her hands when she was so close? Only one way to find out. She wasn't going to go down without a fight "Die!"

Moon looked up and saw Black Lady shooting a wide energy beam. It hit its mark, and everything went white for a moment, but as the light dimmed, she could see her friends... Mars had raised her shield, so the four were unscratched.

Maybe they could do it, maybe she didn't need to fight, after all. But a part of her mind was telling her that this was still hopeless, that they couldn't win. No, everyone else had died trying to kill BLack Lady, but the four girls... Her four friends, she knew they would do it. They would defeat this enemy, and then... Then they could think of a way to bring everyone back.

* * *

**A/N:** I don't really think I can torture Moon much longer. Fortunately for her, the fight's almost over. But does that mean they'll win?

_SailorStar9:_ I'm not going to ruin the surprise. If it even is a surprise.


	209. End Of The Road

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 20: Crystal Wars.**

**Episode 209: End Of The Road.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: November 3, 2008_

* * *

"Sir, we must leave the city immediately."

Hino didn't look at the man who had just entered his office. "Right, " he said after a minute, "let's get out of here."

As he walked through the corridors, he couldn't stop thinking about the battle. About Rei, who could die today. If things went bad, he would outlive his own daughter, a daughter that had never really seen him as a father. And he also thought about Hisako. No, the Senshi would win this, they always won, so why would this time be different?

Still, those words were just words, and he knew this could be their last battle.

* * *

Tomoe looked at the monitor, glaring at the villain. "I knew we should have saved that cannon for later."

"Even that cannon wouldn't..."

"I know," Tomoe said. "General, it would be wise to leave this base immediately."

"But we can't..."

Tomoe looked at Seia, who had returned to the base only minutes ago. "It can't be helped. It's not only Black Lady, but those four... I can't get a reading on their power anymore."

"Meaning...?"

"Meaning they could blast the city to the sky, and possibly anything close enough to it."

"Okay, that sounds like a very good reason to leave." She didn't like running away, but what else could they do right now? If Tomoe's scans were right (and they always were,) then there weren't enough nukes in the planet to bring Black Lady down.

* * *

Black Lady couldn't really get it. The four had transformed, but neither Mars nor Mercury were attacking. In fact, only Venus was attacking her right now, but not with magic.

Which didn't mean she could do a damn thing to stop the lightspeed bitch. And she wasn't sure 'lightspeed' was just a figure of speech anymore, she could feel the impact of several _dozen_ blows per second.

It wasn't damaging her all that much, true, but given a few more minutes of this, and she would be in too much pain to even try fighting back. No, she had to find a way to stop Venus, before the others joined up. She had to...

She saw Venus, if only for a split second, and next she knew, a powerful kick to the chest had sent her flying back... And straight to Jupiter.

Jupiter put one arm around the back of her neck, the pressure choking her to the point she could feel her neck bones protesting. But that was nothing compared to what followed. Jupiter attacked just once. She felt the blow in her whole body, it had only been one hit from Jupiter, one punch, and she was sent blasting through too many buildings for her to care counting.

"Jupiter..."

"I guess I don't know my own strength now," Jupiter joked.

"This power is awesome," Venus said, not stopping her dash. "I don't feel tired at all."

Jupiter looked around. Moon was where she had last been, she hadn't moved at all. Why, she should be even more furious than them, she always had more energy than everyone else combined, so why wasn't she up to their level yet?

"She's scared," Mars said, guessing what Jupiter was thinking. "Even now, she's scared that she might lose us too, that's why she can't reach Holy level."

"That's bad, but we can win this without her help," Mercury said.

"Yes, we haven't tried our magic yet, and look at that bitch," Venus noted.

Black Lady was flying to them, furious, her hair a mess and her dress looked closer to rags now. "You weaklings, I'm going to destroy you all!"

"You won't," Mercury said, gathering energy fast. She idly noticed that she could gather a larger quantity of mana in a way shorter time than she could before. "Endless Winter!"

"Deja vu," Jupiter said as Black Lady was encased in ice.

"Inferno Demon!"

The ground shattered near Mars, and a fire construct crawled out of it. It was a large demon, and it didn't waste a second to rush at the ice block, punching through it and sending Black Lady skipping back.

"My turn," Jupiter said and vanished, reappearing right behind Black Lady, who was too stunned to even see her. "Thunder Goddess' Hand!"

"That had to hurt," Mercury mused. Jupiter had gathered a quite incredible quantity of electricity in her right glove, then punched Black Lady away. And the flight path was now straight to where Venus was.

"And last but not least," Venus said, then pointed her finger at Black Lady as if she was going to use her old Crescent Beam. "Heavenly Light Dome!"

As the name indicated, a dome of light appeared around Black Lady, both stopping her flight, and causing quite a lot of damage. The villain fell to her knees, panting and bleeding out of several cuts in her skin.

"What do you know, we didn't blast the city to dust with these," Jupiter mused.

Black Lady staggered up, glaring at the four in turns. "You stupid bitches, that really hurt!"

"That was kinda the idea, loser," Venus snapped back.

"But you're not... You're not like her yet. You're not strong enough to defeat me. _I will kill you all!_" She said that last bit just as darkness surrounded her once again, and a crystal appeared in front of her. "Yes, this is just what I need right now, the ultimate power!"

"That's ChibiUsa's ginzuishou," Mercury noted, realizing what that meant even before Black Lady's transformation was over. "Girls, be careful, she's way above our level now!"

"It wouldn't be as fun to beat her if she was weaker than us," Jupiter noted, "but she's forgetting something, she's not facing just the four of us."

Mercury frowned. "What do you..."

Venus smiled. "Yes, our friends are still with us."

Black Lady snorted. "That's just talk, little girls. Prepare to... What the hell?"

Jupiter smiled. She had summoned her hammer, but was also holding Earth's crystal. "I think you should be the one prepared."

Venus nodded. She was now holding her own chain sword, along with Venus' dragon sword. "Yes, because we're going to show you the meaning of power right now."

Black Lady saw both Jupiter and Venus vanish and frowned. "Oh come on, fight fair will you?"

Jupiter appeared right behind her, not giving her a split second to react. "Supreme Rock Thunder Dragon!" A massive rock dragon appeared, its body cracking with electricity, and it tackled Black Lady head-on.

Venus was next, appearing right in front of Black Lady. "Love Goddess' Kiss." She blew a kiss in Black Lady's direction, and a ball of light appeared floating right in front of Venus. She then slashed the ball in half with the Dragon Sword, and its energy gathered in her own chain sword, which she used to release an onslaught of sword slashes into the villain.

Black Lady fell to her knees, but stood up smiling. "Yes, this is more like it! I will defeat the strongest warriors of this Universe!"

"She's delusional," Mercury said, summoning the Frostbite.

"Let's put an end to her misery," Mars said, summoning the Mars Sword.

"Just try," Black Lady taunted.

"Okay," Mars said. "Mars Fire Star... Rage!"

"Holy shit, not that again!" Jupiter said.

"No, this is different," Mercury said, "she's not using all of Mars' mana."

And the attack was, indeed, different, but the base was the same, and Mars punched and kicked Black Lady many times to count, every blow backed by fire magic.

Just as Mars' attack ended, Mercury used her own. "Winter's Requiem"

Black Lady was caught in an upwards blizzard, but she saw not only ice around her. No, there were wraiths there, countless wraiths, and they all attacked her as they passed, either by clawing at her, or by passing right through her.

When that last attack passed, Black Lady was down on her knees. "So much power..."

"Give up, witch, next time we're going to kill you," Venus snapped.

"Sorry, you're not," Black Lady mused as she stood up.

Mercury paled. "Girls, keep your guards up!"

Black Lady smiled coldly. "I could just blast you away with your own powers, but what would be the fun in that? No, let me show you my own power. Dark Queen's Torment!"

Moon had been watching the fight, and up to that point, she was sure her friends were winning. But as she saw the ripples of darkness shooting out of the evil woman's body, and heard the screams of pain of her friends, she realized it was useless to fight.

And her friends all fell around her, they all seemed to be in extreme pain, and she could tell they weren't going to resist it much longer. "No... Girls, please, you have to hold on..."

"No use... She's stronger than us..." Jupiter said, "But you can defeat her, Usagi."

"Yes, you'll find the way, you always do," Venus said.

Moon realized the two had stopped breathing. "No..."

"You never let fear defeat you. Never." Mercury smiled at Moon despite the pain she was feeling. "Even if we don't come back, you can't let that monster win. For everyone's sake..."

Moon's face lost color. Mercury too, was gone. "Everyone... I can't..."

"Pull yourself together, Usako," Mars said.

Moon looked at her friend. "Rei, please, don't die."

"Shut up and listen. I know you're scared, but you have to fight on. You will never be alone, Usagi, you can win this. You have to win this war."

"But what if I can't defeat her?"

"Then I guess... I will be waiting to slap you in the afterlife," Mars said. "We all trust you, all you need to do to defeat her is to... Trust yourself too..."

Moon looked at Mars. It was over, her friends were gone. She stood up and looked at Black Lady, fighting back the tears that kept on falling down her cheeks. "You monster..."

"Oh, I was waiting for this, crybaby. Go ahead, power up so I can kill you just like I killed all your friends."

Moon tried to focus, tried to gather all the rage, all the grief, but... It was still useless, she couldn't transform. She couldn't win this fight.

She couldn't fight anymore. Her friends couldn't understand it, but she now knew it wasn't worth it. Why fight like that when they couldn't win?

_'Because they're not cowards. What about you?'_

That voice, her own voice. Maybe it was right, she was a coward, but what was she fighting for? For the future? What future? Now that her friends were gone, gone forever, there was no point in fighting. Even if she won, even if she built Crystal Tokyo, it would be an empty city, a meaningless image. No, it was not worth it.

_'Then if it wasn't worth it, why did you even start to fight? If you really didn't believe in that future, then you should've never become Sailor Moon.'_

No, if she hadn't been there to protect the world, then evil would've taken over years ago...

_'Big difference. Metallia, Death Phantom, Black Lady. It doesn't matter when you give up, but only that you give up so easily.'_

"I'm waiting," Black Lady snapped, then sensed something. Something, in the back of her mind, a feeling like that she had felt when she fought that insane Senshi. "... This can't be, she's not like her."

Giving up easily? Moon wished that voice wasn't her own, but it was. Was she really giving up too soon?

_'Think about it. You're giving up without even fighting, without even trying? What are you scared of, dying? Such a great leader you are, your friends all trust you to defeat this enemy to their last breath, and you give up after all they went through to stop her?'_

Black Lady frowned. No, she wasn't mistaken, Moon was starting to gather energy, and it was more than she had first thought. "No... You bitch, you won't beat me. I will kill you before you transform!"

Moon didn't notice Black Lady rushing to her. She was too deep in thought to even care right now. But... She was Sailor Moon, she was the one that supposedly never gave up. The one that believed in destiny more than anyone else. The one that had won against overwhelming odds many times in the past. And yes, she could see it in her mind, the faces of all her friends. She wasn't alone, she wasn't defeated yet, and she wouldn't give up. "Moon Holy Power!"

Black Lady saw the white aura around Moon and paled. She couldn't stop her dash, however, but the aura was gone as soon as it had appeared, and... A white-gloved hand was clutching her fist, and the person that was standing there looked way different than the helpless girl she had been about to attack. "This changes nothing, I will still kill you."

"No, you won't," Sailor Moon said, not turning to look at her. "This is the end of the road for you, Black Lady."

* * *

**A/N:** You can guess it on your own, I suppose, but yeah, next will be the last episode for Chronicles. It won't be the last for Cyber Moon, but I'm probably not going to start off Crystal immediately after finishing that up. I've got a thousand years of "history" to plan first.

And yes, Black Lady's got one ass-kicking coming her way.


	210. Crystal Rebirth

**Cyber Moon: Chronicles.**

**Act 20: Crystal Wars.**

**Episode 210: Crystal Rebirth.**

_By Razor Knight_

_Last update: November 3, 2008_

* * *

Black Lady jumped away from Moon and flinched. For a moment, there had been six pairs of wings on her back, but now they were gone. The suit was much like all other Holy Senshi, only she had a tiara. A crystalline tiara, and the moon crescent could be seen glowing behind it. Still, her looks weren't going to scare her so easily. "End of the road? Hah, you wish!"

Moon glared at her. "You're not blind, you should be seeing my power."

"I am. But I'm not going to give up."

"That's too bad," Moon said. Black Lady rushed in and punched her straight in the face, but Moon didn't even move. "I'm serious, give up."

Black Lady clutched her hand. It had been like trying to punch a wall, and her hand was telling her it had been a very bad idea. "You bitch..."

"How juvenile, insulting me because you can't win. I think it's time to end this for good."

"Yes, it is," Black Lady said, then started laughing. "Dark Queen's Apocalypse!"

Moon could barely stay on her feet as a wave of black energy exploded from Black Lady's body. As the attack passed, she noticed it hadn't hurt her as much as she had expected. It was then that she noticed something about her own power: It was still growing, as if her crystal wanted to gather as much mana as possible. As the darkness faded and she looked around, however, she was shocked by what she saw... Or by what she didn't see. "No!" Tokyo was, to put it simply, nothing but charred remains of buildings and burnt-out, dead vegetation. This woman had killed millions of innocents in one shot. She just couldn't believe how sadistic and insane this creature was.

Black Lady looked around as well, and laughed. "See what pissing me off got you? There's no Tokyo anymore, Usagi. What else will you lose before you realize you can't win?"

Moon didn't answer with words. Instead, she phased right to where Black Lady was, delivering a jab to her nose that sent her spinning backwards. She phased again, this time under Black Lady, and kicked her up. A third, swift teleportation got her up in the air, exactly where Black Lady's forced flight's peak would be.

Black Lady remembered being hit by something, and then she was inside a small crater. "That hurt, you moon slut."

Moon smiled as she showed her a Ginzuishou. "I hope you don't mind me snatching this from you." It wasn't her own Ginzuishou, it was...

"Hey, give me that back!"

Moon frowned. "This doesn't belong to you. It belongs to my daughter."

"She's dead, moron."

"I know that," Moon said, then smiled coldly. "And I guess I should thank you for that."

"Thank me?" The villain was confused. Had Moon's mind cracked finally?

"Of course. Despite how painful it all was for me, now I see your attack was more of a blessing than a curse." Her suit changed in a second, becoming that of Queen Serenity. "Thanks to you, my true power has finally awakened."

"A pretty dress won't save you!" Black Lady snapped, summoning a black crystal blade and heading straight for the Queen. Serenity, however, didn't move, and simply chuckled as Black Lady bounced into an invisible forcefield. "Impossible."

"Haven't you heard?" Serenity said with a playful smile, "nothing's impossible for us Senshi."

"I'm tired of hearing that, actually," Black Lady snapped, "but... I won't give up. You'll have to kill me to stop my attacks!"

Serenity looked at her, with no emotion in her eyes. "No, I won't have to kill you. Killing you would be the easy way out for you."

Black Lady realized she couldn't move anymore. Serenity was holding her immobile! She tried to break through it with her powers, but they weren't responding. "What... What will you do with me?"

"Just be quiet for a while," Serenity said, "I've got some work to do before dealing with you."

Black Lady saw the scenery around her change. The charred remains of the city slowly transformed, becoming crystal-like buildings, and she could see crystal spires in the distance, and a large, familiar building in the distance. "Crystal Tokyo..."

Serenity looked around. The bodies of her friends were all around her now, and she smiled sadly. "If I was like you, I would be gloating about how absolute my power is, but... Instead of doing that, I will show you what it can do."

Black Lady saw the bodies shine with light for several seconds, and as they started to move, she realized she couldn't speak anymore. What was Serenity going to do with her? Why didn't she just kill her now? Was she going to kill her in front of all her friends?

"Welcome back, guys."

Mars was the first to find her voice, and kneeled on the ground. "Queen Serenity..."

"Please, guys," Serenity sighed as she saw many of her friends follow Mars' lead. "It's still me, Usagi."

"I don't get it," Saturn said, "how are we alive?"

"That's my fault, I guess," Serenity noted, then cringed. "But I'm not different than you, I cannot bring you back again."

Dragon Earth, or rather Endymion, walked to her. "You look stunning in that dress, Serenity."

"You don't look bad at all," Serenity admitted.

Pluto was still too busy looking around. "Crystal Tokyo is born. The future is steering to it's ideal again."

Dragon Mercury noticed something and frowned. "Hey, why is that bitch still alive?"

"Because I won't kill her," Serenity said, "but don't worry, she's harmless now."

"Then I could kill her for you," ChibiMoon said.

"No," Serenity said, "death wouldn't be enough punishment for her. I know just the way to punish her for her evil deeds."

"Then what..."

"Any last words?" Serenity asked Black Lady.

The villain felt her voice returning. "I will be back, and I will destroy you all!"

"No, you won't," Serenity said, giving Black Lady a meaningful stare.

"What... What have you done... No! You can't do this, you..."

Jupiter blinked as Black Lady vanished. "What happened to her?"

"I sent her back to the dimension where she was sent, to that planet which is full of the insects she's bullied into her slaves. They only feared her because of her power, but that won't be a problem anymore..."

"You took away her powers..." Mercury paled.

"Yes, but she's not going to die. I made sure of that."

"A destiny worse than death," Dragon Mercury said. "You scare me."

"Don't be scared, I wouldn't do that to anyone, but she went out of her way."

"Huh? What did she do?" Mars asked, "besides killing us, I mean."

"She destroyed Tokyo, all of it."

"So you..." Saturn blinked. "You didn't just rebuild the city, you revived everyone who had been killed by her?"

"Yes?"

"And you're not tired in the least?" Lilith asked.

Mercury was scanning Serenity, and unconsciously took a step back. "That's... She's channeling so much power right now, I can't find a word to describe it."

Serenity looked in the direction of the Crystal Palace. "Shall we go to our new home?"

"Hey, isn't that thing's center..."

Serenity smiled. "The central tower is just where the Tokyo Tower used to be."

"So, how will we get there? Flying?"

"No," Serenity said, and then they were all gone.

* * *

They all appeared inside the throne room. "Wow, it's just as we remembered it..."

"Yeah, except the city out there isn't torn to pieces," Dragon Venus noted.

"So now what... You think other countries will accept this?" Dragon Mercury asked.

"I don't know," Serenity said, "I'll let Endymion take care of most politic issues. We will see, but note that any attack on this city by human weaponry will be useless."

Aiko appeared in there, with Hisako and Hikaru. "This is incredible... One moment we were blasted out by that darkness beam, then next I know I woke up somewhere in this place..."

"Welcome to Crystal Tokyo," Serenity mused.

"Serenity..." Aiko gasped.

"Please, not that again..."

Luna smiled. "You will have to get used to that, Queen Serenity."

"I guess I will have to... But please, guys, when we're in private, try to remember who I really am."

"We still do, Usagi," Mars admitted.

Jupiter summoned her comm and smiled. "Hi there, uncle Taichi."

Kino looked at Jupiter in shock. "Just what happened?"

Serenity smiled, and Kino's image appeared in a large monitor on the far wall of the room. "General Kino, I'll need some time to think of a way to address the citizens. But in case you can't tell, Crystal Tokyo has been born."

"So that explains the dress," Kino noted, then gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I don't really know how to call you now."

"Queen Serenity, that is my title," Serenity said.

"You did all this, right? The city, the resurrections..."

"Yes."

"It's good to see the Senshi are all still here to protect our world," Seia said from the side.

Dragon Mercury chuckled. "Well, you know us Senshi. Takes a lot more than killing us to kill us."

Mercury sighed. "Definitely, his sense of humor is hopeless."

"So, what about the civilians?"

Serenity took a moment to think about it then smiled. "I will address them all in two hours."

* * *

Serenity looked out from the balcony and sighed. It had been one month since what the citizens of Crystal Tokyo had called the Crystal Rebirth. One month since their lives had changed forever. Many of her friends were still in the city, but others had left.

Haruka and Michiru had been the first to abandon the city. They said they didn't want to sit still while there was still evil to fight outside the 'utopia.' Lilith and Dragon Sun had followed their lead, and said they would come back when they were bored of fighting.

ChibiMoon, or Princess Serenity as she was called nowadays, she knew the girl had been tempted to leave the city too. Why she had remained within the palace, she couldn't really tell. And she wouldn't ask, she knew her daughter would have her own reasons.

Every one of her friends, except for one, was happy about the change, one way or another. But she considered the one still unhappy one of her closest friends, and as such, Serenity had been looking for a way to grant her her wish.

And the crystal had already given her an answer. True, the artifact didn't really speak, but she could understand what it 'said' to her, not with her mind, but with her heart. Serenity had waited until today, though, because she knew it was a special date for her friend.

* * *

Rei looked at the small patch of forest. It was a nice touch, a nice change from the city's dull crystal landscape, but it was also something else. And she knew Serenity hadn't created that forest there for no reason: That was the place where Hikawa Shrine had once been.

Now here she was, with Hisako, in the anniversary of his death, standing in what had once been a temple, and she could still feel the throbbing ache in her heart as she thought about him.

Hisako smiled. "Despite what happened here... This place also brings good memories."

Rei couldn't help but smile at that. "Yes, that's true, I had a lot of good times here, this is the place where we first kissed, and..." Rei suddenly stopped. No, her mind was playing tricks on her, it couldn't be true.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Hisako asked. Her mother looked like she had seen a ghost.

Rei saw someone walking out of the forest and could feel tears forming in her eyes. Yes, it was him!

Hisako saw him a second after her mother, and smiled. "Dad?"

"Yes, it's me. You've grown up a lot, Hisa."

"Yuu!" Rei rushed to him and hugged him tightly, fearing he would vanish again. "But how can you be here, how can you..." She realized it all too fast and sighed. "Serenity."

Yuu nodded. "She spoke to me in my mind, explained it all to me before bringing me here. Rei, I'm sorry, I can't believe I missed all these years of your lives..."

Rei kissed him, and noticed Hisako was still just standing there, dumbfounded. "Hisa, it's really him."

"I know, but a part of me still can't believe this," she said, but then shrugged and hugged her father. "But I've missed you so much..."

Rei nodded. "We'll have to thank your aunt Usagi for that."

"So tell me, what are you two doing nowadays?"

"I'm the head of internal security," Rei said proudly.

"And I'm... A student, and a future Senshi, or so I hope," Hisako said with a giggle.

"Any jobs available at your office?" Yuu asked.

"We'll see what use we can give you," Rei said with a wink.

As the three walked away from the forest, a figure emerged from it. She was glad she could remain unseen and unsensed by anyone if she so wished, because, despite herself, she had been curious as to what Rei's reaction would be. This was the Rei she remembered, she could sense the happiness in her, slowly and relentlessly banishing the sadness from her heart.

Serenity smiled at the thought. She didn't need to hear their thanks, their happiness was a good enough reward for her. She looked up at the full moon shining down on the forest and couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. She had talked to Pluto about this, and the future itself was still unstable. Things could drastically change in the next few years... Or the next few centuries.

But whatever happened, she knew her friends would be by her side to help her. Together, they would face any threat to their world, they would not let evil win.

"You know, you shouldn't be outside the palace this late at night."

Serenity turned around and saw the Princess standing there, smiling at her. "Chibi, don't surprise me like that."

"I didn't think I would. You seem to know where everyone is in this city."

"That may be true, but I wasn't paying attention to that one sense right now."

"So, think we'll see the same future we saw before?" the Princess asked. "The Black Moon, the Hunters..." She took a moment to think about that, "... And whatever happens next?"

"I don't know that yet, but I'm curious too. Fortunately, we still have a very long life to live before all that happens. _If_ it happens."

"Yes. The future seems brighter to me now."

"You're right, for some reason, I think the future will be quite fun to live through."

And they would all see it togehter, Serenity thought, just as they were destined to.

* * *

**A/N:** Not really a happy ending, more of a happy 'to be continued,' but here you have it. Almost three years of planning and writing, over two hundred episodes, Cyber Moon: Chronicles is now over. Get ready for Cyber Moon: Crystal, the third and last part of this story, because I can tell you life in Crystal Tokyo will not be dull at all for the Senshi.

* * *

_**Cyber Moon: Chronicles - Started January 4, 2006. Completed November 3, 2008. - To be continued.**_


End file.
